1 And king David waxed eld (And King David grew old), and had full many days of age; and when he was covered with clothes, he was (still) not made hot.

² Therefore his servants said to him, Seek we to our lord the king a young waxing virgin; and stand she before the king, and nurse she him, and sleep in his bosom, and make hot our lord the king. (And so his servants said to him, Let us seek for our lord the king a youthful virgin; and stand she before the king, and nurse she him, and sleep in his bosom, and make our lord the king warm.)

³ Therefore they sought a young waxing virgin, fair in all the coasts of Israel; and they found Abishag of Shunem, and they brought her to the king. (And so they searched for a young, beautiful virgin in all the coasts of Israel; and they found Abishag of Shunem, and they brought her to the king.)

⁴ And the damsel was full fair, and she slept with the king, and ministered to him; forsooth the king knew not her fleshly. (And the young woman was very beautiful, and she slept with the king, and ministered to him; but the king did not know her fleshly.)

⁵ And Adonijah, the son of Haggith, was raised up, and said, I shall reign. And he made to him a chariot, and knights, and fifty men, that ran before him (And he got himself a chariot, and horsemen/and horses, and fifty men who ran before him).

⁶ Neither David, his father, reproved him any time, nor said, Why hast thou done this? But also he was full fair, the second child after Absalom; (And David, his father, did not rebuke him at any time, nor said to him, Why hast thou done this? And he was very handsome, and the second child after Absalom;)

⁷ and his word was with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, priest, that helped the parts of Adonijah. (and he talked with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, the priest, and they supported Adonijah.)

⁸ But Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei, and (the) Cherethites and Pelethites, and all the strength of the host of David, were not with Adonijah. (But Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and all the strong men who were David’s bodyguards, were not with Adonijah.)

⁹ Therefore when rams were offered, and calves, and all fat things, beside the stone [of] Zoheleth, that was nigh the well of Rogel (And when rams, and calves, and all the fat things, were offered beside the stone of Zoheleth, that was near Enrogel), Adonijah called all his brethren, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, (the) servants of the king.

¹⁰ Soothly he called not Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, and all the strong men, and Solomon, his brother.

¹¹ And so Nathan said to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, Whether thou hast heard, that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, hath reigned, and our lord David knoweth not this? (And so Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, Hast thou heard, that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, hath made himself king, and our lord David knoweth it not?)

¹² Now therefore come thou, take thou counsel of me, and save thy life, and (the life) of Solomon, thy son.

¹³ Go thou, and enter to king David, and say thou to him, Whether not thou, my lord the king, hast sworn to me, thine handmaid, and saidest, that Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit in my throne? (and he shall sit on my throne?) Why therefore reigneth Adonijah?

¹⁴ And yet while thou shalt speak there with the king, I shall come after thee, and fulfill thy words (and confirm thy words).

¹⁵ Therefore Bathsheba entered to the king in the closet/in the bed place; and the king was full eld, and Abishag of Shunem ministered to him.

¹⁶ And Bathsheba bowed herself, and worshipped the king; to whom the king said, What wilt thou to thee? (And Bathsheba bowed herself down, and honoured the king; to whom the king said, What wilt thou that I do for thee?)

¹⁷ And she answered, and said, My lord the king, thou hast sworn to thine handmaid by thy Lord God, (and said,) Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit in my throne (and he shall sit on my throne);

¹⁸ and lo! Adonijah hath reigned now (and lo! Adonijah hath made himself king now), while thou, my lord the king, knowest (it) not;

¹⁹ (and) he hath slain oxen, and all fat things, and full many rams; and he hath called all the sons of the king, also Abiathar [the] priest, and Joab, the prince of the chivalry (the leader of the cavalry, or of the army); but he called not Solomon, thy servant.

²⁰ Nevertheless, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel behold into thee, that thou show to them, who oughteth to sit in thy throne, my lord the king, after thee; (Now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel look to thee, for thou to tell them, who ought to sit on thy throne, my lord the king, after thee;)

²¹ and it shall be, (that) when my lord the king hath slept with his fathers, I and my son Solomon shall be (reckoned as) sinners, that is, Adonijah shall put on us crimes, to deprive us from life. (or else it shall be, that when my lord the king sleepeth with his forefathers, that is, when he dieth, I and my son Solomon shall be reckoned as sinners, that is, Adonijah shall put crimes upon us to deprive us of life.)

²² While she spake yet with the king, Nathan, the prophet, came. (Yet while she spoke with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.)

²³ And they told to the king, and said, Nathan, the prophet, is present. And when he had entered in the sight of the king, and had worshipped him lowly to the earth (and had bowed low to the ground before him),

²⁴ Nathan said, My lord the king, saidest thou, Adonijah reign after me, and sit he on my throne? (Nathan said, My lord the king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?)

²⁵ For he came down today, and offered oxen, and fat things, and full many wethers; and he called all the sons of the king, [and the prince(s) of the host,] and also Abiathar, [the] priest; and when they ate, and drank before him, and said, King Adonijah live (and when they ate, and drank before him, they said, Long live King Adonijah!);

²⁶ (but) he called not me, thy servant, and Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Solomon, thy son.

