And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
And look, you have with you Shimei, the son of Gera, a man from the tribe of Benjamin who lives in Bahurim. He cursed me with terrible curses on the day I fled to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I made a promise to him before the LORD, saying, 'I will not kill you with the sword.'
David is reminding Solomon about Shimei, a man who cursed David during his flight from Absalom, but to whom David had sworn an oath not to kill him.
📚 Historical Context
This is part of David's deathbed instructions to his son Solomon. Shimei had cursed David when he was fleeing Jerusalem during Absalom's rebellion, but later begged for forgiveness when David returned victorious. David had sworn before God not to execute Shimei, but he's now leaving this complicated situation for Solomon to handle as the new king.
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