⁴¹ Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the trumpet sound, he said, “^[a]Why is the city in such an uproar?” ⁴² While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a valiant and trustworthy man and you bring good news.”^{(A) 43} But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “No, on the contrary, our lord King David has made Solomon king! ⁴⁴ The king has sent him with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have had him ride on the king’s [own royal] mule. ⁴⁵ Also, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there celebrating, so the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard. ⁴⁶ Besides, Solomon has taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷ Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless (congratulate) our lord King David, saying, ‘May ^[b]your God make the name of Solomon better (more famous) than your name and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself [before God] upon the bed. ⁴⁸ The king has also said this: ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted one [of my descendants] to sit on my throne today and allowed my eyes to see it.’”

⁴⁹ Then all Adonijah’s guests were terrified [of being branded as traitors] and stood up and left the feast, and each one went on his way. ⁵⁰ And Adonijah feared Solomon, and he got up and went [to the tabernacle on Mt. Zion] and took hold of the horns of the altar [seeking asylum]. ⁵¹ Now Solomon was told, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, he has grasped the horns of the altar [seeking God’s protection], saying, ‘King Solomon must swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’” ⁵² Solomon said, “If he [proves he] is a worthy man, not even one of his hairs shall fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” ⁵³ So King Solomon sent [soldiers], and they brought Adonijah down from the altar [that was in front of the tabernacle]. And he came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”