Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 1
1
1And Sovereign Dawiḏ was old, advanced in years. And they covered him with garments, but he could not get warm.
2So his servants said to him, “Let them seek for our master the sovereign a young woman, a maiden, and she shall stand before the sovereign and be his companion, and shall lie in your bosom, so that our master the sovereign gets warm.”
3And they sought for a beautiful young woman in all the border of Yisra’ĕl, and found Aḇishaḡ the Shunammite, and brought her to the sovereign.
4And the young woman was very beautiful. And she was a companion for the sovereign, and served him, but the sovereign did not know her.
5And Aḏoniyah son of Ḥaggith exalted himself, saying, “I reign.” And he prepared for himself a chariot and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6Now his father had not worried him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. And he was born after Aḇshalom.
7And he talked with Yo’aḇ son of Tseruyah and with Eḇyathar the priest, and they supported Aḏoniyah.
8But Tsaḏoq the priest, and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, and Nathan the prophet, and Shim‛i, and Rĕ‛i, and the mighty men who belonged to Dawiḏ were not with Aḏoniyahu.
9And Aḏoniyahu slaughtered sheep and cattle and fatlings by the stone of Zoḥeleth, which is by Ěn Roḡĕl. He also invited all his brothers, the sovereign’s sons, and all the men of Yehuḏah, servants of the sovereign.
10But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, or Benayahu, or the mighty men, or Shelomoh his brother.
11Nathan then spoke to Bathsheḇa the mother of Shelomoh, saying, “Have you not heard that Aḏoniyahu son of Ḥaggith has become sovereign, and Dawiḏ our master does not know it?
12“And now, come let me give you advice, and deliver your own life and the life of your son Shelomoh.
13“Go immediately to Sovereign Dawiḏ and say to him, ‘Did you not, my master, O sovereign, swear to your female servant, saying, “Certainly, your son Shelomoh shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Aḏoniyahu become sovereign?’
14“Look, while you are still speaking there with the sovereign let me come in after you and confirm your words.”
15And Bathsheḇa went into the room to the sovereign. Now the sovereign was very old, and Aḇishaḡ the Shunammite was serving the sovereign.
16And Bathsheḇa bowed and did obeisance to the sovereign. And the sovereign said, “What do you wish?”
17And she said to him, “My master, you swore by יהוה your Elohim to your female servant, saying, ‘Certainly, Shelomoh your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’
18“And now, look! Aḏoniyah has become sovereign. And now, my master the sovereign, you do not know about it.
19“And he has slaughtered great numbers of bulls and fatlings and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the sovereign, and Eḇyathar the priest, and Yo’aḇ the commander of the army, but he did not invite Shelomoh your servant.
20“And you my master, O sovereign, the eyes of all Yisra’ĕl are on you, to declare to them who is going to sit on the throne of my master the sovereign after him.
21“Otherwise it shall be, when my master the sovereign rests with his fathers, that I and my son Shelomoh shall be considered sinners.”
22And see, while she was still speaking with the sovereign, Nathan the prophet also came in.
23So they informed the sovereign, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the sovereign, he bowed down before the sovereign with his face to the ground.
24And Nathan said, “My master, O sovereign, have you said, ‘Aḏoniyahu shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
25“For he has gone down today, and has slaughtered great numbers of bulls and fatlings and sheep, and has invited all the sovereign’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Eḇyathar the priest. And look! They are eating and drinking before him. And they say, ‘Let Sovereign Aḏoniyahu live!’
26“But he has not invited me, me your servant, nor Tsaḏoq the priest, nor Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, nor your servant Shelomoh.
27“If this matter is from my master the sovereign, then you did not let your servant know who should sit on the throne of my master the sovereign after him.”
28And Sovereign Dawiḏ answered and said, “Call Bathsheḇa to me.” So she came into the sovereign’s presence and stood before the sovereign.
29And the sovereign took an oath and said, “As יהוה lives, who has ransomed my life out of all distress,
30even as I swore to you by יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘Certainly, Shelomoh your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so I do this day.”
31And Bathsheḇa bowed with her face to the earth, and did obeisance to the sovereign, and said, “Let my master Sovereign Dawiḏ live forever!”
32And Sovereign Dawiḏ said, “Call me Tsaḏoq the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa.” And they came before the sovereign.
33And the sovereign said to them, “Take with you the servants of your master, and you shall have Shelomoh my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Giḥon.
34“And there Tsaḏoq the priest and Nathan the prophet shall anoint him sovereign over Yisra’ĕl. And blow the shophar, and say, ‘Let Sovereign Shelomoh live!’
