1 Kings 1
1
David in Old Age
1Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 2So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not cohabit with her.
5Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him. 6His father had never crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom. 7He had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah they helped him. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the #Or Gliding or Serpent Stonestone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.
Nathan and Bathsheba
11Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12So now come, please let me give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king. And the king said, “What do you wish?” 17She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19He has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21Otherwise it will come about, as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered offenders.”
22Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23They told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 24Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 27Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28Then King David said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29The king vowed and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30surely as I vowed to you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will indeed do so this day.” 31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself before the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever.”
32Then King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’s presence. 33The king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, and 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 and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say. 37As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”
Solomon Anointed King
38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40All the people went up after him, and the people were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook at their noise.
41Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is the city making such an uproar?” 42While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a valiant man and bring good news.” 43But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. 45Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard. 46Besides, Solomon has even taken his seat 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 his throne greater than your throne!’ And the king bowed himself on the bed. 48The king has also said thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’ ”
49Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified; and they arose and each went on his way. 50And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51Now it was told Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ” 52Solomon said, “If he is a worthy man, not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die.” 53So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
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1 Kings 1: NASB1995
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1 Kings 1
1
David’s Last Days
1Now King David was old and getting on in years. # 2Sm 5:4; 1Kg 2:10-11; 1Ch 23:1 Although they covered him with bedclothes, he could not get warm. # Ec 4:11 2So his servants said to him: “Let us # Lit them search for a young virgin for my lord the king. # Est 2:2 She is to attend the king and be his caregiver. She is to lie by your side so that my lord the king will get warm.” 3They searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel; they found Abishag # 1Kg 1:15; 2:17 the Shunammite # Shunem was a town in the hill country of Issachar at the foot of Mt. Moreh; Jos 19:17-18. # Jos 19:18; 1Sm 28:4 and brought her to the king. 4The girl was of unsurpassed beauty, # Est 2:7 and she became the king’s caregiver. She served him, but he was not intimate with # Lit he did not know her.
Adonijah’s Bid for Power
5Adonijah son of Haggith # 2Sm 3:4 kept exalting himself, saying, “I will be king! ” He prepared chariots, cavalry, and 50 men to run ahead of him. # Heralds announcing his procession # 2Sm 15:1 6But his father had never once reprimanded # Or grieved # 1Sm 3:13 him by saying, “Why do you act this way? ” # 2Sm 13:21 In addition, he was quite handsome # 2Sm 14:25 and was born after Absalom. # 2Sm 3:3-4 7He conspired # Lit His words were with Joab son of Zeruiah # 1Ch 11:6 and with Abiathar the priest. # 1Sm 22:20-23; 2Sm 20:25 They supported # 1Kg 2:22 Adonijah, 8but Zadok the priest, # 2Sm 20:25; 1Ch 16:39-40 Benaiah son of Jehoiada, # 2Sm 8:18 Nathan the prophet, # 2Sm 7:2; 2:1-25 Shimei, # 1Kg 4:18 Rei, and David’s warriors # 2Sm 23:8-39 did not side with Adonijah.
9Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. # Jos 15:7; 18:16; 2Sm 17:17 He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king, # 2Sm 15:11-12 10but he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the warriors, or his brother Solomon. # 1Kg 1:8,26
Nathan’s and Bathsheba’s Appeals
11Then Nathan # 2Sm 12:1,25; 1Kg 1:8,10 said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, # 2Sm 12:24 “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king # 2Sm 15:10; 1Kg 1:25; 2:15 and our lord David does not know it? # 2Sm 3:26; 1Kg 1:18; 2:32 12Now please come and let me advise # Pr 15:22 you. Save your life and the life of your son Solomon. # 1Kg 15:29; 2Kg 10:11 13Go, approach King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your servant: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne? # 1Kg 1:17,30; 1Ch 22:9-13 So why has Adonijah become king? ’ 14At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I’ll come in after you and confirm your words.” # 1Kg 1:22-27
15So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was serving him. # 1Kg 1:1-4 16Bathsheba bowed down and paid homage to the king, and he asked, “What do you want? ”
17She replied, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne.’ 18Now look, Adonijah has become king. And, # Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Syr; other Hb mss read And now my lord the king, you didn’t know it. 19He has lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon. 20Now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his fathers, # Dt 31:16; 2Sm 7:12; 1Kg 2:10 I and my son Solomon will be regarded as criminals.” # 1Kg 1:12
22At that moment, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived, # 1Kg 1:14 23and it was announced to the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” He came into the king’s presence and bowed to him with his face to the ground.
