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1 Kings 1
EasyEnglish Bible

Adonijah tries to become king[a]

1 King David was now a very old man. He could not stay warm, even when people put blankets over him. 2 So his servants said to him, ‘We will look for a young woman who has never had sex, for you, our master the king. She can take care of you and she can be your nurse. She can also sleep beside you, so that our master the king will be warm.’

3 So they looked through all the land of Israel for a beautiful young woman. They chose Abishag, who lived in Shunem.[b] They brought her to the king. 4 She was very beautiful. She took care of the king as his servant. But the king did not have sex with her.

5 At that time, David's son Adonijah, was telling everyone, ‘I will become the next king.’[c] He got for himself chariots and men who would ride on horses. He also had 50 men to run in front of him as his guards.[d] Haggith was Adonijah's mother. 6 His father, David, had never warned him when he did something wrong. He never asked Adonijah, ‘Why are you doing that?’ Adonijah was also very handsome. He was born after Absalom as David's next son.[e] 7 Adonijah spoke with Zeruiah's son Joab and with Abiathar, the priest. They said that they would help Adonijah.

8 But these people did not join Adonijah's group:

Zadok the priest,

Jehoiada's son Benaiah,

Nathan the prophet,

Shimei and Rei.

David's own special soldiers did not join Adonijah either.

9 Then Adonijah went to the Stone of Zoheleth that was near En Rogel.[f] He killed sheep, cows and fat calves as sacrifices there. He asked these people to join him:

all his brothers, who were King David's sons,

all the men of Judah who were the king's officers.

10 But he did not ask these people to come:

Nathan the prophet,

Benaiah,

David's own special soldiers,

his brother Solomon.

11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, ‘Have you heard about the things that Haggith's son Adonijah is doing? He has become king, but our master, David, does not know about it. 12 Please accept my advice so that you can save your life and the life of Solomon, your son. 13 Go to King David and say to him, “My master the king, do you remember your strong promise to me? You told me that my son Solomon would certainly become king after you. You said that he would sit on your throne. So why has Adonijah now become king?” 14 While you are still talking to the king, I will come in. I will say that your report is true.’

15 So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. The king was very old. Abishag, the young woman from Shunem, was taking care of him. 16 Bathsheba bent down low in front of the king. The king asked her, ‘What do you want?’ 17 She replied, ‘My master, you made a strong promise to me in the name of the Lord your God.[g] You said to me, “Your son Solomon will become king after me. He will sit on my throne.” 18 But see what has happened! Adonijah has become king. But, my master the king, you do not even know about it!

19 Adonijah has killed many cows, fat calves and sheep as sacrifices. He has asked the all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the leader of the army to join him. But he did not ask your servant Solomon to come.

20 My master the king, everyone in Israel is waiting for you to speak. You must tell them who you have chosen to sit on the throne after you. 21 If you do not decide this now, there will be trouble for me and my son Solomon. Soon after they bury you in the grave of your ancestors, they will punish us as bad people.’

22 While Bathsheba was saying this to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 The king's servants told him, ‘Nathan the prophet is here.’ So Nathan went in to the king's bedroom. He bent low with his face towards the ground.

24 Nathan said, ‘My master the king, have you decided that Adonijah will become king after you? Have you said that he will sit on your throne? 25 Today Adonijah has killed many cows, fat calves and sheep as sacrifices. He has asked all the king's sons, the leaders of the army and Abiathar the priest to join with him. Even now, they are having a big feast with him. They are saying, “May King Adonijah live for a long time!”

26 But he did not ask me, your servant, to join him. He did not ask Zadok the priest, Jehoiada's son Benaiah, or your servant Solomon.

27 Has my master the king decided this, but you have not told us, your servants? We must know who will sit on your throne to rule as king after you.’

King David chooses Solomon to be king

28 King David answered Nathan, ‘Send Bathsheba to me!’ So Bathsheba came and she stood in front of the king. 29 Then the king made a strong promise. He said, ‘The Lord has saved me from every kind of trouble. I promise this, as surely as the Lord lives! 30 I will certainly do what I already promised to you in the name of the Lord, Israel's God. Your son Solomon will become king after me. He will sit on my throne to rule.’

