I Kings 1

¹Now King David was old and far on in years; and though they put covers over him, his body was cold.

²So his servants said to him, Let search be made for a young virgin for my lord the king, to take care of him and be waiting on him; and you may take her in your arms, and so my lord the king will be warm.

³So after searching through all the land of Israel for a fair young girl, they saw Abishag the Shunammite, and took her to the king.

⁴Now she was very beautiful; and she took care of the king, waiting on him at all times; but the king had no connection with her.

⁵Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, lifting himself up in pride, said, I will become king; and he made ready his carriages of war and his horsemen, with fifty runners to go before him.

⁶Now all his life his father had never gone against him or said to him, Why have you done so? and he was a very good-looking man, and younger than Absalom.

⁷And he had talk with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest; and they were on his side and gave him their support.

⁸But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei, and David's men of war did not take the side of Adonijah.

⁹Then Adonijah put to death sheep and oxen and fat beasts by the stone of Zoheleth, by En-rogel; and he sent for all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants, to come to him:

¹⁰But he did not send for Nathan the prophet and Benaiah and the other men of war and Solomon his brother.

¹¹Then Nathan said to Bath-sheba, the mother of Solomon, Has it not come to your ears that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has made himself king without the knowledge of David our lord?

¹²So now, let me make a suggestion, so that you may keep your life safe and the life of your son Solomon.

¹³Come now, go to King David and say to him, Did you not, O my lord, take an oath to me, your servant, saying, Truly Solomon your son will be king after me, seated on the seat of my kingdom? why then is Adonijah acting as king?

¹⁴And while you are still talking there with the king, see, I will come in after you and say that your story is true.

¹⁵Then Bath-sheba went into the king's room; now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was waiting on him.

¹⁶And Bath-sheba went down on her face on the earth before the king giving him honour. And he said, What is your desire?

¹⁷And she said to him, My lord, you took an oath by the Lord your God and gave your word to your servant, saying, Truly, Solomon your son will be king after me, seated on the seat of my kingdom.

¹⁸And now, see, Adonijah has made himself king without my lord's knowledge;

¹⁹And has put to death oxen and fat beasts and sheep in great numbers, and has sent for all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the captain of the army; but he has not sent for Solomon your servant.

²⁰And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, waiting for you to say who is to take the place of my lord the king after him.

²¹For as things are, it will come about, when my lord the king is sleeping with his fathers, that I and Solomon my son will be made outlaws.

²²And while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.

²³And they said to the king, Here is Nathan the prophet. And when he came in before the king, he went down on his face on the earth.

²⁴And Nathan said, O my lord king, have you said, Adonijah is to be king after me, seated on the seat of my kingdom?

²⁵Because today he has gone down and has put to death oxen and fat beasts and sheep in great numbers, and has sent for all the king's sons to come to him, with the captains of the army and Abiathar the priest; and they are feasting before him and crying, Long life to King Adonijah!

²⁶But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, he has not sent for.

²⁷Has this thing been done by my lord the king, without giving word to your servants who was to be placed on my lord the king's seat after him?

²⁸Then King David in answer said, Send for Bath-sheba to come to me. And she came in and took her place before the king.

²⁹And the king took an oath, and said, By the living Lord, who has been my saviour from all my troubles,

³⁰As I took an oath to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, Certainly Solomon your son will become king after me, seated on my seat in my place; so will I do this day.

³¹Then Bath-sheba went down on her face on the earth before the king giving him honour, and said, May my lord King David go on living for ever.

³²And King David said, Send for Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.

³³And the king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and put Solomon my son on my beast, yes, mine, and take him down to Gihon;

³⁴And there let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet put the holy oil on him to make him king over Israel; and sounding the horn say, Long life to King Solomon!

³⁵Then come up after him and he will come in and take his place on the seat of my kingdom; for he is to be king in my place, and I have given orders that he is to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.

³⁶And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answering the king, said, So be it: and may the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so.

³⁷As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon and make the seat of his authority greater than that of my lord King David.

³⁸So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down and put Solomon on King David's beast and took him to Gihon.

³⁹And Zadok the priest took the vessel of oil out of the Tent, and put the holy oil on Solomon. And when the horn was sounded, all the people said, Long life to King Solomon!

⁴⁰And all the people came up after him, piping with pipes, and they were glad with great joy, so that the earth was shaking with the sound.

