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1 Kings 1-3
New English Translation

Adonijah Tries to Seize the Throne

1 King David was very old;[a] even when they covered him with blankets,[b] he could not get warm. 2 His servants advised[c] him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king,[d] to take care of the king’s needs[e] and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you[f] and keep our master, the king, warm.”[g] 3 So they looked through all Israel[h] for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very beautiful; she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king was not intimate with her.[i]

5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith,[j] was promoting himself,[k] boasting,[l] “I will be king!” He managed to acquire[m] chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.[n] 6 (Now his father had never corrected[o] him[p] by saying, “Why do you do such things?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom.[q]) 7 He collaborated[r] with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported[s] him.[t] 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s elite warriors[u] did not ally themselves[v] with Adonijah. 9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened steers at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons,[w] as well as all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the elite warriors,[x] or his brother Solomon.

11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Has it been reported to you[y] that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back?[z] 12 Now[aa] let me give you some advice as to how[ab] you can save your life and your son Solomon’s life. 13 Visit[ac] King David and say to him, ‘My master, O king, did you not solemnly promise[ad] your servant, “Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne”? So why has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While[ae] you are still there speaking to the king, I will arrive[af] and verify your report.”[ag]

15 So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters.[ah] (The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 16 Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before[ai] the king. The king said, “What do you want?” 17 She replied to him, “My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you,[aj] my master the king, are not even aware of it![ak] 19 He has sacrificed many cattle, steers, 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. 20 Now,[al] my master, O king, all Israel is watching anxiously to see who is named to succeed my master the king on the throne.[am] 21 If a decision is not made,[an] when my master the king is buried with his ancestors,[ao] my son Solomon and I[ap] will be considered state criminals.”[aq]

22 Just then,[ar] while she was still speaking to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 The king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” Nathan entered and bowed before the king with his face to the floor.[as] 24 Nathan said, “My master, O king, did you announce, ‘Adonijah will be king after me; he will sit on my throne’? 25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. At this moment[at] they are having a feast[au] in his presence, and they have declared, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’[av] 26 But he did not invite me—your servant—or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon. 27 Has my master the king authorized this without informing your servants[aw] who should succeed my master the king on his throne?”[ax]

David Picks Solomon as His Successor

28 King David responded,[ay] “Summon Bathsheba!”[az] She came and stood before the king.[ba] 29 The king swore an oath: “As certainly as the Lord lives (he who has rescued me[bb] from every danger), 30 I will keep[bc] today the oath I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: ‘Surely Solomon your son will be king after me; he will sit in my place on my throne.’” 31 Bathsheba bowed down to the king with her face to the floor[bd] and said, “May my master, King David, live forever!”

32 King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet,[be] and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king, 33 and he[bf] told them, “Take your master’s[bg] servants with you, put my son Solomon on my mule, and lead him down to Gihon.[bh] 34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint[bi] him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then follow him up as he comes and sits on my throne. He will be king in my place; I have decreed[bj] that he will be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada responded[bk] to the king: “So be it![bl] May the Lord God of my master the king confirm it![bm] 37 As the Lord is with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and may he make him an even greater king than my master King David!”[bn]

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites[bo] went down, put Solomon on King David’s mule, and led him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took a horn filled with olive oil[bp] from the tent and poured it on[bq] Solomon; the trumpet was blown and all the people declared, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 All the people followed him up, playing flutes and celebrating so loudly they made the ground shake.[br]

41 Now Adonijah and all his guests heard the commotion just as they had finished eating.[bs] When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, “Why is there such a noisy commotion in the city?”[bt] 42 As he was still speaking, Jonathan[bu] son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for[bv] an important man like you must be bringing good news.”[bw] 43 Jonathan replied[bx] to Adonijah: “No![by] Our master[bz] King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites and they put him on the king’s mule. 45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed[ca] him king in Gihon. They went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the sound you hear. 46 Furthermore, Solomon has assumed the royal throne.[cb] 47 The king’s servants have even come to congratulate[cc] our master[cd] King David, saying, ‘May your God[ce] make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even greater king than you!’[cf] Then the king leaned[cg] on the bed 48 and said[ch] this: ‘The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because[ci] today he has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.’”[cj]

49 All of Adonijah’s guests panicked;[ck] they jumped up and rushed off their separate ways. 50 Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar.[cl] 51 Solomon was told, “Look, Adonijah fears you;[cm] see, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon solemnly promise[cn] me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’” 52 Solomon said, “If he is a loyal subject,[co] not a hair of his head will be harmed, but if he is found to be a traitor,[cp] he will die.” 53 King Solomon sent men to bring him down[cq] from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon told him, “Go home.”[cr]