35“And you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall reign in my place. For I have commanded him to be ruler over Yisra’ĕl and over Yehuḏah.”
36And Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa answered the sovereign and said, “Amĕn! So says יהוה Elohim of my master the sovereign.
37“As יהוה has been with my master the sovereign, so let Him be with Shelomoh and make his throne greater than the throne of my master Sovereign Dawiḏ.”
38Then Tsaḏoq the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, and the Kerĕthites, and the Pelĕthites went down and had Shelomoh ride on Sovereign Dawiḏ’s mule, and took him to Giḥon.
39And Tsaḏoq the priest took a horn of oil from the Tent and anointed Shelomoh. And they blew with the shophar, and all the people said, “Let Sovereign Shelomoh live!”
40And all the people came up after him. And the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise!
41And Aḏoniyahu and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had finished eating. And Yo’aḇ heard the voice of the shophar, and said, “Why is the city in such a noisy uproar?”
42And he was still speaking, then see, Yonathan came, son of Eḇyathar the priest. And Aḏoniyahu said to him, “Come in, for you are a brave man, and you bring good news.”
43But Yonathan answered and said to Aḏoniyahu, “No! Our master Sovereign Dawiḏ has made Shelomoh sovereign,
44and the sovereign has sent with him Tsaḏoq the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benayahu son of Yehoyaḏa, and the Kerĕthites, and the Pelĕthites. And they had him ride on the sovereign’s mule.
45“And Tsaḏoq the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him sovereign at Giḥon. And they have gone up from there rejoicing, and the city is moved. This is the noise you heard.
46“And further, Shelomoh sits on the throne of the reign.
47“And further, the servants of the sovereign have gone to bless our master Sovereign Dawiḏ, saying, ‘Let your Elohim make the name of Shelomoh better than your name, and his throne greater than your throne.’ And the sovereign bowed himself on the bed.
48“And the sovereign also said thus, ‘Blessed be יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!’ ”
49And all the guests who were invited by Aḏoniyahu were afraid, and rose, and each one went his way.
50And Aḏoniyahu was afraid of Shelomoh, and rose, and went and took hold of the horns of the slaughter-place.
51And it was reported to Shelomoh, saying, “Look, Aḏoniyahu is afraid of Sovereign Shelomoh. And look, he has taken hold of the horns of the slaughter-place, saying, ‘Let Sovereign Shelomoh swear to me today that he does not put his servant to death with the sword.’ ”
52And Shelomoh said, “If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him is going to fall to the earth, but if evil is found in him, then he shall die.”
53And Sovereign Shelomoh sent, and they brought him down from the slaughter-place. And he came and fell down before Sovereign Shelomoh. And Shelomoh said to him, “Go to your house.”
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Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 1: TS2009
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1 Kings 1
1
David in His Old Age
1King David was now an old man, and he always felt cold, even under a lot of blankets. 2His officials said, “Your Majesty, we will look for a young woman to take care of you. She can lie down beside you and keep you warm.” 3-4They looked everywhere in Israel until they found a very beautiful young woman named Abishag, who lived in the town of Shunem.#1.3,4 Shunem: A town in northern Israel, just north of Jezreel Valley. They brought her to David, and she took care of him. But David did not have sex with her.
Adonijah Tries To Become King
5-6 #
2 S 3.2-5. Adonijah was the son of David and Haggith. He was Absalom's younger brother#1.5,6 brother: Since Absalom was dead, Adonijah was now David's oldest living son and would be next in line to be king. and was very handsome. One day, Adonijah started bragging, “I'm going to make myself king!” So he got some chariots and horses, and he hired 50 men as bodyguards. David did not want to hurt his feelings, so he never asked Adonijah why he was doing these things.
7Adonijah met with Joab the son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest and asked them if they would help him become king. Both of them agreed to help. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei,#1.8 Shimei, Rei: Or “Shimei his advisor.” and David's bodyguards all refused.
9Adonijah invited his brothers and David's officials from Judah to go with him to Crawling Rock#1.9 Crawling Rock: Or “Zoheleth Rock.” near Rogel Spring, where he sacrificed some sheep, cattle, and fat calves.#1.9 sacrificed … calves: This was part of a ceremony where Adonijah was made the new king. 10But he did not invite Nathan, Benaiah, David's bodyguards, or his own brother Solomon.
