1 Kings 1
1
1Now King David was old and advanced in years; and although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. 2Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young maiden be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait upon the king, and be his nurse; let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may be warm.” 3So they sought for a beautiful maiden throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The maiden was very beautiful; and she became the king's nurse and ministered to him; but the king knew her not.
5Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man; and he was born next after Absalom. 7He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shime-i, and Rei, and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.
9Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatlings by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and 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 mighty men or Solomon his brother.
11Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? 12Now therefore come, let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’ 14Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15So Bathsheba went to the king into his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king). 16Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?” 17She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.’ 18And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19He has sacrificed oxen, fatlings, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”
22While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23And they told the king, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground. 24And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne’? 25For he has gone down this day, and has sacrificed oxen, fatlings, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, Joab the commander#1.25 Gk: Heb commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26But 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 brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king. 29And the king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, 30as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead’; even so will I do this day.” 31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and did obeisance to the king, and said, “May my lord King David live for ever!”
32King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 33And the 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; 34and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead; and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “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, 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. 39There Zadok the priest 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!” 40And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.
41Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” 42While he was still speaking, 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, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king; 44and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have caused him to ride on the king's mule; 45and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 46Solomon sits upon the royal throne. 47Moreover the king's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘Your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself upon the bed. 48And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted one of my offspring#1.48 Gk: Heb one to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.’ ”
49Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled, and rose, and each went his own way. 50And Adonijah feared Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold of the horns of the altar. 51And it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon; for lo, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not slay his servant with the sword.’ ” 52And Solomon said, “If he prove to be a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and did obeisance to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
1 Kings 1
1
David’s Old Age
1King David had grown old, and although he was covered with blankets, he couldn’t get warm. 2His officials told him, “Your Majesty, let us search for a young woman who has never been married. She can stay with you and be your servant. She can lie in your arms and keep you warm.”
3So they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. They found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. 4The woman was very beautiful. She became the king’s servant and took care of him, but the king did not make love to her.
Adonijah Plots to Become King
5Adonijah, son of Haggith,#1:5 Adonijah’s mother was Haggith; his father was David. He was David’s oldest living son. was very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after she had Absalom.#1:5 “very handsome … Absalom.” These words are the last part of verse 6 (in Hebrew). They have been placed at the beginning of verse 5 to express the complex Hebrew sentence structure more clearly in English. Adonijah was boasting that he was king. So he got a chariot and horses and 50 men to run ahead of him. 6His father had never confronted him by asking why he was doing this. 7But Adonijah had discussed his actions with Joab (son of Zeruiah) and with the priest Abiathar, so they supported him. 8But the priest Zadok, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David’s ⌞thirty⌟ fighting men did not join Adonijah.
9Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves at Zoheleth Rock near En Rogel. He had invited all his brothers, the king’s ⌞other⌟ sons, all the men of Judah, and the king’s officials. 10But he didn’t invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the fighting men, or his brother Solomon.
The Prophet Nathan Helps Solomon Become King
11Then Nathan asked Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has become king, and our master David doesn’t ⌞even⌟ know about it? 12Bathsheba, let me give you some advice about how to save your life and your son’s life. 13Go to King David and ask him, ‘Your Majesty, didn’t you swear to me that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Why is Adonijah acting as king?’ 14And while you’re still there talking to the king, I’ll come in and confirm what you have said.”
15Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was taking care of him. 16Bathsheba knelt and bowed down in front of the king. “What do you want?” the king asked.
17“Sir,” she answered, “You took an oath to the Lord your God. You said that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne. 18But now, you see, Adonijah has become king, and you don’t ⌞even⌟ know anything about it, Your Majesty. 19He has sacrificed many fattened calves, bulls, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army ⌞to his feast⌟. But he hasn’t invited your servant Solomon. 20All Israel is looking to you, Your Majesty, to tell them who should succeed you on your throne. 21Otherwise, my son Solomon and I will be treated like criminals when you lie down in death with your ancestors.”
22While she was still talking to the king, the prophet Nathan arrived. 23The servants told the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” When he came to the king, he bowed down in front of him. 24Nathan said, “Your Majesty, you must have said that Adonijah will be king after you and that he will sit on your throne, 25because today he went and sacrificed many bulls, fattened calves, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the army’s commanders, and the priest Abiathar ⌞to his feast⌟. They are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26But he didn’t invite me or the priest Zadok or Benaiah, who is Jehoiada’s son, or your servant Solomon. 27Did you allow this to happen without telling me who would sit on your throne next?”
28Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba in here.” So she stood in front of him, 29and he swore an oath. He said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord who has saved my life from all trouble lives, 30I will do today exactly what I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.”
31Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face touching the ground in front of the king. “May Your Majesty, King David, live forever!” she said.
32King David said, “Summon the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada.” So they came to the king, 33and he said, “Take my officials with you. Put my son Solomon on my mule, and take him to Gihon. 34Have the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king of Israel there. Then blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35Follow him ⌞back⌟ here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will be king in place of me. I have appointed him to be the leader of Israel and Judah.”
36“So be it!” Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king. “The Lord your God says so too. 37As the Lord has been with you, so may he be with Solomon. May Solomon be an even greater king than you, King David.”
38Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites put Solomon on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. 39The priest Zadok took the container of olive oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40All the people followed him, blew flutes, and celebrated so loudly that their voices shook the ground.
Adonijah’s Plot Fails
41Adonijah and all his guests heard this as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the horn, he asked, “What’s the reason for the noise in the city?” 42He was still speaking when Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. “Come in,” Adonijah said. “You’re an honorable man, so you must be bringing good news.”
43“Not at all,” Jonathan answered Adonijah. “His Majesty King David has made Solomon king. 44The king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites with him. They have put him on the king’s mule. 45The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon. They have come from there celebrating, so the city is excited. That is the sound you heard. 46Solomon is now seated on the royal throne. 47Furthermore, the royal officials have come ⌞to congratulate⌟ His Majesty King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his reign greater than your reign.’ The king himself bowed down on his bed 48and said, ‘Praise the Lord God of Israel who has let me see the heir to my throne.’ ”
49Adonijah’s guests were frightened, so they got up and scattered in all directions. 50Adonijah was afraid of Solomon. He got up, went ⌞to the tent of meeting,⌟ and took hold of the horns of the altar.#1:50 Holding on to the horns of the altar was an appeal for mercy. 51Someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you, King Solomon. He is holding on to the horns of the altar and saying, ‘Make King Solomon swear to me today that he will not have me killed.’ ”
52Solomon said, “If he will behave like an honorable man, not one hair on his head will fall to the ground. But if he does ⌞anything⌟ wrong, he will die.” 53King Solomon sent men to take him from the altar. Adonijah bowed down in front of King Solomon. “Go home,” Solomon told him.
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