24“My lord the king,” Nathan said, “did you say, ‘Adonijah is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne’? 25For today he went down and lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And look! They’re eating and drinking in his presence, and they’re saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah! ’ 26But he did not invite me — me, your servant — or Zadok the priest or Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your servant Solomon. 27I’m certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant # Some Hb mss, LXX; alt Hb tradition reads servants know who will sit on my lord the king’s throne after him.”
Solomon Confirmed King
28King David responded by saying, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29The king swore an oath and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every difficulty, # 2Sm 4:9 30just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne in my place, # 1Kg 1:13 that is exactly what I will do this very day.” # 1Kg 1:33-35
31Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, paying homage to the king, # 1Kg 1:16 and said, “May my lord King David live forever! ” # Neh 2:3; Dn 2:4; 3:9
32King David then said, “Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me.” # 1Kg 1:8,10,26 So they came into the king’s presence. 33The king said to them, “Take my servants # 2Sm 20:6 with you, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, # 2Sm 18:9; Est 6:8; Zch 9:9; Jn 12:14-15 and take him down to Gihon. # 2Ch 32:30; 33:14 34There, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him as king over Israel. # 1Sm 10:1; 16:3,13 You are to blow the ram’s horn # 2Sm 15:10 and say, ‘Long live King Solomon! ’ # 1Sm 10:24; 1Kg 1:25 35You are to come up after him, and he is to come in and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to become king in my place; he is the one I have commanded to be ruler # 1Sm 13:14 over Israel and Judah.” # 2Sm 2:4; 5:3
36“Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king. “May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it. # Jr 28:6 37Just as the Lord was with my lord the king, # 1Sm 20:13 so may He # Alt Hb tradition reads so He will be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.” # 1Kg 1:47
38Then Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites # 2Sm 8:18 went down, had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 39Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. # 1Ch 29:22 Then they blew the ram’s horn, # 2Kg 11:14 and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon! ” # 1Sm 10:24 40All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy # Ezr 6:16 that the earth split open from the sound. # LXX reads the land resounded with their noise
Adonijah Hears of Solomon’s Coronation
41Adonijah and all the invited guests who were with him # 1Kg 1:5,7-10 heard the noise as they finished eating. Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn and said, “Why is the town in such an uproar? ” # 2Kg 11:12-13 42He was still speaking when Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest, # 2Sm 15:27,36 suddenly arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are an excellent man, and you must be bringing good news.” # 2Sm 18:26-27
43“Unfortunately not,” Jonathan answered him. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have had him ride on the king’s mule. 45Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon. # 1Kg 1:33-35 They have gone from there rejoicing. The town has been in an uproar; that’s the noise you heard. 46Solomon has even taken his seat on the royal throne. # 1Ch 29:23
47“The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ # 1Kg 1:37 Then the king bowed in worship on his bed. # Gn 47:31 48And the king went on to say this: ‘May the Lord God of Israel be praised! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne, # 2Sm 7:12; 1Kg 3:6 and I am a witness.’ ” # Lit and my eyes are seeing
49Then all of Adonijah’s guests got up trembling and went their separate ways. 50Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar. # Ex 21:12-14; 1Kg 2:28
51It was reported to Solomon: “Look, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first # Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg read today swear to me that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’ ”
52Then Solomon said, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground, # 1Sm 14:45; 2Sm 14:11; Ac 27:34 but if evil is found in him, he dies.” # 1Kg 2:23-25 53So King Solomon sent for him, and they took him down from the altar. He came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your home.”
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