31 Then Bathsheba bent down low with her face towards the ground. She said, ‘I pray that my master King David will live for ever!’

32 King David said, ‘Send to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Jehoiada's son Benaiah.’ So they came to the king. 33 The king said to them, ‘Take my officers with you and put my son Solomon on my own mule. Then lead him down to Gihon, as he rides on the mule. 34 There, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet can anoint him to be king over Israel. Make a loud noise with a trumpet and shout, “May King Solomon live for a long time!” 35 After that, you must follow him back here. He will sit on my throne as king instead of me. I have chosen him to be ruler over all Israel and Judah.’

36 Jehoiada's son Benaiah answered the king, ‘Amen! I agree! I pray that the Lord will cause it to happen! He is the God that my master the king serves. 37 The Lord has helped you, my master the king. We pray that he will also be with Solomon. We pray that he will make Solomon's kingdom even greater than the kingdom of my master, King David!’

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Jehoiada's son Benaiah went to Solomon. David's own personal guards, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, went with them. They put Solomon on King David's mule and they led him to Gihon.

39 Zadok the priest filled a horn with special olive oil from the holy tent. Then he poured it on Solomon to anoint him as king. Then they made a loud noise with a trumpet. All the people shouted, ‘May King Solomon live for a long time!’ 40 Then all the people followed Solomon up into Jerusalem. They made music with flutes and they shouted with joy. The noise caused the ground to shake!

41 Adonijah and all the people who were with him heard the noise. They had just finished eating their feast together. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, ‘Why is there all that noise in the city?’[h] 42 While Joab was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, arrived. Adonijah said to him, ‘Come in! You are an honest man, so I am sure that you are bringing good news.’ 43 Jonathan replied to Adonijah, ‘No, it is not good news! Our master King David has made Solomon king! 44 He sent these people to put Solomon onto the king's mule: Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Jehoiada's son Benaiah, and the king's personal guards.[i] They took Solomon to Gihon.

45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon at Gihon to become king. They have taken him from there into the city with happy shouts. People are shouting everywhere. That is the noise that you can hear. 46 So Solomon now sits on the king's throne. 47 The king's officers have told our master King David that he has done a good thing. They have said to him, “We pray that your God will make Solomon even more famous than you. We pray that his kingdom will be greater than your kingdom.” After they said that, the king bent his head down as he lay on his bed. 48 He said, “We should praise the Lord, Israel's God. He deserves this, because he has chosen one of my sons to become king after me. The Lord has let me see this happen.” ’

49 When all the people with Adonijah heard Jonathan's report, they were very afraid. They got up from the feast and they ran away in different directions. 50 But Adonijah was afraid of what Solomon would do to punish him. So he ran to the holy tent. He took hold of the horns of the altar there.[j] 51 Someone told Solomon, ‘Adonijah is afraid of you. He has taken hold of the horns of the altar. He says, “I want King Solomon to promise me today that he will not punish me with death. I am his servant.” ’ 52 Solomon said, ‘If he serves me faithfully, I will not hurt him at all. But if he turns against me, he will die.’

53 Then King Solomon sent men to the holy tent to bring Adonijah down from the altar. So Adonijah came. He bent down low to respect King Solomon. Solomon said to him, ‘Go to your home.’

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 David had many children. See 2 Samuel 3:2-5. Some of them had already died. Adonijah was David's oldest son who was still alive. So Adonijah thought that he should be the next king. But God had promised that Solomon should be the next king.
  2. 1:3 Shunem was a town near the Sea of Galilee.
  3. 1:5 Adonijah was the fourth son of David. See 2 Samuel 3:2-5. David's first three sons were probably dead.
  4. 1:5 Adonijah got the chariots, the horses and the guards to show that he was a very important man.
  5. 1:6 Absalom and Adonijah had different mothers.
  6. 1:9 There was a spring of water at En Rogel. It was near Jerusalem, to the south.
  7. 1:17 When we write Lord like this, it is a special name for God. Sometimes people write it as ‘Yahweh’, or as ‘Jehovah’. It is his own name that he told Moses. See Exodus 3:14. It means ‘I am who I am’. This shows that God has always been there and he always will be there.
  8. 1:41 Joab was the leader of Israel's army.
  9. 1:44 David's personal guards (bodyguards) were men who belonged to the Kerethite and Pelethite people.
  10. 1:50 If someone took hold of the horns of the altar, he was safe from punishment.
Close LSB

1 Kings 1
Legacy Standard Bible

David in Old Age

1 Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her stand before the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the (A)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 Now the young woman was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and attended him, but the king did not [a]know her.

