1 Kings 1
1
1 Kings 1
1¶ Now king David was old and stricken in years, and they covered him with clothes, but he did not become warm.
2Therefore, his slaves said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin, and let her stand before the king and let her warm him and let her lie in thy bosom, and she shall warm my lord the king.
3So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel and found Abishag, a Shunammite and brought her to the king.
4And the damsel was very fair and warmed the king and ministered to him, but the king knew her not.
5¶ Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, I will reign, and he prepared chariots and horsemen for himself and fifty men to run before him.
6And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was very handsome; and he had begotten him after Absalom.
7And he conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar, the priest who helped Adonijah.
8But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei and Rei and the mighty men of David did not follow Adonijah.
9And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s slaves;
10but he did not invite Nathan, the prophet, nor Benaiah nor the mighty men nor Solomon his brother.
11¶ And Nathan spoke unto Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, reigns without David our lord knowing of it?
12Now, therefore, come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel that thou may deliver thine own life and the life of thy son Solomon.
13Go and enter in unto King David and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thy handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign?
14And while thou art yet speaking there with the king, I also will come in after thee and finish thy words.
15And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber; and the king was very old; and Abishag, the Shunammite, ministered unto the king.
16And Bathsheba bowed and worshipped the king. And the king said, What dost thou desire?
17And she said unto him, My lord, thou didst sware by the Lord thy God unto thy handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne;
18and now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and now, my lord the king, thou dost not know it.
19He has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance and has called all the sons of the king and Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the captain of the host; but he has not invited Solomon, thy slave.
20And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee that thou should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21Otherwise, it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers that I and my son Solomon shall be counted as sinners.
22And while she yet spoke with the king, Nathan, the prophet, also came in.
23And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan, the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
24And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
25For today he has gone down and has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance and has called all the king’s sons and the captains of the host and Abiathar, the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him and say, Long live King Adonijah.
26But he did not invite me, thy slave, nor Zadok, the priest, nor Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, nor thy slave Solomon.
27Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not declared unto thy slave who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28Then King David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29And the king swore and said, As the Lord lives, who has ransomed my soul out of all distress,
30even as I swore unto thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.
31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth and did reverence to the king and said, Let my lord King David live for ever.
32¶ And King David said, Call me Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. And they entered into the presence of the king.
33And the king said unto them, Take with you the slaves of your lord and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule and bring him down to Gihon.
34And let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him there king over Israel; and ye shall blow the shofar and say, Long live king Solomon.
35 Afterward ye shall come up after him that he may come and sit upon my throne, for he shall reign in my stead, for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
36Then Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answered the king and said, Amen. Let the Lord God of my lord the king say so too.
37As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so let him be with Solomon and let him 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 upon King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon.
39And Zadok, the priest, took the horn of the oil of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the shofar, and all the people said, Long live king Solomon.
40 Afterward all the people came up following him, and the people sang with flutes and rejoiced with great joy so that it seemed the earth rent with the sound of them.
41¶ And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it when they had finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the shofar, he said, Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar?
42And while he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, the priest, came; and Adonijah said unto him, Come in, for thou art a valiant man and bringest good tidings.
43And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord King David has made Solomon king.
44And 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;
45and Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, have anointed him king in Gihon; and they are come up from there rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.
46And also Solomon has been seated on the throne of the kingdom.
47And moreover, the king’s slaves came to bless our lord King David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king worshipped upon the bed.
48And also thus said the king, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne today, mine eyes even seeing it.
49And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid and rose up and went each one his way.
50And Adonijah, fearing the presence of Solomon, arose and went and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
51And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his slave with the sword.
52And Solomon said, If he will show himself virtuous, there shall not one hair of him fall to the ground, but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.
53So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to King Solomon. And Solomon said unto him, Go to thy house.
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1 Kings 1: JUB
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International
1 Kings 1
1
Adonijah Tries to Become King
1At this time King David was very old. His servants covered him with blankets, but he could not keep warm. 2So they said to him, “We will find a young woman to care for you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm.” 3So the king’s servants looked everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman. They found a girl named Abishag from the Shunammite people. They brought her to the king. 4The girl was very beautiful. She cared for the king and served him. But King David did not have physical relations with her.
5-6Adonijah was King David and Haggith’s son. He was born next after Absalom. He was a very handsome man. He said, “I will be the king.” So he got chariots and horses for himself. And he got 50 men to run ahead of him. Now David had never interfered with him by questioning what he did.
7Adonijah talked with Joab son of Zeruiah. He also talked with Abiathar the priest. They told him they would help him. 8But several men did not join Adonijah. These men were Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei and King David’s special guard.
9Then Adonijah killed some sheep, cows and fat calves for sacrifices. He made these sacrifices at the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring, En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the other sons of King David, to come. He invited all the rulers and leaders of Judah also. 10But Adonijah did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, his father’s special guard or his brother Solomon.
