Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

⁵ Now ^(A)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” ^(B)And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶ His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, ^(C)and he was born next after Absalom. ⁷ He conferred with ^(D)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with ^(E)Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. ⁸ But ^(F)Zadok the priest and ^(G)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and ^(H)Nathan the prophet and ^(I)Shimei and Rei and ^(J)David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.

⁹ Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside ^(K)En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, ¹⁰ but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or ^(L)Solomon his brother.