4 that the Lord may ^afulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, ^b‘If your sons take heed to their way, to ^cwalk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,’ He said, ^d‘you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’  ‡

5 “Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah ^adid to me, and what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to ^bAbner the son of Ner and ^cAmasa the son of Jether, whom he killed. And he shed the blood of war in peacetime, and put the blood of war on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.  ‡

7 “But show kindness to the sons of ^aBarzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who ^beat at your table, for so ^cthey came to me when I fled from Absalom your brother.  ‡

8 “And see, you have with you ^aShimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a malicious curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But ^bhe came down to meet me at the Jordan, and ^cI swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’  ‡