⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(A)Would you build me a house to dwell in? ⁶ I have not lived in a house ^(B)since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about ^(C)in a tent for my dwelling. ⁷ In all places where ^(D)I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with ^(E)any of the judges^[a] of Israel, whom I commanded ^(F)to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ ⁸ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(G)I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince^[b] over my people Israel. ^9 (H)And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel ^(I)and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place ^(J)and be disturbed no more. ^(K)And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ^11 (L)from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And ^(M)I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that ^(N)the Lord will make you a house. ^12 (O)When your days are fulfilled and ^(P)you lie down with your fathers, ^(Q)I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (R)He shall build a house for my name, and ^(S)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (T)I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, ^(U)I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, ^15 (V)but my steadfast love will not depart from him, ^(W)as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ^16 (X)And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.^{[c] (Y)}Your throne shall be established forever.’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

Nathan Rebukes David

12 And the Lord sent ^(A)Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, ^(B)“There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had very many flocks and herds, ³ but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,^[a] and it was like a daughter to him. ⁴ Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” ⁵ Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, ^(C)“As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, ⁶ and he shall restore the lamb ^(D)fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

⁷ Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(E)‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. ⁸ And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. ^9 (F)Why have you despised the word of the Lord, ^(G)to do what is evil in his sight? ^(H)You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and ^(I)have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ ¹¹ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. ¹² For you did it secretly, ^(J)but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” ^13 (K)David said to Nathan, ^(L)“I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, ^(M)“The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly ^(N)scorned the Lord,^[b] the child who is born to you shall die.” ¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.

David's Child Dies

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick.

⁸ But ^(A)Zadok the priest and ^(B)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and ^(C)Nathan the prophet and ^(D)Shimei and Rei and ^(E)David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.

⁹ Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside ^(F)En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, ¹⁰ but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or ^(G)Solomon his brother.

Nathan and Bathsheba Before David

¹¹ Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that ^(H)Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? ¹² Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³ Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, ^(I)“Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’ ¹⁴ Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm^[a] your words.”

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king). ¹⁶ Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?” ¹⁷ She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ^(J)‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ ¹⁸ And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. ^19 (K)He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, ^(L)Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but ^(M)Solomon your servant he has not invited. ²⁰ And 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. ²¹ Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king ^(N)sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”

²² While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. ²³ And 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. ²⁴ And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? ²⁵ For he has gone down this day and ^(O)has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders^[b] of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ^(P)‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ^26 (Q)But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited. ²⁷ Has 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

²⁸ Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king's presence and stood before the king. ²⁹ And the king swore, saying, ^(R)“As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, ^30 (S)as 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.” ³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, ^(T)“May my lord King David live forever!”

³² King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. ³³ And the king said to them, “Take with you ^(U)the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to ^(V)Gihon. ³⁴ And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there ^(W)anoint him king over Israel. ^(X)Then blow the trumpet and say, ^(Y)‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵ You 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.” ³⁶ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so. ^37 (Z)As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, ^(AA)and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

³⁸ So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, ^(AB)and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon. ³⁹ There Zadok the priest took the horn of ^(AC)oil from the tent and ^(AD)anointed Solomon. ^(AE)Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, ^(AF)“Long live King Solomon!” ⁴⁰ And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.

⁴¹ Adonijah 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?” ⁴² While he was still speaking, behold, ^(AG)Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, ^(AH)for you are a worthy man and bring good news.” ⁴³ Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king, ⁴⁴ and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the ^(AI)Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king's mule. ⁴⁵ And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at ^(AJ)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.