³ Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag,^(A) a Shunammite,^(B) and brought her to the king.

¹⁸ Their territory included:

⁴ The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem,^(A) while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa.^(B)

⁴ Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.

² Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.

²⁵ So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.^(A)

When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There’s the Shunammite!

The Shunammite’s Son Restored to Life

⁸ One day Elisha went to Shunem.^(A) And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat.

¹⁷ So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag^(A) 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,^(B) and she sat down at his right hand.^(C)

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^(D) the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag^(E) the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother^(F)—yes, for him and for Abiathar^(G) 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,^(H) 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^(I)—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” ²⁵ So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah^(J) son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.^(K)