1 Kings 1
1
David’s Last Days
1Now King David was old and advanced in age.#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#1:2 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#1:3 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 attended to him, but he was not intimate with#1:4 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 fifty men to run ahead of him.#1:5 Heralds announcing his procession#2Sm 15:1 6But his father had never once infuriated#1Sm 3:13 him by asking, “Why did you do that?” #2Sm 13:21 In addition, he was quite handsome#2Sm 14:25 and was born after Absalom.#2Sm 3:3–4 7He conspired#1:7 Lit His words were with Joab son of Zeruiah#1Ch 11:6 and with the priest Abiathar.#1Sm 22:20–23; 2Sm 20:25 They supported#1Kg 2:22 Adonijah, 8but the priest Zadok,#2Sm 20:25; 1Ch 16:39–40 Benaiah son of Jehoiada,#2Sm 8:18 the prophet Nathan,#2Sm 7:2; 2:1–25 Shimei,#1Kg 4:18 Rei, and David’s royal guard#1:8 Lit David’s warriors#2Sm 23:8–39 did not side with Adonijah.
9Adonijah sacrificed sheep, goats, cattle, 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 the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the royal guard, 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 you.#Pr 15:22 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 attending to him.#1Kg 1:1–4 16Bathsheba knelt low 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,#1:18 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, the priest Abiathar, 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 ancestors,#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, the prophet Nathan arrived,#1Kg 1:14 23and it was announced to the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” He came into the king’s presence and paid homage 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 the priest Abiathar. 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 the priest Zadok 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#1:27 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 knelt low 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 the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, 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, the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan 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#1:37 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 the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, 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. 39The priest Zadok 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 went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy#Ezr 6:16 that the earth split open from the sound.#1:40 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 important 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 the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have had him ride on the king’s mule. 45The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king in Gihon.#1Kg 1:33–35 They have gone up 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: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! Today he has provided one to sit on my throne,#2Sm 7:12; 1Kg 3:6 and I am a witness.’”#1:48 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#1:51 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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1 Kings 1: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
1 Kings 1
1
David in His Old Age
1King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm. 2So his advisers told him, “Let us find a young virgin to wait on you and look after you, my lord. She will lie in your arms and keep you warm.”
3So they searched throughout the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. 4The girl was very beautiful, and she looked after the king and took care of him. But the king had no sexual relations with her.
Adonijah Claims the Throne
5About that time David’s son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, “I will make myself king.” So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front of him. 6Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?” Adonijah had been born next after Absalom, and he was very handsome.
7Adonijah took Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s personal bodyguard refused to support Adonijah.
9Adonijah went to the Stone of Zoheleth#1:9 Or to the Serpent’s Stone; Greek version supports reading Zoheleth as a proper name. near the spring of En-rogel, where he sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves. He invited all his brothers—the other sons of King David—and all the royal officials of Judah. 10But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the king’s bodyguard or his brother Solomon.
11Then Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and asked her, “Haven’t you heard that Haggith’s son, Adonijah, has made himself king, and our lord David doesn’t even know about it? 12If you want to save your own life and the life of your son Solomon, follow my advice. 13Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, didn’t you make a vow and say to me, “Your son Solomon will surely be the next king and will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14And while you are still talking with him, I will come and confirm everything you have said.”
15So Bathsheba went into the king’s bedroom. (He was very old now, and Abishag was taking care of him.) 16Bathsheba bowed down before the king.
“What can I do for you?” he asked her.
17She replied, “My lord, you made a vow before the Lord your God when you said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will surely be the next king and will sit on my throne.’ 18But instead, Adonijah has made himself king, and my lord the king does not even know about it. 19He has sacrificed many cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and he has invited all the king’s sons to attend the celebration. He also invited Abiathar the priest and Joab, the commander of the army. But he did not invite your servant Solomon. 20And now, my lord the king, all Israel is waiting for you to announce who will become king after you. 21If you do not act, my son Solomon and I will be treated as criminals as soon as my lord the king has died.”
22While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23The king’s officials told him, “Nathan the prophet is here to see you.”
Nathan went in and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 24Nathan asked, “My lord the king, have you decided that Adonijah will be the next king and that he will sit on your throne? 25Today he has sacrificed many cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and he has invited all the king’s sons to attend the celebration. He also invited the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. They are feasting and drinking with him and shouting, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26But he did not invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or your servant Solomon. 27Has my lord the king really done this without letting any of his officials know who should be the next king?”
David Makes Solomon King
28King David responded, “Call Bathsheba!” So she came back in and stood before the king. 29And the king repeated his vow: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has rescued me from every danger, 30your son Solomon will be the next king and will sit on my throne this very day, just as I vowed to you before the Lord, the God of Israel.”
31Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground before the king and exclaimed, “May my lord King David live forever!”
32Then King David ordered, “Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came into the king’s presence, 33the king said to them, “Take Solomon and my officials down to Gihon Spring. Solomon is to ride on my own mule. 34There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. Blow the ram’s horn and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35Then escort him back here, and he will sit on my throne. He will succeed me as king, for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”
36“Amen!” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied. “May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, decree that it happen. 37And may the Lord be with Solomon as he has been with you, my lord the king, and may he make Solomon’s reign even greater than yours!”
38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the king’s bodyguard#1:38 Hebrew the Kerethites and Pelethites; also in 1:44. took Solomon down to Gihon Spring, with Solomon riding on King David’s own mule. 39There Zadok the priest took the flask of olive oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon with the oil. Then they sounded the ram’s horn and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40And all the people followed Solomon into Jerusalem, playing flutes and shouting for joy. The celebration was so joyous and noisy that the earth shook with the sound.
41Adonijah and his guests heard the celebrating and shouting just as they were finishing their banquet. When Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn, he asked, “What’s going on? Why is the city in such an uproar?”
42And while he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” Adonijah said to him, “for you are a good man. You must have good news.”
43“Not at all!” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has just declared Solomon king! 44The king sent him down to Gihon Spring with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, protected by the king’s bodyguard. They had him ride on the king’s own mule, 45and Zadok and Nathan have anointed him at Gihon Spring as the new king. They have just returned, and the whole city is celebrating and rejoicing. That’s what all the noise is about. 46What’s more, Solomon is now sitting on the royal throne as king. 47And all the royal officials have gone to King David and congratulated him, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s fame even greater than your own, and may Solomon’s reign be even greater than yours!’ Then the king bowed his head in worship as he lay in his bed, 48and he said, ‘Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has chosen a successor to sit on my throne while I am still alive to see it.’”
49Then all of Adonijah’s guests jumped up in panic from the banquet table and quickly scattered. 50Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he rushed to the sacred tent and grabbed on to the horns of the altar. 51Word soon reached Solomon that Adonijah had seized the horns of the altar in fear, and that he was pleading, “Let King Solomon swear today that he will not kill me!”
52Solomon replied, “If he proves himself to be loyal, not a hair on his head will be touched. But if he makes trouble, he will die.” 53So King Solomon summoned Adonijah, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed respectfully before King Solomon, who dismissed him, saying, “Go on home.”
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