Adonijah Hears of Solomon’s Coronation

⁴¹ Adonijah and all the invited guests who were with him^(A) heard the noise as they finished eating. Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn and said, “Why is the town in such an uproar?”^{(B) 42} He was still speaking when Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest,^(C) suddenly arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are an excellent man, and you must be bringing good news.”^(D)

⁴³ “Unfortunately not,” Jonathan answered him. “Our lord King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴ And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have had him ride on the king’s mule. ⁴⁵ Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon.^(E) They have gone from there rejoicing. The town has been in an uproar; that’s the noise you heard. ⁴⁶ Solomon has even taken his seat on the royal throne.^(F)

⁴⁷ “The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’^(G) Then the king bowed in worship on his bed.^{(H) 48} And the king went on to say this: ‘May the Lord God of Israel be praised! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne,^(I) and I am a witness.’”^[a]

⁴⁹ Then all of Adonijah’s guests got up trembling and went their separate ways. ⁵⁰ Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.^(J)

⁵¹ It was reported to Solomon: “Look, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon first^[b] swear to me that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”

⁵² Then Solomon said, “If he is a man of character, not a single hair of his will fall to the ground,^(K) but if evil is found in him, he dies.”^{(L) 53} So King Solomon sent for him, and they took him down from the altar. He came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your home.”