1 Kings 1
1
David in His Old Age
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 woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms,#1:2 Or in your bosom that my lord the king may be warm.” 3So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the #Josh. 19:18Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.
Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King
5Now #2 Sam. 3:4 Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” #2 Sam. 15:1And 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, #2 Sam. 3:3, 4; 1 Chr. 3:2and he was born next after Absalom. 7He conferred with #2 Sam. 2:13, 18 Joab the son of Zeruiah and with #2 Sam. 20:25Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8But #[See ver. 7 above] Zadok the priest and #2 Sam. 8:18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and #2 Sam. 12:1 Nathan the prophet and #ch. 4:18 Shimei and Rei and #See 2 Sam. 23:8-39David’s mighty men were not with Adonijah.
9Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent’s Stone, which is beside #Josh. 15:7; 2 Sam. 17:17En-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 #2 Sam. 12:24Solomon his brother.
Nathan and Bathsheba Before David
11Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that #[See ver. 5 above]Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? 12Now therefore come, let me give you advice, 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 servant, saying, #ver. 30; [1 Chr. 22:9]“Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on 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#1:14 Or expand on your words.”
15So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king). 16Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?” 17She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, #[See ver. 13 above]‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19#ver. 9 He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, #[See ver. 7 above] Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but #[See ver. 10 above]Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on 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 #ch. 2:10; 2 Sam. 7:12; [Deut. 31:16]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 on my throne’? 25For he has gone down this day and #[See ver. 19 above] has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders#1:25 Hebrew; Septuagint Joab the commander of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, #See 1 Sam. 10:24‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26#ver. 8, 10, 32But 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?”
Solomon Anointed King
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, #See Ruth 3:13“As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, 30#ver. 13, 17as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.” 31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, #Neh. 2:3; Dan. 2:4; 3:9; 5:10; 6:6, 21“May my lord King David live forever!”
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 #2 Sam. 11:11; 20:6 the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to #2 Chr. 32:30; 33:14Gihon. 34And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there #See 1 Sam. 10:1 anoint him king over Israel. #2 Sam. 15:10; 2 Kgs. 9:13; 11:14 Then blow the trumpet and say, #[ver. 25]; See 1 Sam. 10:24‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. 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. 37#See 1 Sam. 20:13 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, #ver. 47and 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, #See 2 Sam. 8:18and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. 39There Zadok the priest took the horn of #[Ps. 89:20]; See Ex. 30:23-32 oil from the tent and #1 Chr. 29:22 anointed Solomon. #[See ver. 34 above] Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, #[See ver. 34 above]“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, #2 Sam. 15:27, 36; 17:17 Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, #2 Sam. 18:27for 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 #[See ver. 38 above]Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king’s mule. 45And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at #[See ver. 33 above]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. 46#1 Chr. 29:23Solomon sits on the royal throne. 47Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, #ver. 37 ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king #[Gen. 47:31]bowed himself on the bed. 48And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, #ch. 3:6; [Ps. 132:11, 12]who has granted someone#1:48 Septuagint one of my offspring 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. So he arose and went #ch. 2:28 and took hold of #Ex. 27:2the horns of the altar. 51Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” 52And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, #See 1 Sam. 14:45not 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 paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Kings 1
1
Adonijah Tries to Become King
1At this time King David was very old. His servants covered him with blankets, but he could not keep warm. 2So they said to him, “We will find a young woman to care for you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm.” 3So the king’s servants looked everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman. They found a girl named Abishag from the Shunammite people. They brought her to the king. 4The girl was very beautiful. She cared for the king and served him. But King David did not have physical relations with her.
5-6Adonijah was King David and Haggith’s son. He was born next after Absalom. He was a very handsome man. He said, “I will be the king.” So he got chariots and horses for himself. And he got 50 men to run ahead of him. Now David had never interfered with him by questioning what he did.
7Adonijah talked with Joab son of Zeruiah. He also talked with Abiathar the priest. They told him they would help him. 8But several men did not join Adonijah. These men were Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei and King David’s special guard.
9Then Adonijah killed some sheep, cows and fat calves for sacrifices. He made these sacrifices at the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring, En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the other sons of King David, to come. He invited all the rulers and leaders of Judah also. 10But Adonijah did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, his father’s special guard or his brother Solomon.