11 #
2 S 12.24. When Nathan heard what had happened, he asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother:
Have you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has made himself king? But David doesn't know a thing about it. 12You and your son Solomon will be killed, unless you do what I tell you. 13Go say to David, “You promised me that Solomon would be the next king. So why is Adonijah now king?”
14While you are still talking to David, I'll come in and tell him that everything you said is true.
15Meanwhile, David was in his bedroom where Abishag was taking care of him because he was so old. Bathsheba went in 16and bowed down.
“What can I do for you?” David asked.
17Bathsheba answered:
Your Majesty, you promised me in the name of the Lord your God that my son Solomon would be the next king. 18But Adonijah has already been made king, and you didn't know anything about it. 19He sacrificed a lot of cattle, calves, and sheep. And he invited Abiathar the priest, Joab your army commander, and all your sons to be there, except Solomon, your loyal servant.
20Your Majesty, everyone in Israel is waiting for you to announce who will be the next king. 21If you don't, they will say that Solomon and I have rebelled. They will treat us like criminals and kill us as soon as you die.
22Just then, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23Someone told David that he was there, and Nathan came in. He bowed with his face to the ground 24and said:
Your Majesty, did you say that Adonijah would be king? 25Earlier today, he sacrificed a lot of cattle, calves, and sheep. He invited the army commanders, Abiathar, and all your sons to be there. They are already eating and drinking and shouting, “Long live King Adonijah!” 26But he didn't invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon. 27Did you say they could do this without telling the rest of us who would be the next king?
Solomon Becomes King
28David said, “Tell Bathsheba to come here.” She came and stood in front of him. 29-30Then he said, “The living Lord God of Israel has kept me safe. And so today, I will keep the promise I made to you in his name: Solomon will be the next king!”
31Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Your Majesty, I pray that you will live a long time!”
32Then David said, “Tell Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah to come here.”
When they arrived, 33he told them:
Take along some of my officials and let Solomon ride my own mule to Gihon Spring. 34When you get there, Zadok and Nathan will pour olive oil over Solomon's head to show that he is the new king of Israel. Then order someone to blow a trumpet and tell everyone to shout, “Long live King Solomon!” 35Bring him back here, and he will take my place as king. He is the one I have chosen to rule Israel and Judah.
36Benaiah answered, “We will do it, Your Majesty. I pray that the Lord your God will let it happen. 37The Lord has always watched over you, and I pray that he will now watch over Solomon. May the Lord help Solomon to be an even greater king than you.”
38Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah left and took along the two groups of David's special bodyguards.#1.38 the two … bodyguards: The Hebrew text has “the Cherethites and the Pelethites,” who were foreign soldiers hired by David to be part of his bodyguard. Solomon rode on David's mule as they led him to Gihon Spring. 39Zadok the priest brought some olive oil from the sacred tent and poured it on Solomon's head to show that he was now king. A trumpet was blown and everyone shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40Then they played flutes and celebrated as they followed Solomon back to Jerusalem. They made so much noise that the ground shook.
41Adonijah and his guests had almost finished eating when they heard the noise. Joab also heard the trumpet and asked, “What's all that noise about in the city?”
42Just then, Jonathan son of Abiathar came running up. “Come in,” Adonijah said. “An important man like you must have some good news.”
43Jonathan answered:
No, I don't! David has just announced that Solomon will be king. 44-45Solomon rode David's own mule to Gihon Spring, and Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and David's special bodyguards#1.44,45 David's special bodyguards: See the note at 1.38. went with him. When they got there, Zadok and Nathan made Solomon king. Then everyone celebrated all the way back to Jerusalem. That's the noise you hear in the city. 46Solomon is now king.
47And listen to this! David's officials told him, “We pray that your God will help Solomon to be an even greater king!”
David was in his bed at the time, but he bowed 48and prayed, “I praise you, Lord God of Israel. You have made my son Solomon king and have let me live to see it.”
49Adonijah's guests shook with fear when they heard this news, and they left as fast as they could. 50Adonijah himself was afraid of what Solomon might do to him, so he ran to the sacred tent and grabbed hold of the corners of the altar for protection.#1.50 the corners … for protection: The four corners of some ancient altars looked like animal horns. Since the entire altar was sacred, anyone holding on to its corners was supposed to be safe from being killed.
51Someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you and is holding onto the corners of the altar. He wants you to promise that you won't kill him.”
52Solomon answered, “If Adonijah doesn't cause any trouble, I won't hurt him. But if he does, I'll have him killed.” 53Then he sent someone to the altar to get Adonijah.
After Adonijah came and bowed down, Solomon said, “Adonijah, go home.”
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© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.