⁴¹ Right about then, Adonijah and all of his guests were just finishing their meal when they heard all the noise. “Why is the city in such an uproar?” Joab asked as he heard the trumpet sounds.

⁴² While he was still asking that question, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest arrived, so Adonijah told him, “Come on in, since you’re a worthy man and are bringing us good news!”

⁴³ “No,” Jonathan answered. “Our lord King David has installed Solomon as king. ⁴⁴ The king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Jehoiada’s son Benaiah, and the special forces^[a] and mercenaries,^[b] along with Solomon, who is riding the king’s personal mule. ⁴⁵ Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him in Gihon, and they just left from there rejoicing, and that’s why the city is all in an uproar. That’s the noise that you’ve been hearing! ⁴⁶ Solomon now sits on the royal throne. ⁴⁷ In addition to all of this, the king’s servants have come along to congratulate our lord King David. They’ve been telling David ‘May your God make Solomon’s reputation even more famous than yours, and may he make his throne greater than yours!’ The king has himself bowed in worship on his own bed^{[c] 48} and said ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has provided someone to sit on my throne today. I’ve seen it with my own eyes!’”

⁴⁹ Terrified, all of Adonijah’s guests jumped up and ran away. ⁵⁰ Afraid of Solomon, Adonijah also jumped up and headed straight for the horns of the altar.^[d]

⁵¹ “Hey look!” somebody informed Solomon. “Adonijah is terrified of King Solomon! He’s gone out, grabbed hold of the horns of the altar, and now he’s begging King Solomon, ‘Swear to me that you won’t put your servant to death with a sword!’”

⁵² “If he’s done nothing wrong, not a hair of his head will be harmed,” Solomon replied. “But if we find evil in him, he’s a dead man.”

⁵³ So King Solomon sent for him, and he was brought down from the altar. When he had arrived, he fell on his face in front of King Solomon, so Solomon told him, “Go home!”