⁴¹And it came to the ears of Adonijah and all the guests who were with him, when their meal was ended. And Joab, hearing the sound of the horn, said, What is the reason of this noise as if the town was worked up?

⁴²And while the words were on his lips, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, came; and Adonijah said, Come in; for you are a man of good faith and the news which you have for us will be good.

⁴³And Jonathan, answering, said to Adonijah, Not so, but our lord King David has made Solomon king:

⁴⁴And he sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they put him on the king's beast:

⁴⁵And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet put the holy oil on him and made him king in Gihon; and they came back from there with joy, and the town was all worked up. This is the noise which has come to your ears.

⁴⁶And now Solomon is seated on the seat of the kingdom.

⁴⁷And the king's servants came to our lord King David, blessing him and saying, May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and the seat of his authority greater than your seat; and the king was bent low in worship on his bed.

⁴⁸Then the king said, May the God of Israel be praised, who has given one of my seed to be king in my place this day and has let my eyes see it.

⁴⁹And all the guests of Adonijah got up in fear and went away, every man to his place.

⁵⁰And Adonijah himself was full of fear because of Solomon; and he got up and went to the altar, and put his hands on its horns.

⁵¹And they gave Solomon word of it, saying, See, Adonijah goes in such fear of King Solomon, that he has put his hands on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon first give me his oath that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.

⁵²And Solomon said, If he is seen to be a man of good faith, not a hair of him will be touched; but if any wrongdoing is seen in him, he is to be put to death.

⁵³So King Solomon sent, and they took him down from the altar. And he came and gave honour to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, Go to your house.

I Kings 1

¹Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he couldn't keep warm.

²Therefore his servants said to him, "Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin. Let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm."

³So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

⁴The young lady was very beautiful; and she cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king did not know her intimately.

⁵Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." Then he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

⁶His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, "Why have you done so?" and he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after Absalom.

⁷He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.

⁸But 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.

⁹Adonijah killed sheep and cattle and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel; and he called all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants:

¹⁰but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he did not call.

¹¹Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Haven't you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn't know it?

¹²Now therefore come, please let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of your son Solomon.

¹³Go in to king David, and tell him, 'Did you not, my lord, king, swear to your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign?'

¹⁴Behold, while you yet talk there with the king, I also will come in after you, and confirm your words."

¹⁵Bathsheba went in to the king into the room. The king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.

¹⁶Bathsheba bowed, and showed respect to the king. The king said, "What would you like?"

¹⁷She said to him, "My lord, you swore by the Lord your God to your handmaid, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.'

¹⁸Now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord the king, do not know it.

¹⁹He has slain cattle and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the army; but he hasn't called Solomon your servant.

²⁰You, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

²¹Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders."

²²Behold, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.

²³They told the king, saying, "Behold, Nathan the prophet!" When he had come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

²⁴Nathan said, "My lord, king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?'

²⁵For he is gone down this day, and has slain cattle and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king's sons, and the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and say, 'Long live king Adonijah!'

²⁶But he hasn't called me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon.

²⁷Is this thing done by my lord the king, and you haven't shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

²⁸Then king David answered, "Call to me Bathsheba." She came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.

²⁹The king swore, and said, "As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

³⁰most certainly as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place;' most certainly so will I do this day."

³¹Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and showed respect to the king, and said, "Let my lord king David live forever!"

³²King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." They came before the king.

³³The king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.

³⁴Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel. Blow the trumpet, and say, 'Long live king Solomon!'

³⁵Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne; for he shall be king in my place. I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah."

³⁶Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, "Amen. May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so.

³⁷As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David."

³⁸So 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 on king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

³⁹Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet; and all the people said, "Long live king Solomon!"

⁴⁰All the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with their sound.

⁴¹Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar?"

⁴²While he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said, "Come in; for you are a worthy man, and bring good news."

⁴³Jonathan answered Adonijah, "Most certainly our lord king David has made Solomon king.

⁴⁴The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have caused him to ride on the king's mule.

⁴⁵Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon. They have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have heard.

⁴⁶Also, Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.

⁴⁷Moreover 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 make his throne greater than your throne;' and the king bowed himself on the bed.

⁴⁸Also thus said the king, 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, my eyes even seeing it.'"

⁴⁹All the guests of Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and each man went his way.

⁵⁰Adonijah feared because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.

⁵¹It was told Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah fears king Solomon; for, behold, he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let king Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.'"

⁵²Solomon said, "If he shows himself a worthy man, not a hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die."

⁵³So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed down to king Solomon; and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."