1 Kings 1
Christian Standard Bible
David’s Last Days
1 Now King David was old and advanced in age.(A) Although they covered him with bedclothes, he could not get warm.(B) 2 So his servants said to him, “Let us[a] search for a young virgin for my lord the king.(C) She is to attend the king and be his caregiver. She is to lie by your side so that my lord the king will get warm.” 3 They searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel; they found Abishag(D) the Shunammite[b](E) and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was of unsurpassed beauty,(F) and she became the king’s caregiver. She attended to him, but he was not intimate with[c] her.
Adonijah’s Bid for Power
5 Adonijah son of Haggith(G) kept exalting himself, saying, “I will be king!” He prepared chariots, cavalry, and fifty men to run ahead of him.[d](H) 6 But his father had never once infuriated(I) him by asking, “Why did you do that?” (J) In addition, he was quite handsome(K) and was born after Absalom.(L) 7 He conspired[e] with Joab son of Zeruiah(M) and with the priest Abiathar.(N) They supported(O) Adonijah, 8 but the priest Zadok,(P) Benaiah son of Jehoiada,(Q) the prophet Nathan,(R) Shimei,(S) Rei, and David’s royal guard[f](T) did not side with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, goats, cattle, and fattened cattle near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel.(U) He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king,(V) 10 but he did not invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the royal guard, or his brother Solomon.(W)
Nathan’s and Bathsheba’s Appeals
11 Then Nathan(X) said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother,(Y) “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king(Z) and our lord David does not know it?(AA) 12 Now please come and let me advise you.(AB) Save your life and the life of your son Solomon.(AC) 13 Go, approach King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your servant: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne?(AD) So why has Adonijah become king?’ 14 At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I’ll come in after you and confirm your words.”(AE)
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was attending to him.(AF) 16 Bathsheba knelt low and paid homage to the king, and he asked, “What do you want?”
17 She replied, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne.’ 18 Now look, Adonijah has become king. And,[g] my lord the king, you didn’t know it. 19 He has lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon. 20 Now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his ancestors,(AG) I and my son Solomon will be regarded as criminals.”(AH)
22 At that moment, while she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan arrived,(AI) 23 and it was announced to the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” He came into the king’s presence and paid homage to him with his face to the ground.
24 “My lord the king,” Nathan said, “did you say, ‘Adonijah is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne’? 25 For today he went down and lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and the priest Abiathar. And look! They’re eating and drinking in his presence, and they’re saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he did not invite me—me, your servant—or the priest Zadok or Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your servant Solomon. 27 I’m certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant[h] know who will sit on my lord the king’s throne after him.”
Solomon Confirmed King
28 King David responded by saying, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29 The king swore an oath and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every difficulty,(AJ) 30 just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne in my place,(AK) that is exactly what I will do this very day.”(AL)
31 Bathsheba knelt low with her face to the ground, paying homage to the king,(AM) and said, “May my lord King David live forever!” (AN)
32 King David then said, “Call in the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me.”(AO) So they came into the king’s presence. 33 The king said to them, “Take my servants(AP) with you, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule,(AQ) and take him down to Gihon.(AR) 34 There, the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan are to anoint him as king over Israel.(AS) You are to blow the ram’s horn(AT) and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ (AU) 35 You are to come up after him, and he is to come in and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to become king in my place; he is the one I have commanded to be ruler(AV) over Israel and Judah.”(AW)
36 “Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king. “May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it.(AX) 37 Just as the Lord was with my lord the king,(AY) so may he[i] be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”(AZ)
38 Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites(BA) went down, had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 39 The priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon.(BB) Then they blew the ram’s horn,(BC) and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!” (BD) 40 All the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy(BE) that the earth split open from the sound.[j]
Adonijah Hears of Solomon’s Coronation
41 Adonijah and all the invited guests who were with him(BF) heard the noise as they finished eating. Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn and said, “Why is the town in such an uproar?” (BG) 42 He was still speaking when Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest,(BH) suddenly arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are an important man, and you must be bringing good news.”(BI)
43 “Unfortunately not,” Jonathan answered him. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 And with Solomon, the king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have had him ride on the king’s mule. 45 The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king in Gihon.(BJ) They have gone up from there rejoicing. The town has been in an uproar; that’s the noise you heard. 46 Solomon has even taken his seat on the royal throne.(BK)
47 “The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may he make his throne greater than your throne.’(BL) Then the king bowed in worship on his bed.(BM) 48 And the king went on to say this: ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel! Today he has provided one to sit on my throne,(BN) and I am a witness.’”[k]
49 Then all of Adonijah’s guests got up trembling and went their separate ways. 50 Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.(BO)
51 It was reported to Solomon, “Look, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first[l] swear to me that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”
52 Then Solomon said, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground,(BP) but if evil is found in him, he dies.”(BQ) 53 So King Solomon sent for him, and they took him down from the altar. He came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your home.”
