1 Kings 1:28-40
New English Translation
David Picks Solomon as His Successor
28 King David responded,[a] “Summon Bathsheba!”[b] She came and stood before the king.[c] 29 The king swore an oath: “As certainly as the Lord lives (he who has rescued me[d] from every danger), 30 I will keep[e] today the oath I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: ‘Surely Solomon your son will be king after me; he will sit in my place on my throne.’” 31 Bathsheba bowed down to the king with her face to the floor[f] and said, “May my master, King David, live forever!”
32 King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet,[g] and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king, 33 and he[h] told them, “Take your master’s[i] servants with you, put my son Solomon on my mule, and lead him down to Gihon.[j] 34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint[k] him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then follow him up as he comes and sits on my throne. He will be king in my place; I have decreed[l] that he will be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada responded[m] to the king: “So be it![n] May the Lord God of my master the king confirm it![o] 37 As the Lord is with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and may he make him an even greater king than my master King David!”[p]
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites[q] went down, put Solomon on King David’s mule, and led him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took a horn filled with olive oil[r] from the tent and poured it on[s] Solomon; the trumpet was blown and all the people declared, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 All the people followed him up, playing flutes and celebrating so loudly they made the ground shake.[t]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Kings 1:28 tn Heb “answered and said.”
- 1 Kings 1:28 sn Summon Bathsheba. Bathsheba must have left the room when Nathan arrived (see 1:22).
- 1 Kings 1:28 tn Heb “she came before the king and stood before the king.”
- 1 Kings 1:29 tn Or “ransomed my life.”
- 1 Kings 1:30 tn Or “carry out, perform.”
- 1 Kings 1:31 tn Heb “bowed low, face [to] the ground, and bowed down to the king.”
- 1 Kings 1:32 sn Summon…Nathan. Nathan must have left the room when Bathsheba reentered.
- 1 Kings 1:33 tn Heb “the king.”
- 1 Kings 1:33 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
- 1 Kings 1:33 tn Heb “mount Solomon my son on the mule that belongs to me and take him down to Gihon.”
- 1 Kings 1:34 tn Or “designate” (i.e., by anointing with oil).
- 1 Kings 1:35 tn Or “commanded.”
- 1 Kings 1:36 tn Heb “answered and said.”
- 1 Kings 1:36 tn Or “Amen.”
- 1 Kings 1:36 tn Heb “So may the Lord God of my master the king say.”
- 1 Kings 1:37 tn Heb “and may he make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David.”
- 1 Kings 1:38 sn The Kerethites and Pelethites were members of David’s royal guard (see 2 Sam 8:18). The Kerethites may have been descendants of an ethnic group originating in Crete.
- 1 Kings 1:39 tn Heb “the horn of oil.” This has been specified as olive oil in the translation for clarity.sn A horn filled with oil. An animal’s horn was used as an oil flask in the anointing ceremony.
- 1 Kings 1:39 tn Or “anointed.”
- 1 Kings 1:40 tn Heb “and all the people went up after him, and the people were playing flutes and rejoicing with great joy and the ground split open at the sound of them.” The verb בָּקַע (baqaʿ, “to split open”), which elsewhere describes the effects of an earthquake, is obviously here an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis.
1 Kings 1:28-40
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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,(A) 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.”(B) 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!”(C)
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.(D) 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!’(E) 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.”(F)
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.(G) 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!”(H) 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.
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