11When Nathan heard about this, he went to Bathsheba. She was the mother of Solomon. Nathan asked her, “Have you heard what Adonijah, Haggith’s son, is doing? He has made himself king. And our real king, David, does not know it. 12Your life and the life of your son Solomon may be in danger. But I will tell you how to save yourselves. 13Go to King David and say to him, ‘My master and king, you made a promise to me. You promised that my son Solomon would be the king after you. You said he would rule on your throne. So why has Adonijah become king?’ 14While you are still talking to him, I will come in. I will tell the king that what you have said about Adonijah is true.”
15So Bathsheba went in to see the king in his bedroom. He was now very old. Abishag, the girl from Shunam, was caring for him there. 16Bathsheba bowed down before the king.
He asked, “What do you want?”
17She answered, “My master, you made a promise to me in the name of the Lord your God. You said, ‘Your son Solomon will become king after me. He will rule on my throne.’ 18But now Adonijah has become king. And you did not know it. 19Adonijah has killed many cows, fat calves and sheep for sacrifices. And he has invited all your sons. He also has invited Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of your army. But he did not invite Solomon, your son who serves you. 20My master and king, all the people of Israel are watching you. They are waiting for you to decide who will be king after you. 21As soon as you die, Solomon and I will be treated as criminals.”
22While Bathsheba was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23The servants told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So Nathan went to the king and bowed facedown on the ground before him.
24Then Nathan said, “My master and king, have you said that Adonijah will be the king after you? Have you decided he will rule on your throne after you? 25Today he has sacrificed many cows, fat calves and sheep. And he has invited all your other sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him. They are saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26But he did not invite me, Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your son Solomon. 27Did you do this? We are your servants. Why didn’t you tell us whom you chose to be the king after you?”
David Makes Solomon King
28Then King David said, “Tell Bathsheba to come in!” So she came in and stood before the king.
29Then the king said, “The Lord has saved me from all trouble. As surely as he lives, I make this promise to you. 30Today I will do what I promised you in the past. I made that promise in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. I promised that your son Solomon would be king after me. I promised he would rule on my throne after me.”
31Then Bathsheba bowed facedown on the ground before the king. She said, “Long live my master King David!”
32Then King David said, “Tell Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada to come in here.” So they came before the king. 33Then the king said to them, “Take my servants with you and put my son Solomon on my own mule. Take him down to the spring called Gihon. 34There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet should pour olive oil on him and make him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35Then come back here with him. He will sit on my throne and rule in my place. I have chosen him to be the ruler over Israel and Judah.”
36Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “This is good! And may your God make it happen. 37The Lord has always helped you, our king. Let the Lord also help Solomon. And let King Solomon be an even greater king than you.”
38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada went down. The Kerethites and Pelethites, the king’s bodyguards, went with them. They put Solomon on King David’s mule and went with him to the spring called Gihon. 39Zadok the priest took with him the container of olive oil from the Holy Tent. He poured the olive oil on Solomon’s head to show he was the king. Then they blew the trumpet. And all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40All the people followed Solomon into the city. They were playing flutes and shouting for joy. They made so much noise the ground shook.
41At this time Adonijah and all the guests with him were finishing their meal. They heard the sound from the trumpet. Joab asked, “What does all that noise from the city mean?”
42While Joab was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in! You are an important man. So you must be bringing good news.”
43But Jonathan answered, “No! Our master King David has made Solomon the new king. 44King David sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada and all the king’s bodyguards with him. They put Solomon on the king’s own mule. 45And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet poured olive oil on Solomon at Gihon to make him king. Then they went into the city, shouting with joy. Now the whole city is excited. That is the noise you hear. 46Solomon has now become the king. 47All the king’s officers have come to tell King David that he has done a good thing. They are saying, ‘May your God make Solomon even more famous than you. And may your God make Solomon an even greater king than you.’” Jonathan continued, “And King David bowed down on his bed to worship God. 48He said, ‘Praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Today he has made one of my sons the king and allowed me to see it.’”
49Then all of Adonijah’s guests were afraid, and they left quickly. 50Adonijah was also afraid of Solomon. So he went and took hold of the corners of the altar.# If a person were innocent of a crime, he could run into the Holy Place. If he held on to the corners of the altar there, he would not be punished. The corners looked like horns. 51Then someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you. He is at the altar, holding on to its corners. He says, ‘Tell King Solomon to promise me today that he will not kill me.’”
52So Solomon answered, “Adonijah must show that he is a man of honor. If he does, I promise that he will not lose even a hair from his head. But if he does anything wrong, he will die.” 53Then King Solomon sent some men to get Adonijah. They brought him to King Solomon. So Adonijah came before King Solomon and bowed down. Then Solomon said, “Go home.”
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