David’s Final Words to Solomon

2 When David was close to death,[cs] he told[ct] Solomon his son: 2 “I am about to die.[cu] Be strong and become a man! 3 Do the job the Lord your God has assigned you[cv] by following his instructions[cw] and obeying[cx] his rules, commandments, regulations, and laws as written in the law of Moses. Then you will succeed in all you do and seek to accomplish,[cy] 4 and the Lord will fulfill his promise to me,[cz] ‘If your descendants watch their step[da] and live faithfully in my presence[db] with all their heart and being,[dc] then,’ he promised,[dd] ‘you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’[de]

5 “You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—how he murdered two commanders of the Israelite armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether.[df] During peacetime he struck them down as if in battle;[dg] when he shed their blood, he stained the belt on his waist and the sandals on his feet.[dh] 6 Do to him what you think is appropriate,[di] but don’t let him live long and die a peaceful death.[dj]

7 “Treat fairly[dk] the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs,[dl] because they helped me[dm] when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.

8 “Note well, you still have to contend with Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim,[dn] who tried to call down upon me a horrible judgment when I went to Mahanaim.[do] He came down and met me at the Jordan, and I solemnly promised[dp] him by the Lord, ‘I will not strike you down[dq] with the sword.’ 9 But now[dr] don’t treat him as if he were innocent. You are a wise man and you know how to handle him;[ds] make sure he has a bloody death.”[dt]

10 Then David passed away[du] and was buried in the City of David.[dv] 11 David reigned over Israel forty years; he reigned in Hebron seven years, and in Jerusalem thirty-three years.

Solomon Secures the Throne

12 Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his royal authority[dw] was firmly solidified.

13 Haggith’s son Adonijah visited Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “Yes.”[dx] 14 He added,[dy] “I have something to say to you.” She replied, “Speak.” 15 He said, “You know that the kingdom[dz] was mine and all Israel considered me king.[ea] But then the kingdom was given to my brother, for the Lord decided it should be his.[eb] 16 Now I’d like to ask you for just one thing. Please don’t refuse me.”[ec] She said, “Go ahead and ask.”[ed] 17 He said, “Please ask King Solomon if he would give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife, for he won’t refuse you.”[ee] 18 Bathsheba replied, “That’s fine;[ef] I’ll speak to the king on your behalf.”

19 So Bathsheba visited King Solomon to speak to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to greet[eg] her, bowed to her, and then sat on his throne. He ordered a throne to be brought for the king’s mother,[eh] and she sat at his right hand. 20 She said, “I would like to ask you for just one small favor.[ei] Please don’t refuse me.”[ej] He said,[ek] “Go ahead and ask, my mother, for I would not refuse you.” 21 She said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite to be given to your brother Adonijah as a wife.” 22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him?[el] Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

23 King Solomon then swore an oath by the Lord, “May God judge me severely,[em] if Adonijah does not pay for this request with his life![en] 24 Now, as certainly as the Lord lives (he who made me secure, allowed me to sit on my father David’s throne, and established a dynasty[eo] for me as he promised), Adonijah will be executed today!” 25 King Solomon then sent[ep] Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he killed Adonijah.[eq]

26 The king then told Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your property[er] in Anathoth. You deserve to die,[es] but today I will not kill you because you did carry the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and you suffered with my father through all his difficult times.”[et] 27 Solomon removed Abiathar from being a priest for the Lord, fulfilling the Lord’s message that he had pronounced against the family of Eli in Shiloh.

28 When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported[eu] Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he[ev] ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar.[ew] 29 When King Solomon heard[ex] that Joab had run to the tent of the Lord and was right there beside the altar, he ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada,[ey] “Go, strike him down.” 30 When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the Lord, he said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But he replied, “No, I will die here!” So Benaiah sent word to the king and reported Joab’s reply.[ez] 31 The king told him, “Do as he said! Strike him down and bury him. Take away from me and from my father’s family[fa] the guilt of Joab’s murderous, bloody deeds.[fb] 32 May the Lord punish him for the blood he shed;[fc] behind my father David’s back he struck down and murdered with the sword two men who were more innocent and morally upright than he[fd]—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army. 33 May Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their shed blood, but may the Lord give perpetual peace to David, his descendants, his family,[fe] and his dynasty.”[ff] 34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and executed Joab;[fg] he was buried at his home in the wilderness. 35 The king appointed Benaiah son of Jehoiada to take his place at the head of[fh] the army, and the king appointed Zadok the priest to take Abiathar’s place.[fi]

36 Next the king summoned[fj] Shimei and told him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but you may not leave there to go anywhere.[fk] 37 If you ever do leave and cross the Kidron Valley, know for sure that you will certainly die. You will be responsible for your own death.”[fl] 38 Shimei said to the king, “My master the king’s proposal is acceptable.[fm] Your servant will do as you say.”[fn] So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.[fo]

