Beginning
Adonijah Tries to Become King
1 At this time King David was very old. His servants covered him with blankets, but he could not keep warm. 2 So they said to him, “We will find a young woman to care for you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm.” 3 So the king’s servants looked everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman. They found a girl named Abishag from the Shunammite people. They brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful. She cared for the king and served him. But King David did not have physical relations with her.
5-6 Adonijah was King David and Haggith’s son. He was born next after Absalom. He was a very handsome man. He said, “I will be the king.” So he got chariots and horses for himself. And he got 50 men to run ahead of him. Now David had never interfered with him by questioning what he did.
7 Adonijah talked with Joab son of Zeruiah. He also talked with Abiathar the priest. They told him they would help him. 8 But several men did not join Adonijah. These men were Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei and King David’s special guard.
9 Then Adonijah killed some sheep, cows and fat calves for sacrifices. He made these sacrifices at the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring, En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the other sons of King David, to come. He invited all the rulers and leaders of Judah also. 10 But Adonijah did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, his father’s special guard or his brother Solomon.
11 When Nathan heard about this, he went to Bathsheba. She was the mother of Solomon. Nathan asked her, “Have you heard what Adonijah, Haggith’s son, is doing? He has made himself king. And our real king, David, does not know it. 12 Your life and the life of your son Solomon may be in danger. But I will tell you how to save yourselves. 13 Go to King David and say to him, ‘My master and king, you made a promise to me. You promised that my son Solomon would be the king after you. You said he would rule on your throne. So why has Adonijah become king?’ 14 While you are still talking to him, I will come in. I will tell the king that what you have said about Adonijah is true.”
15 So Bathsheba went in to see the king in his bedroom. He was now very old. Abishag, the girl from Shunam, was caring for him there. 16 Bathsheba bowed down before the king.
He asked, “What do you want?”
17 She answered, “My master, you made a promise to me in the name of the Lord your God. You said, ‘Your son Solomon will become king after me. He will rule on my throne.’ 18 But now Adonijah has become king. And you did not know it. 19 Adonijah has killed many cows, fat calves and sheep for sacrifices. And he has invited all your sons. He also has invited Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of your army. But he did not invite Solomon, your son who serves you. 20 My master and king, all the people of Israel are watching you. They are waiting for you to decide who will be king after you. 21 As soon as you die, Solomon and I will be treated as criminals.”
22 While Bathsheba was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 The servants told the king, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So Nathan went to the king and bowed facedown on the ground before him.
24 Then Nathan said, “My master and king, have you said that Adonijah will be the king after you? Have you decided he will rule on your throne after you? 25 Today he has sacrificed many cows, fat calves and sheep. And he has invited all your other sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him. They are saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 But he did not invite me, Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada or your son Solomon. 27 Did you do this? We are your servants. Why didn’t you tell us whom you chose to be the king after you?”
David Makes Solomon King
28 Then King David said, “Tell Bathsheba to come in!” So she came in and stood before the king.
29 Then the king said, “The Lord has saved me from all trouble. As surely as he lives, I make this promise to you. 30 Today I will do what I promised you in the past. I made that promise in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. I promised that your son Solomon would be king after me. I promised he would rule on my throne after me.”
31 Then Bathsheba bowed facedown on the ground before the king. She said, “Long live my master King David!”
32 Then King David said, “Tell Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada to come in here.” So they came before the king. 33 Then the king said to them, “Take my servants with you and put my son Solomon on my own mule. Take him down to the spring called Gihon. 34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet should pour olive oil on him and make him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then come back here with him. He will sit on my throne and rule in my place. I have chosen him to be the ruler over Israel and Judah.”
36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, “This is good! And may your God make it happen. 37 The Lord has always helped you, our king. Let the Lord also help Solomon. And let King Solomon be an even greater king than you.”
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada went down. The Kerethites and Pelethites, the king’s bodyguards, went with them. They put Solomon on King David’s mule and went with him to the spring called Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took with him the container of olive oil from the Holy Tent. He poured the olive oil on Solomon’s head to show he was the king. Then they blew the trumpet. And all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 All the people followed Solomon into the city. They were playing flutes and shouting for joy. They made so much noise the ground shook.
41 At this time Adonijah and all the guests with him were finishing their meal. They heard the sound from the trumpet. Joab asked, “What does all that noise from the city mean?”
42 While Joab was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in! You are an important man. So you must be bringing good news.”
43 But Jonathan answered, “No! Our master King David has made Solomon the new king. 44 King David sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada and all the king’s bodyguards with him. They put Solomon on the king’s own mule. 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet poured olive oil on Solomon at Gihon to make him king. Then they went into the city, shouting with joy. Now the whole city is excited. That is the noise you hear. 46 Solomon has now become the king. 47 All the king’s officers have come to tell King David that he has done a good thing. They are saying, ‘May your God make Solomon even more famous than you. And may your God make Solomon an even greater king than you.’” Jonathan continued, “And King David bowed down on his bed to worship God. 48 He said, ‘Praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Today he has made one of my sons the king and allowed me to see it.’”
49 Then all of Adonijah’s guests were afraid, and they left quickly. 50 Adonijah was also afraid of Solomon. So he went and took hold of the corners of the altar.[a] 51 Then someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you. He is at the altar, holding on to its corners. He says, ‘Tell King Solomon to promise me today that he will not kill me.’”
52 So Solomon answered, “Adonijah must show that he is a man of honor. If he does, I promise that he will not lose even a hair from his head. But if he does anything wrong, he will die.” 53 Then King Solomon sent some men to get Adonijah. They brought him to King Solomon. So Adonijah came before King Solomon and bowed down. Then Solomon said, “Go home.”