11When Nathan heard about this, he went to Bathsheba. She was the mother of Solomon. Nathan asked her, “Have you heard what Adonijah, Haggith’s son, is doing? He has made himself king. And our real king, David, does not know it. 12Your life and the life of your son Solomon may be in danger. But I will tell you how to save yourselves. 13Go to King David and say to him, ‘My master and king, you made a promise to me. You promised that my son Solomon would be the king after you. You said he would rule on your throne. So why has Adonijah become king?’ 14While you are still talking to him, I will come in. I will tell the king that what you have said about Adonijah is true.”
15So Bathsheba went in to see the king in his bedroom. He was now very old. Abishag, the girl from Shunam, was caring for him there. 16Bathsheba bowed down before the king.
He asked, “What do you want?”
17She answered, “My master, you made a promise to me in the name of the Lord your God. You said, ‘Your son Solomon will become king after me. He will rule on my throne.’ 18But now Adonijah has become king. And you did not know it. 19Adonijah has killed many cows, fat calves and sheep for sacrifices. And he has invited all your sons. He also has invited Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of your army. But he did not invite Solomon, your son who serves you. 20My master and king, all the people of Israel are watching you. They are waiting for you to decide who will be king after you. 21As soon as you die, Solomon and I will be treated as criminals.”
22While Bathsheba was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23The servants told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So Nathan went to the king and bowed facedown on the ground before him.
24Then Nathan said, “My master and king, have you said that Adonijah will be the king after you? Have you decided he will rule on your throne after you? 25Today he has sacrificed many cows, fat calves and sheep. And he has invited all your other sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him. They are saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26But he did not invite me, Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your son Solomon. 27Did you do this? We are your servants. Why didn’t you tell us whom you chose to be the king after you?”
David Makes Solomon King
28Then King David said, “Tell Bathsheba to come in!” So she came in and stood before the king.
29Then the king said, “The Lord has saved me from all trouble. As surely as he lives, I make this promise to you. 30Today I will do what I promised you in the past. I made that promise in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. I promised that your son Solomon would be king after me. I promised he would rule on my throne after me.”
31Then Bathsheba bowed facedown on the ground before the king. She said, “Long live my master King David!”
32Then King David said, “Tell Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada to come in here.” So they came before the king. 33Then the king said to them, “Take my servants with you and put my son Solomon on my own mule. Take him down to the spring called Gihon. 34There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet should pour olive oil on him and make him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35Then come back here with him. He will sit on my throne and rule in my place. I have chosen him to be the ruler over Israel and Judah.”
36Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “This is good! And may your God make it happen. 37The Lord has always helped you, our king. Let the Lord also help Solomon. And let King Solomon be an even greater king than you.”
38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada went down. The Kerethites and Pelethites, the king’s bodyguards, went with them. They put Solomon on King David’s mule and went with him to the spring called Gihon. 39Zadok the priest took with him the container of olive oil from the Holy Tent. He poured the olive oil on Solomon’s head to show he was the king. Then they blew the trumpet. And all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40All the people followed Solomon into the city. They were playing flutes and shouting for joy. They made so much noise the ground shook.
41At this time Adonijah and all the guests with him were finishing their meal. They heard the sound from the trumpet. Joab asked, “What does all that noise from the city mean?”
42While Joab was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in! You are an important man. So you must be bringing good news.”
43But Jonathan answered, “No! Our master King David has made Solomon the new king. 44King David sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada and all the king’s bodyguards with him. They put Solomon on the king’s own mule. 45And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet poured olive oil on Solomon at Gihon to make him king. Then they went into the city, shouting with joy. Now the whole city is excited. That is the noise you hear. 46Solomon has now become the king. 47All the king’s officers have come to tell King David that he has done a good thing. They are saying, ‘May your God make Solomon even more famous than you. And may your God make Solomon an even greater king than you.’” Jonathan continued, “And King David bowed down on his bed to worship God. 48He said, ‘Praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Today he has made one of my sons the king and allowed me to see it.’”
49Then all of Adonijah’s guests were afraid, and they left quickly. 50Adonijah was also afraid of Solomon. So he went and took hold of the corners of the altar.# If a person were innocent of a crime, he could run into the Holy Place. If he held on to the corners of the altar there, he would not be punished. The corners looked like horns. 51Then someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you. He is at the altar, holding on to its corners. He says, ‘Tell King Solomon to promise me today that he will not kill me.’”
52So Solomon answered, “Adonijah must show that he is a man of honor. If he does, I promise that he will not lose even a hair from his head. But if he does anything wrong, he will die.” 53Then King Solomon sent some men to get Adonijah. They brought him to King Solomon. So Adonijah came before King Solomon and bowed down. Then Solomon said, “Go home.”
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