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1 Kings 1
Names of God Bible

David’s Old Age

1 King David had grown old, and although he was covered with blankets, he couldn’t get warm. 2 His officials told him, “Your Majesty, let us search for a young woman who has never been married. She can stay with you and be your servant. She can lie in your arms and keep you warm.”

3 So they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. They found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. 4 The woman was very beautiful. She became the king’s servant and took care of him, but the king did not make love to her.

Adonijah Plots to Become King

5 Adonijah, son of Haggith,[a] was very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after she had Absalom.[b] Adonijah was boasting that he was king. So he got a chariot and horses and 50 men to run ahead of him. 6 His father had never confronted him by asking why he was doing this. 7 But Adonijah had discussed his actions with Joab (son of Zeruiah) and with the priest Abiathar, so they supported him. 8 But the priest Zadok, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David’s thirty fighting men did not join Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves at Zoheleth Rock near En Rogel. He had invited all his brothers, the king’s other sons, all the men of Judah, and the king’s officials. 10 But he didn’t invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the fighting men, or his brother Solomon.

The Prophet Nathan Helps Solomon Become King

11 Then Nathan asked Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has become king, and our master David doesn’t even know about it? 12 Bathsheba, let me give you some advice about how to save your life and your son’s life. 13 Go to King David and ask him, ‘Your Majesty, didn’t you swear to me that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Why is Adonijah acting as king?’ 14 And while you’re still there talking to the king, I’ll come in and confirm what you have said.”

15 Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was taking care of him. 16 Bathsheba knelt and bowed down in front of the king. “What do you want?” the king asked.

17 “Sir,” she answered, “You took an oath to Yahweh your Elohim. You said that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne. 18 But now, you see, Adonijah has become king, and you don’t even know anything about it, Your Majesty. 19 He has sacrificed many fattened calves, bulls, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army to his feast. But he hasn’t invited your servant Solomon. 20 All Israel is looking to you, Your Majesty, to tell them who should succeed you on your throne. 21 Otherwise, my son Solomon and I will be treated like criminals when you lie down in death with your ancestors.”

22 While she was still talking to the king, the prophet Nathan arrived. 23 The servants told the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” When he came to the king, he bowed down in front of him. 24 Nathan said, “Your Majesty, you must have said that Adonijah will be king after you and that he will sit on your throne, 25 because today he went and sacrificed many bulls, fattened calves, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the army’s commanders, and the priest Abiathar to his feast. They are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he didn’t invite me or the priest Zadok or Benaiah, who is Jehoiada’s son, or your servant Solomon. 27 Did you allow this to happen without telling me who would sit on your throne next?”

28 Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba in here.” So she stood in front of him, 29 and he swore an oath. He said, “I solemnly swear, as Yahweh who has saved my life from all trouble lives, 30 I will do today exactly what I swore to you by Yahweh Elohim of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.”

31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face touching the ground in front of the king. “May Your Majesty, King David, live forever!” she said.

32 King David said, “Summon the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada.” So they came to the king, 33 and he said, “Take my officials with you. Put my son Solomon on my mule, and take him to Gihon. 34 Have the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king of Israel there. Then blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Follow him back here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will be king in place of me. I have appointed him to be the leader of Israel and Judah.”

36 “So be it!” Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king. “Yahweh your Elohim says so too. 37 As Yahweh has been with you, so may he be with Solomon. May Solomon be an even greater king than you, King David.”

38 Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites put Solomon on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. 39 The priest Zadok took the container of olive oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 All the people followed him, blew flutes, and celebrated so loudly that their voices shook the ground.

Adonijah’s Plot Fails

41 Adonijah and all his guests heard this as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the horn, he asked, “What’s the reason for the noise in the city?” 42 He was still speaking when Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. “Come in,” Adonijah said. “You’re an honorable man, so you must be bringing good news.”

43 “Not at all,” Jonathan answered Adonijah. “His Majesty King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites with him. They have put him on the king’s mule. 45 The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon. They have come from there celebrating, so the city is excited. That is the sound you heard. 46 Solomon is now seated on the royal throne. 47 Furthermore, the royal officials have come to congratulate His Majesty King David, saying, ‘May your Elohim make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his reign greater than your reign.’ The king himself bowed down on his bed 48 and said, ‘Praise Yahweh Elohim of Israel who has let me see the heir to my throne.’”

49 Adonijah’s guests were frightened, so they got up and scattered in all directions. 50 Adonijah was afraid of Solomon. He got up, went to the tent of meeting, and took hold of the horns of the altar.[c] 51 Someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you, King Solomon. He is holding on to the horns of the altar and saying, ‘Make King Solomon swear to me today that he will not have me killed.’”

52 Solomon said, “If he will behave like an honorable man, not one hair on his head will fall to the ground. But if he does anything wrong, he will die.” 53 King Solomon sent men to take him from the altar. Adonijah bowed down in front of King Solomon. “Go home,” Solomon told him.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 1:5 Adonijah’s mother was Haggith; his father was David. He was David’s oldest living son.
  2. 1 Kings 1:5 “very handsome . . . Absalom.” These words are the last part of verse 6 (in Hebrew). They have been placed at the beginning of verse 5 to express the complex Hebrew sentence structure more clearly in English.
  3. 1 Kings 1:50 Holding on to the horns of the altar was an appeal for mercy.
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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