39 Three years later two of Shimei’s servants ran away to King Achish son of Maacah of Gath. Shimei was told, “Look, your servants are in Gath.” 40 So Shimei got up, saddled his donkey, and went to Achish at Gath to find his servants; Shimei went and brought back his servants from Gath. 41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had then returned, 42 the king summoned[fp] Shimei and said to him, “You will recall[fq] that I made you take an oath by the Lord, and I solemnly warned you, ‘If you ever leave and go anywhere,[fr] know for sure that you will certainly die.’ You said to me, ‘The proposal is acceptable; I agree to it.’[fs] 43 Why then have you broken the oath you made before the Lord and disobeyed the order I gave you?”[ft] 44 Then the king said to Shimei, “You are well aware of the way you mistreated my father David.[fu] The Lord will punish you for what you did.[fv] 45 But King Solomon will be empowered,[fw] and David’s dynasty[fx] will endure permanently before the Lord.” 46 The king then gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada who went and executed Shimei.[fy]

So Solomon took firm control of the kingdom.[fz]

The Lord Gives Solomon Wisdom

3 Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh, king of Egypt; he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David[ga] until he could finish building his residence and the temple of the Lord and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places,[gb] because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord.[gc] 3 Solomon demonstrated his loyalty to the Lord by following[gd] the practices[ge] of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

4 The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for it had the most prominent of the high places.[gf] Solomon would offer up[gg] 1,000 burnt sacrifices on the altar there. 5 One night in Gibeon the Lord appeared[gh] to Solomon in a dream. God said, “Tell[gi] me what I should give you.” 6 Solomon replied, “You demonstrated[gj] great loyalty to your servant, my father David, as he served[gk] you faithfully, properly, and sincerely.[gl] You have maintained this great loyalty to this day by allowing his son to sit on his throne.[gm] 7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced.[gn] 8 Your servant stands[go] among your chosen people;[gp] they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning mind[gq] so he can make judicial decisions for[gr] your people and distinguish right from wrong.[gs] Otherwise[gt] no one is able[gu] to make judicial decisions for[gv] this great nation of yours.”[gw] 10 The Lord[gx] was pleased that Solomon made this request.[gy] 11 God said to him, “Because you asked for the ability to make wise judicial decisions, and not for long life, or riches, or vengeance on your enemies,[gz] 12 I[ha] grant your request[hb] and give[hc] you a wise and discerning mind[hd] superior to that of anyone who has preceded or will succeed you.[he] 13 Furthermore, I am giving[hf] you what you did not request—riches and honor so that you will be the greatest king of your generation.[hg] 14 If you follow my instructions[hh] by obeying[hi] my rules and regulations, just as your father David did,[hj] then I will grant you long life.”[hk] 15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream.[hl] He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings,[hm] and held a feast for all his servants.

Solomon Demonstrates His Wisdom

16 Then two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of the women said, “My master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was with me in the house. 18 Then three days after I had my baby, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one else in the house except the two of us.[hn] 19 This woman’s child suffocated[ho] during the night when she rolled[hp] on top of him. 20 She got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side, while your servant was sleeping. She put him in her arms, and put her dead son in my arms. 21 I got up in the morning to nurse my son, and there[hq] he was, dead! But when I examined him carefully in the morning, I realized it was not my baby.”[hr] 22 The other woman said, “No! My son is alive; your son is dead!” But the first woman replied, “No, your son is dead; my son is alive.” Each presented her case before the king.[hs]

