The Death of David

A little later David too fell ill because of his age. Seeing that he was near death, he called his son Solomon and spoke to him like this: “I am now going, my son, to my grave and to my fathers. This is the common road that all people now living, or who will live hereafter, must travel; once on it, no one can ever return or know anything that is done in this world. That is why, while I am still alive, though already very near death, I urge you, as I have advised you before, to be righteous toward your subjects and devout toward God, who has given you your kingdom; to keep his commandments and his laws, which he has sent us through Moses; and not to let any desire or other passion, out of favor or flattery, sway you to disregard them. For if you break his laws, you will lose the favor of God and turn his providence away from you in everything. But if you behave as you should, and as I urge you, you will keep our kingdom in our family, and no other house will rule over the Hebrews but ourselves, for all ages.” “Remember also the crimes of Joab, the commander of the army, who out of envy killed two generals, righteous and good men, Abner the son of Ner and Amasa the son of Jether. Avenge their deaths as you think fit, since Joab has been too strong for me and more powerful than I am, and so has escaped punishment until now. I also commit to you the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. To please me, hold them in great honor and take great care of them; for we are not doing them a kindness first, but only repaying the debt we owe their father for what he did for me in my flight. There is also Shimei the son of Gera, of the tribe of Benjamin. After heaping many insults on me as I was going to Mahanaim in my flight, he met me at the Jordan and received assurances that he would suffer nothing at that time. Now look for some just occasion, and punish him.” [a]

When David had given his son these instructions about public affairs, about his friends, and about those he knew deserved punishment, he died. He had lived seventy years, and had reigned seven years and six months in Hebron over the tribe of Judah, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem over the whole country. He was a man of excellent character, endowed with every virtue desirable in a king and in one entrusted with the safety of so many nations. He was brave to an extraordinary degree, and when he had to fight for his subjects he went readily and first of all into danger, spurring the soldiers on to action by his own exertions and by fighting for them, not by commanding them like a despot. He was also very able in understanding, and in grasping present and future circumstances, whenever he had affairs to manage. He was prudent and considerate, and kind to those in any misfortune; he was righteous and humane, good qualities especially fitting for kings. Nor did he commit any offense in the use of so great an authority, except in the matter of Uriah’s wife. He also left behind him greater wealth than any other king, of the Hebrews or of other nations, ever did. [c]

His son Solomon buried him in Jerusalem with great magnificence and with all the other funeral pomp with which kings used to be buried. Great and immense wealth was buried with him besides, and how vast it was may easily be guessed from what I will now say. Thirteen hundred years afterward, Hyrcanus the high priest was besieged by Antiochus, called the Pious, the son of Demetrius. He wanted to give him money to make him raise the siege and withdraw his army, and having no other way of getting the money, he opened one room of David’s tomb, took out three thousand talents, and gave part of that sum to Antiochus; and by this means he got the siege raised, as we have told the reader elsewhere. Many years after him again, King Herod opened another room and took away a great deal of money. Yet neither of them reached the coffins of the kings themselves, for their bodies had been buried under the earth so skillfully that they could not be seen even by those who entered their tombs. But let this be enough to have said about these matters. [e]