²⁷ Whether this word went out from my lord the king, and thou showedest not to me, thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? (Did this word go out from my lord the king, but thou hast not told me, thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?)

²⁸ And king David answered, and said, Call ye Bathsheba to me. And when she had entered before the king, and had stood before him,

²⁹ the king swore, and said, The Lord liveth, that hath delivered my life from all anguish; (the king swore, and said, As the Lord liveth, who hath delivered my life from all anguish;)

³⁰ for as I swore to thee by the Lord God of Israel, and said, Solomon, thy son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne for me, so I shall do today (so I shall make this happen today).

³¹ And Bathsheba, with her cheer bowed down into the earth, worshipped the king, and said, My lord king David live without end. (And Bathsheba, with her face bowed down to the ground, honoured the king, and said, My lord King David, may thou live forever!)

³² And king David said, Call ye Zadok, the priest, to me, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. And when they had entered before the king,

³³ the king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and put ye my son Solomon upon my mule, and lead ye him into Gihon.

³⁴ And [there] Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him into king upon Israel and Judah; and ye shall sing with a trump, and ye shall say, Live king Solomon! (And there Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him king upon Israel; and ye shall sing with a trumpet, and ye shall say, Long live King Solomon!)

³⁵ (Then) Ye shall go up after him, and ye shall come to Jerusalem; and he shall sit upon my throne, and he shall reign for me; and I shall command to him, that he be duke on Israel and on Judah (and I shall command to him, to be the ruler of Israel and of Judah).

³⁶ And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answered to the king, and said, Amen; so speak the Lord God of my lord the king (and may the Lord God of my lord the king also say thus.)

³⁷ As the Lord was with my lord the king, so be he with Solomon, and make he the throne of Solomon higher than the throne of my lord king David.

³⁸ Then Zadok, the priest, went down, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and (the) Cherethites, and Pelethites; and they putted Solomon upon the mule of David, the king, and they brought him into Gihon. (Then Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and Pelethites, went down; and they put Solomon on King David’s mule, and they brought him to Gihon.)

³⁹ And Zadok, the priest, took an horn of oil (out) of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon; and they sang with a clarion (and they sang with a trumpet); and all the people said, (Long) Live king Solomon!

⁴⁰ And all the multitude went up after him, and the people of men singing with pipes, and being glad with great joy; and the earth sounded of the cry of them (and the earth sounded with their cry).

⁴¹ And Adonijah heard, and all that were called of him to the feast; and then the feast was ended. But also Joab said, when the voice of the trump was heard, What will it to itself the cry of the city making (such a) noise? (And Adonijah, and all who were called by him to the feast, heard the noise, as the feast was ending. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, What is the meaning of all this noise in the city?)

⁴² Yet while he spake, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, the priest, came; to whom Adonijah said, Enter thou, for thou art a strong man, and telling good things.

⁴³ And Jonathan answered to Adonijah, Nay; for our lord king David hath ordained Solomon (as) king;

⁴⁴ and David hath sent with Solomon Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and (the) Cherethites, and Pelethites; and they have put Solomon upon the mule of the king.

⁴⁵ And Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, have anointed him (as) king in Gihon; and they came down from thence being glad, and the city (re)sounded; this is the voice that ye heard (that is the noise that ye heard).

⁴⁶ But also Solomon sitteth on the throne of (the) realm; (And so now Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom;)

⁴⁷ and the servants of the king have entered, and have blessed our lord king David, and said, God make large the name of Solomon above thy name, and make great his throne above thy throne. And king David worshipped in his bed; (and the king’s servants have entered, and have blessed our lord King David, and said, God make the name of Solomon greater than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And King David hath bowed himself in worship on his bed;)

⁴⁸ and furthermore he spake these things, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that hath given today a sitter in my throne, while mine eyes see. (and furthermore he spoke these things, and said, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who today hath given such a man to sit on my throne, while I have lived to see it.)

⁴⁹ Therefore all that were called of Adonijah to the feast, were afeared, and rose up, and each man went into his way. (And so all who were called by Adonijah to the feast were afraid, and they rose up, and each man went on his way.)

⁵⁰ And Adonijah dreaded Solomon, and rose up, and went into the tabernacle of the Lord, and he held the horn, or corner, of the altar. (And Adonijah feared Solomon, and he rose up, and went into the Tabernacle, or the Tent, of the Lord, and he held onto the horns, or the corners, of the altar.)

⁵¹ And they told to Solomon, and said, Lo! Adonijah dreadeth the king Solomon, and he holdeth the horn, or corner, of the altar (and he holdeth onto the horns, or the corners, of the altar), and said, (Let) King Solomon swear to me today, that he shall not slay his servant with (the) sword.

⁵² And Solomon said, If he is a good man, soothly not an hair of him shall fall into the earth (If he is a good man, truly not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground); but if evil be found in him, he shall die.

⁵³ Therefore king Solomon sent, and led out Adonijah from the altar; and he entered, and worshipped king Solomon (and he entered, and bowed low before King Solomon); and Solomon said to him, Go into thine house.