Solomon Removes His Enemies

We have already treated, in the preceding book, of David and his virtue, of the benefits he brought his countrymen, and of the wars and battles he waged with success before he died an old man. Solomon his son was still only a youth when he took the kingdom; David had declared him lord of that people while he was still alive, in accordance with God’s will. When he sat on the throne, the whole body of the people acclaimed him joyfully, as is usual at the beginning of a reign, and wished that all his affairs might come to a blessed conclusion, and that he might reach a great age and the happiest state of affairs possible. [a]

But Adonijah, who had tried to take possession of the government while his father was living, came to the king’s mother, Bathsheba, and greeted her with great courtesy. She asked him whether he had come wanting her help in anything, and told him to say so if that was the case, for she would gladly give it. He began by saying that she knew herself the kingdom had been his, both because he was the elder and because of the inclination of the people, and yet it had been transferred to her son Solomon by the will of God. He said that he was content to be a subject under him and was pleased with the present settlement; but he asked her to help him obtain a favor from his brother, and to persuade him to give him Abishag in marriage. She had indeed slept beside his father, but because his father was too old, he had not lain with her, and she was still a virgin. Bathsheba promised to help him very earnestly and to bring this marriage about, both because the king would be willing to please him in such a thing and because she would press it on him very earnestly. So he went away hoping to succeed in this match. Solomon’s mother went at once to her son to speak to him about what she had promised at Adonijah’s request. Her son came forward to meet her and embraced her, and when he had brought her into the house where his royal throne was set, he sat on it and had another throne set at his right hand for his mother. When Bathsheba was seated, she said, “My son, grant me one request that I ask of you, and do not do anything to me that is unpleasant or unkind, as you will if you refuse me.” Solomon told her to lay her commands on him, since it was his duty to grant her everything she asked, and he complained that she had not begun with a firm expectation of getting what she wanted, but had some suspicion of a refusal. Then she begged him to allow his brother Adonijah to marry Abishag. [b]

But the king was greatly offended at these words and sent his mother away. He said that Adonijah was aiming at great things, and that he wondered she did not ask him to give up the kingdom to him as his elder brother, since she was asking that he might marry Abishag; and that Adonijah had powerful friends, Joab the commander of the army and Abiathar the priest. So he called for Benaiah, the captain of the guards, and ordered him to kill his brother Adonijah. He also called for Abiathar the priest and said to him, “I will not put you to death, because of the other hardships you endured with my father and because of the ark you carried along with him. But I inflict this punishment on you, because you were among Adonijah’s followers and of his party. Do not stay here or ever come into my sight again, but go to your own town and live on your own fields, and remain there all your life. For you have offended so greatly that it is not right for you to keep your office any longer.” It was for this reason, then, that the house of Ithamar was deprived of the priestly office, as God had foretold to Eli, Abiathar’s grandfather. So it was transferred to the family of Phinehas, to Zadok. Those of the family of Phinehas who lived as private men during the time the high priesthood was transferred to the house of Ithamar (of which family Eli was the first to receive it) were these: Bukki, the son of Joshua the high priest; his son was Joatham; Joatham’s son was Meraioth; Meraioth’s son was Arophaeus; Arophaeus’s son was Ahitub; and Ahitub’s son was Zadok, who was first made high priest in the reign of David. [c]

When Joab the commander of the army heard of Adonijah’s execution, he was greatly afraid, for he was a greater friend to Adonijah than to Solomon. Suspecting, not without reason, that he was in danger because of his favor toward Adonijah, he fled to the altar, supposing he might win safety there because of the king’s reverence for God. But when the king was told what Joab was counting on, he sent Benaiah and commanded him to raise him up from the altar and bring him to the judgment seat to make his defense. Joab, however, said he would not leave the altar, but would rather die there than anywhere else. When Benaiah reported his answer to the king, Solomon commanded him to cut off his head there, since that was what Joab wanted, and let him take that as his punishment for the two commanders of the army whom he had wickedly killed; and to bury his body, so that his sins might never leave his family, while Solomon himself and his father, by Joab’s death, might be free of guilt. When Benaiah had done as he was commanded, he himself was appointed commander of the whole army. The king also made Zadok sole high priest in place of Abiathar, whom he had removed. [e]

As for Shimei, Solomon commanded him to build himself a house and stay in Jerusalem in attendance on him, and not to have leave to cross the brook Kidron; if he disobeyed that command, death would be his punishment. He threatened him so terribly that he compelled him to swear an oath to obey. Shimei said he had reason to thank Solomon for giving him such an order, and added an oath that he would do as he was told; and leaving his own country, he made his home in Jerusalem. But three years later, when he heard that two of his servants had run away from him and were in Gath, he went after them in haste. When he came back with them, the king learned of it and was much displeased that he had despised his commands and, what was worse, had no regard for the oaths he had sworn to God. So he called him and said to him, “Did you not swear never to leave me, nor to go out of this city to another? You will not escape punishment for your perjury. I will punish you, you wicked wretch, both for this crime and for those with which you abused my father in his flight, so that you may know that wicked men gain nothing in the end, even if they are not punished immediately for their unjust deeds. All the time they think themselves safe because they have suffered nothing yet, their punishment grows and falls on them more heavily, and to a greater degree than if they had been punished immediately after committing their crimes.” So Benaiah, at the king’s command, killed Shimei. [g]