23 The king said, “One says, ‘My son is alive; your son is dead,’ while the other says, ‘No, your son is dead; my son is alive.’” 24 The king ordered, “Get me a sword.” So they placed a sword before the king. 25 The king then said, “Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other!” 26 The real mother[ht] spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were awakened.[hu] She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!”[hv] But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him. Let them cut him in two!” 27 The king responded, “Give the first woman the living child; don’t kill him. She is the mother.” 28 When all Israel heard about the judicial decision which the king had rendered, they respected[hw] the king, for they realized[hx] that he possessed divine wisdom[hy] to make judicial decisions.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 1:1 tn Heb “was old, coming into the days” (i.e., advancing in years).
  2. 1 Kings 1:1 tn Or “garments.”
  3. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “said to.”
  4. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).
  5. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).
  6. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.
  7. 1 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”
  8. 1 Kings 1:3 tn Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”
  9. 1 Kings 1:4 tn Heb “did not know her.” The verb יָדַע (yadaʿ, “to know”) is a euphemism for sexual relations.
  10. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father.sn Haggith was one of David’s wives (2 Sam 3:4; 2 Chr 3:2).
  11. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “lifting himself up.”
  12. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “saying.”
  13. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Or “he acquired for himself.”
  14. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”
  15. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Or “disciplined.”
  16. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See GKC 382 §119.w, n. 2.
  17. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).
  18. 1 Kings 1:7 tn Heb “his words were.”
  19. 1 Kings 1:7 tn Heb “helped after” (i.e., stood by).
  20. 1 Kings 1:7 tn Heb “Adonijah.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  21. 1 Kings 1:8 tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).
  22. 1 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “were not.”
  23. 1 Kings 1:9 tc The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.
  24. 1 Kings 1:10 tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).
  25. 1 Kings 1:11 tn Heb “Have you not heard?”
  26. 1 Kings 1:11 tn Heb “and our master David does not know.”
  27. 1 Kings 1:12 tn Heb “now, come.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ.
  28. 1 Kings 1:12 tn Or “so that.”
  29. 1 Kings 1:13 tn Heb “come, go to.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ.
  30. 1 Kings 1:13 tn Or “swear an oath to.”
  31. 1 Kings 1:14 tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which here draws attention to Nathan’s concluding word of assurance and support. For this use of the word, see HALOT 252 s.v. הִנֵּה.
  32. 1 Kings 1:14 tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will come after you.”
  33. 1 Kings 1:14 tn Heb “fill up [i.e., confirm] your words.”
  34. 1 Kings 1:15 tn Or “bedroom.”
  35. 1 Kings 1:16 tn Heb “bowed low and bowed down to.”
  36. 1 Kings 1:18 tc Instead of עַתָּה (ʿattah, “now”) many Hebrew mss, along with the Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, have the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (ʾattah, “you”). This reading is followed in the present translation.
  37. 1 Kings 1:18 tn Heb “you do not know [about it].”
  38. 1 Kings 1:20 tc Many Hebrew mss have עַתָּה (ʿattah, “now”) rather than the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (ʾattah, “you”).
  39. 1 Kings 1:20 tn Heb “the eyes of all Israel are upon you to declare to them who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him.”
  40. 1 Kings 1:21 tn The words “if a decision is not made” are added for clarification.
  41. 1 Kings 1:21 tn Heb “lies down with his fathers.”
  42. 1 Kings 1:21 tn Heb “I and my son Solomon.” The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  43. 1 Kings 1:21 tn Heb “will be guilty”; NASB “considered offenders”; TEV “treated as traitors.”
  44. 1 Kings 1:22 tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) here draws attention to Nathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
  45. 1 Kings 1:23 tn Heb “ground.” Since this was indoors, “floor” is more appropriate than “ground.”
  46. 1 Kings 1:25 tn Heb “look.”
  47. 1 Kings 1:25 tn Heb “eating and drinking.”
  48. 1 Kings 1:25 tn Heb “let the king, Adonijah, live!”
  49. 1 Kings 1:27 tc Many Hebrew mss and ancient textual witnesses agree with the Qere in reading this as singular, “your servant.”
  50. 1 Kings 1:27 tn Heb “From my master the king is this thing done, and you did not make known to your servants who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him?”
  51. 1 Kings 1:28 tn Heb “answered and said.”
  52. 1 Kings 1:28 sn Summon Bathsheba. Bathsheba must have left the room when Nathan arrived (see 1:22).
  53. 1 Kings 1:28 tn Heb “she came before the king and stood before the king.”
  54. 1 Kings 1:29 tn Or “ransomed my life.”
  55. 1 Kings 1:30 tn Or “carry out, perform.”
  56. 1 Kings 1:31 tn Heb “bowed low, face [to] the ground, and bowed down to the king.”
  57. 1 Kings 1:32 sn Summon…Nathan. Nathan must have left the room when Bathsheba reentered.
  58. 1 Kings 1:33 tn Heb “the king.”
  59. 1 Kings 1:33 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
  60. 1 Kings 1:33 tn Heb “mount Solomon my son on the mule that belongs to me and take him down to Gihon.”
  61. 1 Kings 1:34 tn Or “designate” (i.e., by anointing with oil).
  62. 1 Kings 1:35 tn Or “commanded.”
  63. 1 Kings 1:36 tn Heb “answered and said.”
  64. 1 Kings 1:36 tn Or “Amen.”
  65. 1 Kings 1:36 tn Heb “So may the Lord God of my master the king say.”
  66. 1 Kings 1:37 tn Heb “and may he make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David.”
  67. 1 Kings 1:38 sn The Kerethites and Pelethites were members of David’s royal guard (see 2 Sam 8:18). The Kerethites may have been descendants of an ethnic group originating in Crete.
  68. 1 Kings 1:39 tn Heb “the horn of oil.” This has been specified as olive oil in the translation for clarity.sn A horn filled with oil. An animal’s horn was used as an oil flask in the anointing ceremony.
  69. 1 Kings 1:39 tn Or “anointed.”
  70. 1 Kings 1:40 tn Heb “and all the people went up after him, and the people were playing flutes and rejoicing with great joy and the ground split open at the sound of them.” The verb בָּקַע (baqaʿ, “to split open”), which elsewhere describes the effects of an earthquake, is obviously here an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis.
  71. 1 Kings 1:41 tn Heb “And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard, now they had finished eating.”
  72. 1 Kings 1:41 tn Heb “Why is the city’s sound noisy?”
  73. 1 Kings 1:42 tn The Hebrew text has “look” at this point. The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), “look” draws attention to Jonathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
  74. 1 Kings 1:42 tn Or “surely.”
