1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him
with clothes, but he got no heat. 2 Therefore his servants said to him,
Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand
before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord
the king may keep warm. 3 So they sought for a beautiful young lady
throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and
brought her to the king. 4 The young lady was very beautiful; and she
cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king didn’t know her
intimately. 5 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I
will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run
before him. 6 His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why
have you done so? and he was also a very goodly man; and he was born after
Absalom. 7 He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar
the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. 8 But Zadok the
priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei,
and Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah killed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth,
which is beside En Rogel; and he called all his brothers, the king’s sons,
and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants: 10 but Nathan the prophet,
and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he didn’t call.
11 Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Haven’t
you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn’t
know it? 12 Now therefore come, please let me give you counsel, that you
may save your own life, and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go and get
you in to king David, and tell him, Didn’t you, my lord, king, swear to your
handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he
shall sit on my throne? why then does Adonijah reign? 14 Behold, while you
yet talk there with the king, I also will come in after you, and confirm your
words. 15 Bathsheba went in to the king into the chamber: and the king was
very old; and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.
16 Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king. The king said, What
would you? 17 She said to him, My lord, you swore by Yahweh your God to
your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after
me, and he shall sit on my throne. 18 Now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and
you, my lord the king, don’t know it: 19 and he has slain oxen and
fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and
Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host; but he hasn’t called
Solomon your servant. 20 You, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are
on you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the
king after him. 21 Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king shall
sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
22 Behold, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.
23 They told the king, saying, Behold, Nathan the prophet. When he was
come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to
the ground. 24 Nathan said, My lord, king, have you said, Adonijah shall
reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? 25 For he is gone down this
day, and has slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called
all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest;
and, behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and say, Long
live king Adonijah. 26 But he hasn’t called me, even me your servant, and
Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon.
27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and you haven’t shown to your
servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 Then king David answered, Call to me Bathsheba. She came into the
king’s presence, and stood before the king. 29 The king swore, and said,
As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 30 most
assuredly as I swore to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, Assuredly
Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my
place; most assuredly so will I do this day. 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with
her face to the earth, and did obeisance to the king, and said, Let my lord
king David live forever. 32 King David said, Call to me Zadok the priest,
and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. They came before the
king. 33 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:
34 and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king
over Israel; and blow you the trumpet, and say, Long live king
Solomon. 35 Then you shall 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 prince over Israel and over Judah. 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada
answered the king, and said, Amen: Yahweh, the God of my lord the king, say
so too. 37 As Yahweh has been with my lord the king, even so be he
with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king
David. 38 So Zadok the priest, and 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. 39 Zadok
the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. They
blew the trumpet; and all the people said, Long live king Solomon.
40 All the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and
rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with the sound of them.
41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had made
an end of eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Why is
this noise of the city being in an uproar? 42 While he yet spoke, behold,
Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said, Come in; for
you are a worthy man, and bring good news. 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah,
Most assuredly our lord king David has made Solomon king: 44 and the king
has sent with him Zadok the priest, and 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; 45 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the
prophet have anointed him king in Gihon; and they are come up from there
rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have
heard. 46 Also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47 Moreover
the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, Your God make
the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than
your throne: and the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 Also thus said the
king, Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my
throne this day, my eyes even seeing it. 49 All the guests of Adonijah
were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. 50 Adonijah feared
because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of
the altar. 51 It was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears king
Solomon; for, behold, he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let
king Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the
sword. 52 Solomon said, If he shall show himself a worthy man, there shall
not a hair of him fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he
shall die. 53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the
altar. He came and did obeisance to king Solomon; and Solomon said to him, Go
to your house.
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