The First of Kings
2 When the time for David to die don near, e tell im son Sol′o·mon say: 2 “I go soon die, so make you dey strong and show say you be man. 3 You must do everything wey Jehovah your God talk say make you do, you must follow im way, de obey im law, de do the things wey e don command, de respect im judgments, and de do the things wey e de always remind im people to do, as them write-am for the Law of Moses. Na that time you go succeed* for everything wey you de do and everywhere wey you go. 4 And Jehovah go do wetin e promise me say: ‘If your sons dey careful about the way them de live their life, and them use all their heart and their soul* serve me well, man wey go sitdown for the throne of Israel go always dey your family.’
5 “You still know wetin Jo′ab the son of Ze·ru′iah do me, wetin e do the two people wey de control the armies for Israel, Ab′ner wey be the son of Ner and A·ma′sa wey be the son of Je′ther. E kill them, e troway blood for time of peace like say na time of war, and e stain the belt wey dey im waist and the sandals wey dey im leg with the blood of war. 6 You must use your sense do something, and make you no allow im white hair enter Grave* in peace.
7 “But make you show love wey no de fail to the sons of Bar·zil′lai wey be Gilʹe·ad person, and make them dey among the people wey de chop for your table, because na so them support me when I run from your brother Ab′sa·lom.
8 “Shim′e·i the son of Ge′ra wey come from Ba·hu′rim, and wey come from the tribe of Benjamin dey with you too. Na im curse me well-well with heavy-heavy curse the day wey I de go Ma·ha·na′im. But when e come meet me for River Jordan, I use Jehovah name swear to-am say: ‘I no go use sword kill you.’ 9 Now make sure say you punish-am, because you be person wey get sense, and you know wetin you suppose do-am; you must make im white hair enter Grave* with blood.”
10 Then David die like im papa-papa them, and them bury-am for the City of David. 11 David rule Israel for 40 years. E rule for Heb′ron for 7 years, and e rule for Jerusalem for 33 years.
12 Then Sol′o·mon sitdown for the throne of im papa David, and small-small, im kingdom come stand strong.
13 After some time, Ad·o·ni′jah wey be the son of Hag′gith come meet Bath-she′ba wey be Sol′o·mon mama. Then Bath-she′ba ask-am say: “I hope say problem no dey as you come so?” E answer-am say: “Problem no dey.” 14 Then e talk say: “I get something wey I want tell you.” So Bath-she′ba tell-am say: “Talk.” 15 So e talk say: “You know say na me suppose be king, and all Israel people be de expect* say na me go be king, but instead make I be king, na my brother come be king because na Jehovah choose-am to be king. 16 But now, e get one thing wey I want beg you for. Abeg make you do-am for me.” So Bath-she′ba tell-am say: “Talk-am.” 17 E come talk say: “Abeg, help me tell King Sol′o·mon say make e give me Ab′i·shag wey be Shuʹnem person as wife, because I know say e no go reject wetin you tell-am.” 18 So Bath-she′ba tell-am say: “Okay, no problem! I go tell the king wetin you talk.”
19 So Bath-she′ba go meet King Sol′o·mon to tell-am wetin Ad·o·ni′jah talk. As the king just see-am, e stand up go meet-am and bow down to-am. Then e sitdown for im throne, and e say make them bring throne for the king mama, so that im mama go fit sitdown for im right hand side. 20 Im mama come talk say: “I get one small thing wey I want beg you say make you do for me. Abeg, make you no reject wetin I want talk.” So the king tell-am say: “Talk-am my mama, I no go reject wetin you want talk.” 21 So e talk say: “Make you give Ab′i·shag wey be Shuʹnem person to your brother Ad·o·ni′jah as im wife.” 22 So King Sol′o·mon answer im mama say: “Why you de talk say make I give Ab′i·shag wey be Shuʹnem person to Ad·o·ni′jah? You for still talk say make I give-am the kingdom too, because na my senior brother e be, and the people wey de support-am na A·bi′a·thar the priest and Jo′ab the son of Ze·ru′iah.”