  75. 1 Kings 1:42 tn Heb “you are a man of strength [or “ability”] and you bring a message [that is] good.” Another option is to understand the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (ʾish khayil) in the sense of “a worthy man,” that is “loyal.” See also 1 Kgs 1:52 and HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל.
  76. 1 Kings 1:43 tn Heb “answered and said.”
  77. 1 Kings 1:43 tn For a similar use of אֲבָל (ʾaval), see Gen 17:19, where God rejects Abraham’s proposal and offers an alternative.
  78. 1 Kings 1:43 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
  79. 1 Kings 1:45 tn I.e., designated by anointing with oil.
  80. 1 Kings 1:46 tn Heb “And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.”
  81. 1 Kings 1:47 tn Heb “to bless.”
  82. 1 Kings 1:47 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
  83. 1 Kings 1:47 tc Many Hebrew mss agree with the Qere in reading simply “God.”
  84. 1 Kings 1:47 tn Heb “make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” The term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) is used here of one’s fame and reputation.
  85. 1 Kings 1:47 tn Or “bowed down; worshiped.”
  86. 1 Kings 1:48 tn The Hebrew text reads, “and the king said.”
  87. 1 Kings 1:48 tn Or “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who….” In this blessing formula אֲשֶׁר (ʾasher, “who; because”) introduces the reason why the one being blessed deserves the honor.
  88. 1 Kings 1:48 tn Heb “and my eyes are seeing.”
  89. 1 Kings 1:49 tn Or “were afraid, trembled.”
  90. 1 Kings 1:50 sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Adonijah was seeking asylum from Solomon.
  91. 1 Kings 1:51 tn Heb “King Solomon.” The name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“you”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  92. 1 Kings 1:51 tn Or “swear an oath to.”
  93. 1 Kings 1:52 tn Heb “if he is a man of strength [or ability].” In this context, where Adonijah calls himself a “servant,” implying allegiance to the new king, the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (ʾish khayil) probably carries the sense of “a worthy man,” that is, “loyal” (see HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל).
  94. 1 Kings 1:52 tn Heb “but if evil is found in him.”
  95. 1 Kings 1:53 tn Heb “sent and they brought him down.”
  96. 1 Kings 1:53 tn Heb “Go to your house.”
  97. 1 Kings 2:1 tn Heb “and the days of David approached to die.”
  98. 1 Kings 2:1 tn Or “commanded.”
  99. 1 Kings 2:2 tn Heb “going the way of all the earth.”
  100. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “keep the charge of the Lord your God.”
  101. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “by walking in his ways.”
  102. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Or “keeping.”
  103. 1 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “then you will cause to succeed all which you do and all which you turn there.”
  104. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “then the Lord will establish his word which he spoke to me, saying.”
  105. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “guard their way.”
  106. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “by walking before me in faithfulness.”
  107. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Or “soul.”
  108. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “saying.”
  109. 1 Kings 2:4 tn Heb “there will not be cut off from you a man from upon the throne of Israel.”
  110. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “what he did to the two commanders…and he killed them.”
  111. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “he shed the blood of battle in peace.”
  112. 1 Kings 2:5 tn Heb “and he shed the blood of battle on his belt which is on his waist and on his sandal[s] which are on his feet.” That is, he covered himself with guilt and his guilt was obvious to all who saw him.
  113. 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “according to your wisdom.”
  114. 1 Kings 2:6 tn Heb “and do not bring down his grey hair in peace [to] Sheol.”
  115. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “do loyalty with”; or “act faithfully toward.”
  116. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “and let them be among the ones who eat [at] your table.”
  117. 1 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “thus drew near to.”
  118. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “Look, with you is Shimei….”
  119. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “and he cursed me with a horrible curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.”
  120. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Or “swore an oath to.”
  121. 1 Kings 2:8 tn Heb “kill you.”
  122. 1 Kings 2:9 tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek and the Vulgate have here “you” rather than “now.” The two words are homonyms in Hebrew.
  123. 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “what you should do to him.”
  124. 1 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “bring his grey hair down in blood [to] Sheol.”
  125. 1 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “and David lay down with his fathers.”
  126. 1 Kings 2:10 sn The phrase the City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  127. 1 Kings 2:12 tn Or “kingship.”
  128. 1 Kings 2:13 tn Heb “[in] peace.”
  129. 1 Kings 2:14 tn Heb “and he said.”
  130. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Or “kingship.”
  131. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “set their face to me to be king.”
  132. 1 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “and the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s, for from the Lord it became his.”
  133. 1 Kings 2:16 tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
  134. 1 Kings 2:16 tn Heb “She said, ‘Speak!’”
  135. 1 Kings 2:17 tn Heb “Say to Solomon the king, for he will not turn back your face, that he might give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.”
  136. 1 Kings 2:18 tn Heb “[It is] good!”
  137. 1 Kings 2:19 tn Or “meet.”
  138. 1 Kings 2:19 tn Heb “he set up a throne for the mother of the king.”
  139. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Or “I’d like to make just one request of you.”
  140. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Heb “Do not turn back my face.”
  141. 1 Kings 2:20 tn Heb “and the king said to her.”
  142. 1 Kings 2:22 tn Heb “for Adonijah.”
  143. 1 Kings 2:23 tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”
  144. 1 Kings 2:23 tn Heb “if with his life Adonijah has not spoken this word.”
  145. 1 Kings 2:24 tn Heb “house.”
  146. 1 Kings 2:25 tn The Hebrew text adds, “by the hand of.”
  147. 1 Kings 2:25 tn Heb “and he struck him and he died.”
  148. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Or “field.”
  149. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Heb “you are a man of death,” an idiom.
  150. 1 Kings 2:26 tn Heb “and because you suffered through all which my father suffered.”
  151. 1 Kings 2:28 tn Heb “turned after” (also later in this verse).
  152. 1 Kings 2:28 tn Heb “Joab.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  153. 1 Kings 2:28 sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Joab was seeking asylum from Solomon.
  154. 1 Kings 2:29 tn Heb “and it was related to King Solomon.”
  155. 1 Kings 2:29 tn Heb “so Solomon sent Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying.”
