1 Kings 1
1
1King David had grown old and couldn't keep warm in bed however many blankets they used to cover him. 2So his officials suggested, “Let a search be made on behalf of Your Majesty for a young virgin to serve you and look after you. She can lie next to you and keep you warm.”
3So they searched the whole country of Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag from the town of Shunem and took her to the king. 4She was very beautiful, and she looked after the king, attending to his needs, but he did not have sex with her.
5Adonijah, son of Haggith, was busy promoting himself, saying “I'm going to be king!” He arranged chariots and horsemen for himself, and fifty men to run ahead of him. 6(Never in his life had his father corrected him. He'd never asked him, “Why did you do that?” He was also very good-looking, and had been born after Absalom.)
7Adonijah discussed his plan with Joab, son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest, who agreed to support him. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's bodyguard were not on Adonijah's side.
9Adonijah invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and the king's officials of Judah, to come to the stone of Zoheleth, which is near En-rogel, where he sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves. 10But he didn't invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, David's bodyguard, or his brother Solomon.
11Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and asked her, “Haven't you heard that Adonijah, son of Haggith, has become king, and His Majesty King David doesn't even know? 12Let me give you some advice so you can save your life, and that of your son Solomon. 13Go immediately to King David and ask him, ‘Didn't Your Majesty swear to me, your servant, saying, Your son Solomon will definitely be king after me and will sit on my throne? So why is Adonijah saying he's king?’
14Then I'll come in while you're still there talking with the king and I'll confirm what you're saying.”
15So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. He was very old and Abishag was looking after him. 16Bathsheba bowed low in respect. He asked her, “What is it that you want?”
17She replied, “Your Majesty, you swore to me, your servant, by the Lord your God, ‘Your son Solomon will definitely be king after me and will sit on my throne.’ 18But now Adonijah has become king and Your Majesty doesn't even know. 19He has sacrificed plenty of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and he has invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the army commander. But he didn't invite your servant Solomon. 20Now, Your Majesty, everyone in Israel is watching to see who you're going to say will be the next king. 21If you don't do anything,#1:21. “If you don't do anything”: literally, “It shall happen.” as soon as Your Majesty dies, I and my son Solomon will be considered traitors…”#1:21. Literally, “sinners.”
22Right then, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23The king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” Nathan went in to see the king. He bowed down with his face to the ground.
24Nathan asked the king, “Your Majesty, you must have announced, ‘Adonijah will be king after me and will sit on my throne.’ 25For today he has gone and sacrificed many cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and he has invited all the king's sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him, shouting, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26But he didn't invite me, your servant, or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, or your son Solomon. 27If Your Majesty did this, you certainly didn't inform your officials as to who is meant to sit on your throne as the next king.”
28King David replied, “Call Bathsheba for me.” Bathsheba came in and stood before the king.
29The king swore a vow, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has saved me from all kinds of trouble, just as I swore to you previously by the Lord the God of Israel, 30telling you Solomon your son will be the next king and he will sit on my throne instead of me—I swear I will do this today.”
31Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, honoring the king and said, “May Your Majesty King David live forever.”
32Then King David said, “Call for me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada.” When they arrived, 33the king told them, “Take the king's officials with you, and have them put Solomon on my own mule and lead him down to the Gihon Spring. 34There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king of Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout out, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35Then follow him back up, and have him come and sit on my throne. He is to be king instead of me. I am placing him in charge as ruler of Israel and Judah.”
36“Amen!” replied Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. “May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, confirm this! 37In the same way the Lord was with my lord the king may he be with Solomon, and may he make his reign even greater than the reign of my lord King David.”
38Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, together with the Cherethites and Pelethites,#1:38. “The Cherethites and Pelethites”: the king's bodyguard. went and placed Solomon on King David's mule, and led him down to the Gihon Spring. 39Zadok the priest took the horn containing olive oil from the Tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40Everyone followed him, playing flutes and celebrating so happily that the sound shook the earth.
41Adonijah and all his guests heard the noise as they were finishing eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, “What's all this noise coming from the city?”
42While he was speaking, Jonathan, son of Abiathar the priest, suddenly arrived. “Come on in,” said Adonijah. “A good man like you must be bringing good news.”
43“Absolutely not!” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king! 44He sent Solomon to be anointed#1:44. “To be anointed”: implied. with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites. They had him ride on the king's mule. 45Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king at the Gihon Spring. Now they have returned, celebrating with shouts that echo round the city. That's the noise you're hearing. 46On top of that, Solomon is sitting on the royal throne, 47and the royal officials have also gone to voice their approval to our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon's reputation even more famous than your own, and may he make his reign greater than your reign.’ The king on his bed bowed his head, 48and said, ‘Praise the Lord, the God of Israel! Today he has provided a successor to sit on my throne, and I have been privileged to see it.’”
49When all of the guests who were supporting Adonijah heard this they shook with fear. They got up and rushed out in different directions. 50Adonijah was terrified of Solomon, so he ran off. He went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar.
51Solomon was told, “Adonijah is terrified of Your Majesty. He has grabbed hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear today that he won't kill me, his servant!’”
52Solomon replied, “If he is an honorable man, not one hair of his will fall to the ground. But if he shows himself to be evil, he will die.”
53King Solomon had Adonijah brought down from the altar, and he came and bowed down before King Solomon, who told him, “Go home.”
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
1 Kings 1
1
Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King
1When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”
3Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.
5Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses#1:5 Or charioteers ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6(His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)
7Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah.
9Adonijah 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 royal officials of Judah, 10but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.
11Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13Go 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?’ 14While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.”
15So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. 16Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.
“What is it you want?” the king asked.
17She 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.’ 18But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19He 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. 20My 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. 21Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”
22While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23And the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.
24Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25Today 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!’ 26But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. 27Is 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?”
David Makes Solomon King
28Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.
29The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 30I will surely carry out this very day 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.”
31Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
32King David said, “Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and have Solomon my son mount my own mule and take him down to Gihon. 34There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35Then 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.”
36Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. 37As 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!”
38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon mount King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. 39Zadok 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!” 40And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.
41Adonijah 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?”
42Even 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.”
43“Not at all!” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44The 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, 45and 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. 46Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. 47Also, 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 48and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.’ ”
49At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. 50But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51Then 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.’ ”
52Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53Then 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.”
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