1 Rois 1

Adonijah claims the throne

¹King David was now old, well on in years. They covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. ²So his officials said to him, “Let a young virgin be found for my lord the king, to wait on the king and look after him. Let her lie in your arms, so that my lord the king may keep warm.” ³So they searched throughout the land of Israel for a beautiful young woman. They found Abishag the Shunammite, and they brought her to the king. ⁴The young woman was very beautiful. She looked after the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her. ⁵Now Adonijah son of Haggith was putting himself forward, saying, “I will be king.” He got himself chariots and horsemen, with fifty men to run ahead of him. ⁶His father had never once crossed him by asking, “Why have you done this?” He was also very handsome, and he was born next after Absalom. ⁷He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave Adonijah their support. ⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei and David’s own warriors did not side with Adonijah. ⁹Adonijah 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 men of Judah who were the king’s officials. ¹⁰But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the warriors, or his brother Solomon. ¹¹Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, without our lord David knowing anything about it? ¹²Now come, let me give you some advice, so that 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 your servant, “Your son Solomon will be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? So why has Adonijah become king?’ ¹⁴Then, while you are still there talking to the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.” ¹⁵So Bathsheba went in to the king in his room. He was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. ¹⁶Bathsheba bowed low before the king, and the king asked, “What do you want?” ¹⁷She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore to your servant by the LORD your God, ‘Your son Solomon will 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 even know it.^{a 19}He 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 your servant Solomon. ²⁰And you, my lord the king: all Israel has its eyes on you, waiting for you to tell them who will sit on my lord the king’s throne after him.^{b 21}Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his ancestors, my son Solomon and I will be treated as criminals.” ²²While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. ²³The king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he came in before the king and bowed down to him with his face to the ground. ²⁴Nathan said, “My lord the king, did you say, ‘Adonijah will be king after me, and he will sit on my throne’?^{c 25}For today 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 in his presence and shouting, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶But he did not invite me, your servant, or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon. ²⁷Has my lord the king done this without letting your servant know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”^d

David promises the throne to Solomon

²⁸Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba back to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. ²⁹Then the king swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has rescued my life from every trouble, ³⁰I will do today exactly what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Your son Solomon will be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.’” ³¹Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, paying honor to the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

Solomon is anointed king

³²Then King David said, “Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada to me.” So they came before the king. ³³The king said to them, “Take your lord’s officials with you. Have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. ³⁴Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him there as king over Israel. Then blow the ram’s horn and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵Then come back up after him, and he is to come and sit on my throne. He will be king in my place, for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” ³⁶Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so too. ³⁷As the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon, and may he make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!” ³⁸So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down. They had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. ³⁹Zadok the priest brought the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon with it. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” ⁴⁰Then all the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the ground shook with their noise. ⁴¹Adonijah and all the guests with him heard it just as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn, he said, “Why is the city in such an uproar?” ⁴²While he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. You are a worthy man, and you must be bringing good news.” ⁴³Jonathan answered Adonijah, “Not at all! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they had him ride on the king’s mule. ⁴⁵Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have come up rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the noise you heard. ⁴⁶What is more, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. ⁴⁷Besides that, the king’s officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May 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 the king also said this: ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has today given me one to sit on my throne, and has let me see it with my own eyes.’” ⁴⁹Then all Adonijah’s guests got up in alarm, and each of them went his own way. ⁵⁰Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. ⁵¹Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon. He has taken hold of the horns of the altar and is saying, ‘Let King Solomon first swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” ⁵²Solomon said, “If he proves to be a worthy man, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground. But if any wrong is found in him, he will die.” ⁵³Then King Solomon sent men to bring him down from the altar. Adonijah came and bowed before King Solomon, and Solomon told him, “Go home.”