  156. 1 Kings 2:30 tn Heb “saying, “In this way Joab spoke and in this way he answered me.”
  157. 1 Kings 2:31 tn Heb “house.”
  158. 1 Kings 2:31 tn Heb “take away the undeserved bloodshed which Joab spilled from upon me and from upon the house of my father.”
  159. 1 Kings 2:32 tn Heb “The Lord will cause his blood to return upon his head.”
  160. 1 Kings 2:32 tn Heb “because he struck down two men more innocent and better than he and he killed them with the sword, and my father David did not know.”
  161. 1 Kings 2:33 tn Heb “house.”
  162. 1 Kings 2:33 tn Heb “his throne.”
  163. 1 Kings 2:34 tn Heb “struck him and killed him.” The referent (Joab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  164. 1 Kings 2:35 tn Heb “over.”
  165. 1 Kings 2:35 tc The Old Greek translation includes after v. 35 some fourteen verses that are absent from the MT.
  166. 1 Kings 2:36 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
  167. 1 Kings 2:36 tn Heb “and you may not go out from there here or there.”
  168. 1 Kings 2:37 tn Heb “your blood will be upon your head.”
  169. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “Good is the word, as my master the king has spoken.”
  170. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “so your servant will do.”
  171. 1 Kings 2:38 tn Heb “many days.”
  172. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “sent and summoned.”
  173. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “Is it not [true]…?” In the Hebrew text the statement is interrogative; the rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course it is.”
  174. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “here or there.”
  175. 1 Kings 2:42 tn Heb “good is the word; I have heard.”
  176. 1 Kings 2:43 tn Heb “Why have you not kept the oath [to] the Lord and the commandment I commanded you?”
  177. 1 Kings 2:44 tn Heb “You know all the evil, for your heart knows, which you did to David my father.”
  178. 1 Kings 2:44 tn Heb “The Lord will cause your evil to return upon your head.”
  179. 1 Kings 2:45 tn Or “blessed.”
  180. 1 Kings 2:45 tn Heb “throne.”
  181. 1 Kings 2:46 tn “The king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada and he went out and struck him down and he died.”
  182. 1 Kings 2:46 tn “And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.”
  183. 1 Kings 3:1 sn The phrase City of David refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  184. 1 Kings 3:2 sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.
  185. 1 Kings 3:2 tn Heb “for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the Lord”). The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.
  186. 1 Kings 3:3 tn Heb “by walking in.”
  187. 1 Kings 3:3 tn Or “policies, rules.”
  188. 1 Kings 3:4 tn Heb “for it was the great high place.”
  189. 1 Kings 3:4 tn Or, “customarily offered up.” The verb form is an imperfect, which is probably used here in a customary sense to indicate continued or repeated action in past time. See GKC 314 §107.b.
  190. 1 Kings 3:5 tn Or “revealed himself.”
  191. 1 Kings 3:5 tn Heb “ask.”
  192. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “did.”
  193. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “walked before.”
  194. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “in faithfulness and in innocence and in uprightness of heart with you.”
  195. 1 Kings 3:6 tn Heb “and you have kept to him this great loyalty and you gave to him a son [who] sits on his throne as this day.”
  196. 1 Kings 3:7 tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”
  197. 1 Kings 3:8 tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  198. 1 Kings 3:8 tn Heb “your people whom you have chosen.”
  199. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
  200. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to judge.”
  201. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”
  202. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.
  203. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”
  204. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “to judge.”
  205. 1 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “your numerous people.”
  206. 1 Kings 3:10 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in v.15 is אֲדֹנָי (ʾadonay).
  207. 1 Kings 3:10 tn Heb “And the thing was good in the eyes of the Lord, for Solomon asked for this thing.”
  208. 1 Kings 3:11 tn Heb “because you asked for this thing, and did not ask for yourself many days and did not ask for yourself riches and did not ask for the life of your enemies, but you asked for yourself understanding to hear judgment.”
  209. 1 Kings 3:12 tn This statement is introduced in the Hebrew text by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows.
  210. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “I am doing according to your words.” The perfect tense is sometimes used of actions occurring at the same time a statement is made.
  211. 1 Kings 3:12 tn This statement is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows. The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made (i.e., “right now I give you”).
  212. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
  213. 1 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “so that there has not been one like you prior to you, and after you one will not arise like you.”
  214. 1 Kings 3:13 tn The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made.
  215. 1 Kings 3:13 tn Heb “so that there is not one among the kings like you all your days.” The LXX lacks the words “all your days.”
  216. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “walk in my ways.”
  217. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Or “keeping.”
  218. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “walked.”
  219. 1 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “I will lengthen your days.”
  220. 1 Kings 3:15 tn Heb “and look, a dream.”
  221. 1 Kings 3:15 tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”
  222. 1 Kings 3:18 sn There was no one else in the house except the two of us. In other words, there were no other witnesses to the births who could identify which child belonged to which mother.
  223. 1 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “died.”
  224. 1 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “lay, slept.”
  225. 1 Kings 3:21 tn Heb “look.”
  226. 1 Kings 3:21 tn Heb “look, it was not my son to whom I had given birth.”
  227. 1 Kings 3:22 tn Heb “they spoke before the king.” Another option is to translate, “they argued before the king.”
  228. 1 Kings 3:26 tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”
  229. 1 Kings 3:26 tn Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.”
  230. 1 Kings 3:26 tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.
  231. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “feared,” perhaps in the sense, “stood in awe of.”
  232. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “saw.”
  233. 1 Kings 3:28 tn Heb “the wisdom of God was in his midst for performing justice.” The phrase “wisdom of God” may be taken as an attributive genitive, “divine wisdom,” or as a genitive of source, “wisdom from God.” Even in English they are basically the same, since wisdom from God is divine in character.
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1 Kings 1-3
New International Version

Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

1 When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2 So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag,(A) a Shunammite,(B) and brought her to the king. 4 The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.

5 Now Adonijah,(C) whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots(D) and horses[a] ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6 (His father had never rebuked(E) him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)

7 Adonijah conferred with Joab(F) son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar(G) the priest, and they gave him their support. 8 But Zadok(H) the priest, Benaiah(I) son of Jehoiada, Nathan(J) the prophet, Shimei(K) and Rei and David’s special guard(L) did not join Adonijah.

9 Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel.(M) He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons,(N) and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite(O) Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.(P)

11 Then Nathan asked Bathsheba,(Q) Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah,(R) the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? 12 Now then, let me advise(S) you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear(T) to me your servant: “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said.”

15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag(U) the Shunammite was attending him. 16 Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.

“What is it you want?” the king asked.

17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore(V) to me your servant by the Lord your God: ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. 19 He has sacrificed(W) 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 Solomon your servant. 20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest(X) with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 And the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.

24 Nathan said, “Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? 25 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 with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite.(Y) 27 Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

David Makes Solomon King(Z)

28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him.

29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,(AA) 30 I will surely carry out this very day what I swore(AB) to you by the Lord, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.”

31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

32 King David said, “Call in Zadok(AC) the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33 he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants with you and have Solomon my son mount my own mule(AD) and take him down to Gihon.(AE) 34 There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint(AF) him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet(AG) and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. 37 As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may he be with(AH) Solomon to make his throne even greater(AI) than the throne of my lord King David!”