23 So King Sol′o·mon come use Jehovah name swear say: “Make God punish me and add join-am if Ad·o·ni′jah no use im life* pay for this thing wey e talk say make I do for-am. 24 And now, as Jehovah dey alive, the Person wey don make my position strong, and wey make me sitdown for the throne of David my papa, and wey don give me and my children the kingdom* just as e promise, na today Ad·o·ni′jah go die.” 25 Quick-quick, King Sol′o·mon send Be·nai′ah wey be the son of Je·hoi′a·da make e go kill Ad·o·ni′jah, and e kill-am.
26 Then the king tell A·bi′a·thar wey be priest say: “Make you go back to your land for An′a·thoth! You suppose die, but I no go kill you today, because you carry the Ark of Jehovah the Lord Wey High Pass when David my papa dey alive, and you follow-am suffer all the things wey e suffer.” 27 Na so Sol′o·mon take pursue A·bi′a·thar comot, make e no work as Jehovah priest again. This one make wetin Jehovah talk for Shi′loh about the family* of E′li happen.
28 When Jo′ab hear wetin happen, e run go Jehovah tent and hold the horns for the altar, because Jo′ab be support Ad·o·ni′jah but e no support Ab′sa·lom. 29 Them come tell King Sol′o·mon say: “Jo′ab don run go Jehovah tent, and e dey there near the altar.” So Sol′o·mon send Be·nai′ah wey be the son of Je·hoi′a·da say: “Go kill-am!” 30 So Be·nai′ah go Jehovah tent and tell Jo′ab say: “This na wetin the king talk, ‘Come out!’” But e talk say: “No! I go die here.” So Be·nai′ah go back go tell the king say: “This na wetin Jo′ab talk, and this na wetin e answer me.” 31 Then the king tell Be·nai′ah say: “Do-am as e talk. Kill-am and bury-am, so that the blood of the people wey e kill for no reason go comot from me and my papa family.* 32 Jehovah go make im blood dey im own head because David my papa no know anything about wetin e do when e kill two men wey righteous pass-am and better pass-am: Ab′ner the son of Ner, the person wey de control Israel army, and A·ma′sa the son of Je′ther, the person wey de control Judah army. 33 Their blood go dey the head of Jo′ab and the head of im children forever, but as for David, im children, im family,* and im throne, them go get peace from Jehovah forever.” 34 Then Be·nai′ah the son of Je·hoi′a·da go up go kill Jo′ab for there, and them bury-am for im own house for wilderness. 35 Then the king choose Be·nai′ah the son of Je·hoi′a·da make e replace Jo′ab as the person wey de control the army, and the king choose Za′dok the priest make e replace A·bi′a·thar.
36 Then the king call Shim′e·i and tell-am say: “Build house for yourself for Jerusalem and make you stay there, make you no comot from there go any other place. 37 The day wey you go comot from there and cross the Lowland* of Kid′ron, make you know say you go die. Your blood go dey your own head.” 38 Then Shim′e·i tell the king say: “Wetin you talk good. Your servant go do just as my lord the king talk.” So Shim′e·i stay for Jerusalem for plenty days.
39 But when three years don complete, two of Shim′e·i servants run go meet Aʹchish wey be the son of Ma′a·cah the king of Gath. When them tell Shim′e·i say: “See! Your servants dey for Gath,” 40 quick-quick, Shim′e·i ready im donkey and e go meet A′chish for Gath to find im servants. When Shim′e·i come back from Gath with im servants, 41 them tell Sol′o·mon say: “Shim′e·i don comot from Jerusalem go Gath and e don come back.” 42 So the king call Shim′e·i and ask-am say: “No be you I use Jehovah name swear and warn you say: ‘The day wey you go comot from here go any other place, make you know say you go die’? And no be you tell me say, ‘Wetin you talk good, I go obey’? 43 So why you no do wetin you use Jehovah name swear say you go do, and obey wetin I command you to do?” 44 Then the king tell Shim′e·i say: “For inside your heart, you know all the bad things wey you do David my papa, and Jehovah go make that bad thing come ontop your own head. 45 But Jehovah go bless King Sol′o·mon, and e go make the throne of David last forever.” 46 So the king command Be·nai′ah the son of Je·hoi′a·da say make e kill-am, and e go kill-am.
Na so the kingdom take strong for Sol′o·mon hand.