5 Now (B)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So (C)he prepared for himself a chariot and horsemen and fifty men as runners before him. 6 But his father had never [b]grieved him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man in form, and [c](D)he was born after Absalom. 7 [d]And he had conferred with (E)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with (F)Abiathar the priest; and following (G)Adonijah, they helped him. 8 But (H)Zadok the priest, (I)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (J)Nathan the prophet, (K)Shimei, Rei, and (L)the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the [e]stone of Zoheleth, which is beside (M)En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and (N)Solomon his brother.

Nathan Speaks to Bathsheba

11 Then Nathan spoke to (O)Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 So now come, please let me (P)give you counsel and provide escape for your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go [f]at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “(Q)Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and fully confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now (R)the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself [g]before the king. And the king said, “What [h]do you wish?” 17 And she said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by [i]Yahweh your God, saying, ‘(S)Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 (T)And he has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 As for you 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 be, (U)as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [j]offenders.”

22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 Then they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And then he came in before the king and prostrated himself [k]before the king with his [l]face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 (V)For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘(W)Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 (X)But me, even 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 happened by my lord the king, and you have not made known to your [m]servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore and said, “(Y)As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as (Z)I swore to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will surely do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her [n]face to the ground, and prostrated herself [o]before the king and said, “(AA)May my lord King David live forever.”

32 Then King David said, “Call to me (AB)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’s presence. 33 And the king said to them, “Take with you (AC)the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to (AD)Gihon. 34 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet shall (AE)anoint him there as king over Israel and (AF)blow the trumpet and say, ‘(AG)Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne. And he shall be king in my place; for I have commanded him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may Yahweh, the God of my lord the king, say. 37 (AH)As Yahweh has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and (AI)make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

Solomon Anointed King

38 So (AJ)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (AK)the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to (AL)Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest then (AM)took the horn of oil from the tent and (AN)anointed Solomon. Then they (AO)blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “(AP)Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, and the people [p]were playing on flutes and were glad with great gladness, so that the earth [q]shook at their sound.

41 And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. Then Joab heard the sound of the trumpet and said, “Why is the sound of the city such an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, (AQ)Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, “Come in, for (AR)you are a valiant man and bring good news.” 43 But Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there with gladness, (AS)so that the city is in an uproar. This is the sound which you have heard. 46 And also, (AT)Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And also, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May (AU)your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!’ And (AV)the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 And also, the king said thus, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who (AW)has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’”

49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled; and they arose and each went on his way. 50 And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went, and (AX)took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told to Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” 52 And Solomon said, “If he is a worthy man, (AY)not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself [r]before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 1:4 Or have relations with
  2. 1 Kings 1:6 Lit pained him
  3. 1 Kings 1:6 Lit she gave him birth
  4. 1 Kings 1:7 Lit His words were
  5. 1 Kings 1:9 Lit Gliding, Serpent Stone
  6. 1 Kings 1:13 Lit and enter
  7. 1 Kings 1:16 Lit to
  8. 1 Kings 1:16 Lit to you
  9. 1 Kings 1:17 The personal covenant name of God, a form of I AM WHO I AM, cf. Ex 3:14-15
  10. 1 Kings 1:21 Lit sinners
  11. 1 Kings 1:23 Lit to
  12. 1 Kings 1:23 Lit nose
  13. 1 Kings 1:27 Some mss servant
  14. 1 Kings 1:31 Lit nose
  15. 1 Kings 1:31 Lit to
  16. 1 Kings 1:40 Lit fluting
  17. 1 Kings 1:40 Lit was split
  18. 1 Kings 1:53 Lit to
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