The Death of David
2 It was almost time for David to die. So he talked to Solomon and gave him his last commands. 2 David said, “My time to die is near. Be a good and strong leader. 3 Obey everything that the Lord commands. Follow the commands he has given us. Obey all his laws, and do what he told us. Obey what is written in the teachings of Moses. If you do these things, you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. 4 And if you obey the Lord, he will keep the promise he made to me. He promised: ‘Your descendants must live as I tell them. They must have complete faith in me. If they do this, then a man from your family will always be king over the people of Israel.’
5 “Also, you remember what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me. He killed the two commanders of Israel’s armies. He killed Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them as if he and they were at war. But this was in a time of peace. He killed innocent men. And their blood got on his belt and sandals. 6 You should punish him in the way you think is wisest. (But do not let him die peacefully of old age.)
7 “Be kind to the children of Barzillai of Gilead. Allow them to eat at your table. They helped me when I ran away from your brother Absalom.
8 “And remember, Shimei son of Gera is here with you. He is from the people of Benjamin in Bahurim. Remember he cursed me the day I went to Mahanaim. Then he came down to meet me at the Jordan River. I promised him before the Lord, ‘Shimei, I will not kill you.’ 9 But you should not leave him unpunished. You are a wise man. You will know what to do to him. But you must be sure he is killed.”
10 Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem. 11 He had ruled over Israel 40 years. Seven years were in Hebron, and 33 years were in Jerusalem.
Solomon Takes Control as King
12 Now Solomon became king after David, his father. And he was in control of his kingdom.
13 At this time Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked, “Do you come in peace?”
Adonijah answered, “Yes. This is a peaceful visit. 14 I have something to say to you.”
“You may speak,” she said.
15 Adonijah said, “You remember that at one time the kingdom was mine. All the people of Israel thought I was their king. But things changed. Now my brother is the king because the Lord chose him. 16 So now I have one thing to ask you. Please do not refuse me.”
Bathsheba answered, “What do you want?”
17 Adonijah said, “I know King Solomon will do anything you ask him. So please ask him to give me Abishag the Shunammite woman to be my wife.”
18 “Very well,” she answered. “I will speak to the king for you.”
19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk to him for Adonijah. When Solomon saw her, he stood up to meet her. Then he bowed down to her and sat on the throne. He told some servants to bring another throne for his mother. Then she sat down at his right side.
20 Bathsheba said to him, “I have one small thing to ask you. Please do not refuse me.”
The king answered, “Ask, mother. I will not refuse you.”
21 So she said, “Allow Abishag the Shunammite woman to marry your brother Adonijah.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask me to give him Abishag? Why don’t you ask for him to become the king also since he is my older brother? Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah will support him!”
23 Then King Solomon made a promise in the name of the Lord. He said, “I promise Adonijah will pay for asking me this! May God punish me terribly if it doesn’t cost Adonijah his life! 24 The Lord has given me the throne that belonged to my father David. The Lord has kept his promise and given the kingdom to me and my people. As surely as the Lord lives, Adonijah will die today!” 25 So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada. And he went out and killed Adonijah.
26 Then King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, “I should kill you. But I will allow you to go back to your home in Anathoth. I will not kill you now because you helped to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord God while marching with my father David. And I know you shared in all of the hard times with my father.” 27 So Solomon removed Abiathar from being a priest to the Lord. This happened as the Lord had said it would. He had said this about the priest Eli and his family in Shiloh.
28 When Joab heard about this, he was afraid. He had supported Adonijah, but not Absalom. So Joab ran to the Tent of the Lord and took hold of the corners of the altar.[b] 29 Someone told King Solomon that Joab had run to the Tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. So Solomon ordered Benaiah to go and kill him.
30 Benaiah went into the Tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”
But Joab answered, “No, I will die here.”
So Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said. 31 Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says! Kill him there and bury him. Then my family and I will be free of the guilt of Joab. Joab is guilty of killing innocent people. 32 He killed two men who were much better than he was. They were Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. Abner was the commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa was the commander of Judah’s army. My father David did not know that he killed them. So the Lord will pay him back for those men he killed. 33 He and his family will be forever guilty for their deaths. But there will be peace from God for David, his descendants, his family and his rule forever.”
34 So Benaiah son of Jehoiada killed Joab. And he was buried near his home in the desert. 35 Solomon then made Benaiah son of Jehoiada commander of the army in Joab’s place. Solomon also made Zadok the new high priest in Abiathar’s place.
36 Next the king sent for Shimei. The king said to him, “Build a house for yourself here in Jerusalem. Live in the house, and don’t leave the city. 37 If you leave and go past Kidron Valley, someone will kill you. And it will be your own fault.”
38 So Shimei answered the king, “What you have said is good. I will obey you, my master and king.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem for a long time.
39 But three years later two of Shimei’s slaves ran away. They went to Achish king of Gath. He was the son of Maacah. Shimei heard that his slaves were in Gath. 40 So he put his saddle on his donkey and left. He went to Achish at Gath to find his slaves. When he found them there, he brought them back to his home.
41 Someone told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned. 42 So Solomon sent for Shimei. Solomon said, “I made you promise in the name of the Lord not to leave Jerusalem. I warned you that if you went anywhere else you would die. And you agreed to what I said. You said you would obey me. 43 Why did you break your promise to the Lord? Why did you not obey my command? 44 You know the many wrong things you did against my father David. Now the Lord will punish you for those wrongs. 45 But the Lord will bless me. He will make the rule of David safe before the Lord forever.”
46 Then the king ordered Benaiah to kill Shimei, and he did. Now Solomon was in full control of his kingdom.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.