Footnotes
- 1:2 Lit them
- 1:3 Shunem was a town in the hill country of Issachar at the foot of Mt. Moreh; Jos 19:17–18.
- 1:4 Lit he did not know
- 1:5 Heralds announcing his procession
- 1:7 Lit His words were
- 1:8 Lit David’s warriors
- 1:18 Some Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Syr; other Hb mss read And now
- 1:27 Some Hb mss, LXX; alt Hb tradition reads servants
- 1:37 Alt Hb tradition reads so he will
- 1:40 LXX reads the land resounded with their noise
- 1:48 Lit and my eyes are seeing
- 1:51 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Vg read today
1 Kings 1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Struggle for the Succession
1 King David was old and advanced in years, and although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be his attendant; let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel and found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.(A) 4 The young woman was very beautiful. She became the king’s attendant and served him, but the king did not know her sexually.
5 Now Adonijah son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” He prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.(B) 6 His father had never at any time reprimanded him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom.(C) 7 He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar, and they supported Adonijah.(D) 8 But the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan, and Shammah[a] and his companions,[b] David’s own warriors, did not side with Adonijah.(E)
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatted cattle by the stone Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah,(F) 10 but he did not invite the prophet Nathan or Benaiah or the warriors or his brother Solomon.(G)
11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king and our lord David does not know it?(H) 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, so 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, “Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then is Adonijah king?” ’(I) 14 Then while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his room. The king was very old; Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king.(J) 16 Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king, and the king said, “What do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne.’(K) 18 But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19 He has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance and has invited all the children of the king, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army, but your servant Solomon he has not invited.(L) 20 But you, 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 sleeps with his ancestors, that my son Solomon and I will be counted offenders.”(M)
22 While she was still speaking with the king, the prophet Nathan came in. 23 The king was told, “Here is the prophet Nathan.” When he came in before the king, he did obeisance to the king, with his face to the ground. 24 Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 For today he has gone down and has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance and has invited all the king’s children, Joab the commander[c] of the army, and the priest Abiathar, who are now eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’(N) 26 But he did not invite me, your servant, and the priest Zadok, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon.(O) 27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not let your servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
The Accession of Solomon
28 King David answered, “Summon Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 The king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has saved my life from every adversity,(P) 30 as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so will I do this day.”(Q) 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and did obeisance to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”(R)
32 King David said, “Summon to me the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came before the king, 33 the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule and bring him down to Gihon.(S) 34 There let the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’(T) 35 You shall go up following him. Let him enter and sit on my throne; he shall be king in my place, for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so ordain. 37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”(U)
38 So the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and led him to Gihon.(V) 39 There the priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”(W) 40 And all the people went up following him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their noise.
41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is the city in an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, Jonathan son of the priest Abiathar arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and surely you bring good news.”(X) 43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king; 44 the king has sent with him the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they had him ride on the king’s mule; 45 the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you heard.(Y) 46 Solomon now sits on the royal throne.(Z) 47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours and make his throne greater than your throne.’ The king bowed in worship on the bed(AA) 48 and went on to pray thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has granted one of my offspring[d] to sit on my throne and permitted me to witness it.’ ”(AB)
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah got up trembling and went their own ways. 50 Adonijah, fearing Solomon, got up and went to grasp the horns of the altar.(AC) 51 Solomon was informed, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; see, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’ ” 52 So Solomon responded, “If he proves to be a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the ground, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”(AD) 53 Then King Solomon sent to have him brought down from the altar. He came to do obeisance to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go home.”
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New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.