1 Kings 1
1
1 Now king David had become elderly, and he had many days in his lifetime. And though he was covered with clothes, he was not warmed.
2 Therefore, his servants said to him: "Let us seek, for our lord the king, a young virgin. And let her stand before the king, and warm him, and sleep in his bosom, and provide warmth for our lord the king."
3 And so they sought a beautiful young woman in all the parts of Israel. And they found Abishag, a Shunammite, and they led her to the king.
4 Now the girl was exceedingly beautiful. And she slept with the king, and she ministered to him. Yet truly, the king did not know her.
5 Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, "I shall reign!" And he appointed for himself chariots and horsemen, with fifty men who would run before him.
6 Neither did his father chastise him at any time, saying, "Why have you done this?" Now he, too, was very beautiful, the second in birth, after Absalom.
7 And he conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, the priest, who gave assistance to the side of Adonijah.
8 Yet truly, Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei and Rei, and the mature men of the army of David were not with Adonijah.
9 Then Adonijah, having immolated rams and calves and every kind of fat cattle beside the Stone of the Serpent, which was in the vicinity of the fountain Rogel, summoned all his brothers, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king.
10 But he did not summon Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, and all the mature men, and Solomon, his brother.
11 And so Nathan said to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon: "Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has begun to reign, and that our lord David is ignorant of this?
12 Now then, come, accept my counsel, and save your life and the life of your son Solomon.
13 Go and enter to king David, and say to him: 'Did you not, my lord the king, swear to me, your handmaid, saying: "Your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he himself shall sit on my throne?" Then why does Adonijah reign?'
14 And while you are still speaking with the king there, I will enter after you, and I will complete your words."
15 And so Bathsheba entered to the king in the bedroom. Now the king was very old, and Abishag, the Shunammite, was ministering to him.
16 Bathsheba bowed herself, and she reverenced the king. And the king said to her, "What do you wish?"
17 And responding, she said: "My lord, you swore to your handmaid, by the Lord your God: 'your son Solomon will reign after me, and he himself shall sit upon my throne.'
18 And now behold, Adonijah reigns, while you, my lord the king, are ignorant of it.
19 He has slain oxen, and every kind of fattened cattle, and many rams. And he has summoned all the sons of the king, as well as Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the leader of the military. But Solomon, your servant, he did not summon.
20 Truly now, my lord the king, the eyes of all of Israel look with favor upon you, that you may indicate to them who ought to sit upon your throne, my lord the king, after you.
21 Otherwise, this will be: when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be as sinners."
22 And while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan, the prophet, arrived.
23 And they announced to the king, saying, "Nathan, the prophet, is here." And when he had entered in the sight of the king, and he had reverenced prone on the ground,
24 Nathan said: "My lord the king, did you say, 'Let Adonijah reign after me, and let him sit upon my throne?'
25 For today, he descended, and he immolated oxen, and fattened cattle, and many rams. And he summoned all the sons of the king, and the leaders of the army, along with Abiathar, the priest. And they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, 'As king Adonijah lives.'
26 But he did not summon me, your servant, and Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Solomon, your lowly servant.
27 Could this word have gone out from my lord the king, and could you not have revealed it to me, your servant, as to who would be seated upon the throne of my lord the king after him?"
28 And king David responded, saying, "Summon to me Bathsheba." And when she had entered before the king, and she had stood before him,
29 the king swore and said: "As the Lord lives, who has rescued my soul from all distress,
30 just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying: 'Your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he himself shall sit upon my throne in my place,' so shall I do this day."
31 And Bathsheba, having lowered her face to the ground, reverenced the king, saying, "May my lord David live forever."
32 And king David said, "Summon to me Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada." And when they had entered before the king,
33 he said to them: "Take with you the servants of your lord, and place my son Solomon upon my mule. And lead him to Gihon.
34 And let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him in that place as the king over Israel. And you shall sound the trumpet, and you shall say, 'As king Solomon lives.'
35 And you shall ascend after him, and he shall arrive and shall sit upon my throne. And he himself shall reign in my place. And I will command that he be the ruler over Israel and over Judah."
36 And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, responded to the king, saying: "Amen. So says the Lord, the God of my lord the king.
37 In the same way that the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon. And may he make his throne more sublime than the throne of my lord, king David."
38 Then Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, descended, with Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites. And they placed Solomon on the mule of king David, and they led him to Gihon.
39 And Zadok, the priest, took the horn of oil from the tabernacle, and he anointed Solomon. And they sounded the trumpet. And all the people said, "As king Solomon lives."
40 And the entire multitude ascended after him. And the people were playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy. And the earth resounded before the noise of them.
41 Then Adonijah, and all who had been summoned by him, heard it. And now the feast had ended. Then, too, Joab, hearing the voice of the trumpet, said, "What is the meaning of this clamor from the tumultuous city?"
42 While he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, arrived. And Adonijah said to him, "Enter, for you are a valiant man, and you report good news."
43 And Jonathan answered Adonijah: "By no means. For our lord king David has appointed Solomon as king.
44 And he has sent with him Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites. And they have placed him on the mule of the king.
45 And Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, have anointed him king, at Gihon. And they are ascending from there, rejoicing, and so the city resounds. This is the noise that you have heard.
46 But also, Solomon sits upon the throne of the kingdom.
47 And the servants of the king, entering, have blessed our lord king David, saying: 'May God amplify the name of Solomon above your name, and may he magnify his throne above your throne.' And the king reverenced from his bed.
48 And he said: 'Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has bestowed someone to sit upon my throne, while my eyes may see it.' "
49 Therefore, all those who had been summoned by Adonijah were terrified. And they all rose up, and each one went his own way.
50 Then Adonijah, fearing Solomon, rose up and went away. And he took hold of the horn of the altar.
51 And they reported to Solomon, saying: "Behold, Adonijah, fearing king Solomon, has taken hold of the horn of the altar, saying: 'May king Solomon swear to me this day that he will not put to death his servant with the sword.' "
52 And Solomon said: "If he is a good man, not so much as one hair of his head shall fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he shall die."
53 Therefore, king Solomon sent and brought him from the altar. And entering, he reverenced king Solomon. And Solomon said to him, "Go to your own house."
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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