38 So Zadok(AJ) the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites(AK) and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon mount King David’s mule, and they escorted him to Gihon.(AL) 39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil(AM) from the sacred tent(AN) and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet(AO) and all the people shouted,(AP) “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing pipes(AQ) and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.

41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, “What’s the meaning of all the noise in the city?”(AR)

42 Even as he was speaking, Jonathan(AS) son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news.”(AT)

43 “Not at all!” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king’s mule, 45 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds(AU) with it. That’s the noise you hear. 46 Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat(AV) on the royal throne. 47 Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater(AW) than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed 48 and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor(AX) on my throne today.’”

49 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and dispersed. 50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns(AY) of the altar. 51 Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”

52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair(AZ) of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, “Go to your home.”

David’s Charge to Solomon(BA)

2 When the time drew near for David to die,(BB) he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,”(BC) he said. “So be strong,(BD) act like a man, 3 and observe(BE) what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper(BF) in all you do and wherever you go 4 and that the Lord may keep his promise(BG) to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully(BH) before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Now you yourself know what Joab(BI) son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner(BJ) son of Ner and Amasa(BK) son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. 6 Deal with him according to your wisdom,(BL) but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

7 “But show kindness(BM) to the sons of Barzillai(BN) of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table.(BO) They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

8 “And remember, you have with you Shimei(BP) son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim.(BQ) When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore(BR) to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ 9 But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom;(BS) you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”

10 Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried(BT) in the City of David.(BU) 11 He had reigned(BV) forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 So Solomon sat on the throne(BW) of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.(BX)

Solomon’s Throne Established

13 Now Adonijah,(BY) the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?”(BZ)

He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” 14 Then he added, “I have something to say to you.”

“You may say it,” she replied.

15 “As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. 16 Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.”

“You may make it,” she said.

17 So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag(CA) the Shunammite as my wife.”

18 “Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.”

19 When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother,(CB) and she sat down at his right hand.(CC)

20 “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.”

The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”

21 So she said, “Let Abishag(CD) the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”

22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag(CE) the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother(CF)—yes, for him and for Abiathar(CG) the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”

23 Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely,(CH) if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! 24 And now, as surely as the Lord lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised(CI)—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” 25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah(CJ) son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.(CK)

26 To Abiathar(CL) the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth.(CM) You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark(CN) of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.”(CO) 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling(CP) the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.

28 When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns(CQ) of the altar. 29 King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar.(CR) Then Solomon ordered Benaiah(CS) son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”

30 So Benaiah entered the tent(CT) of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!(CU)’”

But he answered, “No, I will die here.”

Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”

31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood(CV) that Joab shed. 32 The Lord will repay(CW) him for the blood he shed,(CX) because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa(CY) son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better(CZ) men and more upright than he. 33 May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.”

34 So Benaiah(DA) son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab(DB) and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. 35 The king put Benaiah(DC) son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok(DD) the priest.

36 Then the king sent for Shimei(DE) and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. 37 The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley,(DF) you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”(DG)

38 Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

39 But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish(DH) son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” 40 At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

41 When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, 42 the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn(DI) you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’ 43 Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”

44 The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong(DJ) you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. 45 But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure(DK) before the Lord forever.”

46 Then the king gave the order to Benaiah(DL) son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei(DM) down and he died.

The kingdom was now established(DN) in Solomon’s hands.

Solomon Asks for Wisdom(DO)

3 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married(DP) his daughter.(DQ) He brought her to the City of David(DR) until he finished building his palace(DS) and the temple of the Lord, and the wall around Jerusalem. 2 The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places,(DT) because a temple had not yet been built for the Name(DU) of the Lord. 3 Solomon showed his love(DV) for the Lord by walking(DW) according to the instructions(DX) given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.(DY)

4 The king went to Gibeon(DZ) to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared(EA) to Solomon during the night in a dream,(EB) and God said, “Ask(EC) for whatever you want me to give you.”

6 Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful(ED) to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son(EE) to sit on his throne this very day.

7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child(EF) and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen,(EG) a great people, too numerous to count or number.(EH) 9 So give your servant a discerning(EI) heart to govern your people and to distinguish(EJ) between right and wrong. For who is able(EK) to govern this great people of yours?”

10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, “Since you have asked(EL) for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment(EM) in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked.(EN) I will give you a wise(EO) and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not(EP) asked for—both wealth and honor(EQ)—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal(ER) among kings. 14 And if you walk(ES) in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.”(ET) 15 Then Solomon awoke(EU)—and he realized it had been a dream.(EV)

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings(EW) and fellowship offerings.(EX) Then he gave a feast(EY) for all his court.

A Wise Ruling

16 Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. 17 One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. 18 The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”

But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.

23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”

24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”

26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved(EZ) out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”

27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”

28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom(FA) from God to administer justice.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 1:5 Or charioteers
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