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]
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- 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
Christian Standard Bible
Solomon Confirmed King
28 King David responded by saying, “Call in Bathsheba for me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29 The king swore an oath and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every difficulty,(A) 30 just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne in my place,(B) that is exactly what I will do this very day.”(C)
31 Bathsheba knelt low with her face to the ground, paying homage to the king,(D) and said, “May my lord King David live forever!” (E)
32 King David then said, “Call in the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me.”(F) So they came into the king’s presence. 33 The king said to them, “Take my servants(G) with you, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule,(H) and take him down to Gihon.(I) 34 There, the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan are to anoint him as king over Israel.(J) You are to blow the ram’s horn(K) and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ (L) 35 You are to come up after him, and he is to come in and sit on my throne. He is the one who is to become king in my place; he is the one I have commanded to be ruler(M) over Israel and Judah.”(N)
36 “Amen,” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied to the king. “May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, so affirm it.(O) 37 Just as the Lord was with my lord the king,(P) so may he[a] be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”(Q)
38 Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites(R) went down, had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. 39 The priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon.(S) Then they blew the ram’s horn,(T) and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!” (U) 40 All the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy(V) that the earth split open from the sound.[b]
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