1:1 When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him.
1:2 So his servants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”
1:3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
1:4 The girl was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no intimate relations with her.
1:5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him.
1:6 (His father had never interfered with him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)
1:7 Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support.
1:8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.
1:9 Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah who were royal officials,
1:10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.
1:11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king without our lord David’s knowing it?
1:12 Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
1:13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’
1:14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and confirm what you have said.”
1:15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him.
1:16 Bathsheba bowed low and knelt before the king. “What is it you want?” the king asked.
1:17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’
1:18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it.
1:19 He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant.
1:20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
1:21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”
1:22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.
1:23 And they told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.
1:24 Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne?
1:25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
1:26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite.
1:27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
1:28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.
1:29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,
1:30 I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”
1:31 Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
1:32 King David said, “Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king,
1:33 he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and set Solomon my son on my own mule and take him down to Gihon.
1:34 There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
1:35 Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”
1:36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it.
1:37 As the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!”
1:38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David’s mule and escorted him to Gihon.
1:39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!”
1:40 And all the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.
1:41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, “What’s the meaning of all the noise in the city?”
1:42 Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.”
1:43 “Not at all!” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king.
1:44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king’s mule,
1:45 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with it. That’s the noise you hear.
1:46 Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.
1:47 Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed
1:48 and said, ‘Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.’”
1:49 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed.
1:50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
1:51 Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”
1:52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be a worthy man, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.”
1:53 Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, “Go to your home.”
1:1 Now when King David was old and advanced in years, they covered him with clothing, but he could not get warm.
1:2 So his servants said to him, Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and serve him; and let her lie in your bosom so that my lord the king may get warm.
1:3 Thus they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.
1:4 And the young woman was very beautiful, and she served the king and ministered to him; but the king did not know her.
1:5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king. And he prepared a chariot and horsemen for himself and fifty men to run before him.
1:6 And his father had never displeased him by saying, Why have you done thus and thus? And he also was very handsome, and his mother bore him after Absalom.
1:7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah, they helped him.
1:8 But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah.
1:9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he called all his brothers, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king.
1:10 But he did not call Nathan the prophet and Benaiah and the mighty men and Solomon his brother.
1:11 Then Nathan spoke to Bath-sheba, Solomon s mother, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns and our lord David does not know it?
1:12 Now therefore come and let me give you counsel to save your life and the life of your son Solomon.
1:13 Go in at once to King David and say to him, Did you not, O my lord the king, swear to your female servant, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Then why does Adonijah reign?
1:14 Just when you are there and still speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.
1:15 So Bath-sheba went in to the king in the chamber. And the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.
1:16 And Bath-sheba bowed and paid homage to the king. And the king said, What do you wish?
1:17 And she said to him, My lord, you swore by Jehovah your God to your female servant, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
1:18 But now, at this moment Adonijah reigns, and you, my lord the king, know nothing of it.
1:19 And he has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep abundantly and has called for all the king s sons and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab the captain of the army, but he has not called for Solomon your servant.
1:20 And you, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, that you would declare to them who will sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him.
1:21 Otherwise when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders.
1:22 And just while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.
1:23 And they told the king, saying, Nathan the prophet is here. And he came in before the king and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.
1:24 And Nathan said, O my lord the king, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
1:25 For he has gone down today and sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep abundantly and has called for all the king s sons and for the captains of the army and for Abiathar the priest; and now they are eating and drinking before him, and they say, May King Adonijah live!
1:26 But he has not called for me, me your servant, and for Zadok the priest and for Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and for Solomon your servant.
1:27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not made known to your servants who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him?
1:28 Then King David answered and said, Call Bath-sheba to me. And she came in before the king and stood before the king.
1:29 And the king swore and said, As Jehovah lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
1:30 Indeed as I have sworn to you by Jehovah the God of Israel, saying, Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my place; so indeed will I do this day.
1:31 Then Bath-sheba bowed her face to the ground and paid homage to the king, and she said, May my lord King David live forever.
1:32 And King David said, Call Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to me. And they came in before the king.
1:33 And the king said to them, Take the servants of your lord with you, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.
1:34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel; and blow the trumpet and say, May King Solomon live!
1:35 Then come up after him; and he shall come and sit upon my throne, and he shall reign in my place; for I have appointed him as ruler over Israel and over Judah.
1:36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, Amen! May Jehovah, the God of my lord the king, so ordain!
1:37 As Jehovah has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon; and may He make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.
1:38 So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and caused Solomon to ride upon King David s mule, and they brought him to Gihon.
1:39 And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the Tent of Jehovah and anointed Solomon; and they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, May King Solomon live!
1:40 And all the people went up after him; and the people were playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, and the land shook with the sound of them.
1:41 And Adonijah and all the invited guests with him heard it as they finished eating. And Joab heard the sound of the trumpet and said, Why is there the sound of the city in an uproar?
1:42 Just as he was still speaking, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, Come in; for you are a worthy man and bring good news.
1:43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Alas! Our lord King David has made Solomon king!
1:44 And the king has sent with him Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king s mule.
1:45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him as king in Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the sound that you heard.
1:46 And Solomon is also sitting upon the throne of the kingdom.
1:47 Moreover the king s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne; and the king bowed himself upon his bed.
1:48 And thus also did the king say, Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, who has given me today one to sit on my throne while my eyes may see it.
1:49 And all the invited guests who were with Adonijah became frightened and rose up; and they went away, each on his own way.
1:50 And Adonijah was afraid because of Solomon; and he rose up and went away, and he took hold of the horns of the altar.
1:51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Now Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for he has just now taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.
1:52 And Solomon said, If he is a worthy man, not a hair of his will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.
1:53 So King Solomon sent men and had him brought down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon. And Solomon said to him, Go to your house.