¹⁵ Now you, therefore, together with the council, suggest to the commander that he be brought down to you ^[a]tomorrow, as though you were going to make further inquiries concerning him; but we are ready to kill him before he comes near.”

¹² Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that ^(A)he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. ¹³ For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me.

³⁴ There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet ^(A)anoint him king over Israel; and ^(B)blow the horn, and say, ^[a]‘Long live King Solomon!’

^25 (A)For he has gone down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ^(B)‘Long^[a] live King Adonijah!’

¹⁸ So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it.

⁷ Then he conferred with ^(A)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with ^(B)Abiathar the priest, and ^(C)they followed and helped Adonijah.

¹⁰ Then Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom ^(A)reigns in Hebron!’ ” ¹¹ And with Absalom went two hundred men ^(B)invited from Jerusalem, and they ^(C)went along innocently and did not know anything. ¹² Then Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, ^(D)David’s counselor, from his city—from ^(E)Giloh—while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy grew strong, for the people with Absalom ^(F)continually increased in number.