Now King David was ¹old, advanced in years; they covered him with clothes, but he could not get warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be found for my lord the king and let her attend him and become his nurse; let her lie against your chest, so that my lord the king may feel warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the ^1aShunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king ¹was not intimate with her.

5 Then ^aAdonijah the son of David’s wife Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I the eldest living son will be king.” So following Absalom’s example ^bhe prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 2+@Sam 15:1 6 His father David had ¹never rebuked him at any time by asking, “Why have you done this?” Adonijah was also a very handsome man, and ^ahe was born after Absalom. 7 He had conferred with ^1aJoab the son of Zeruiah David’s half-sister and with ^bAbiathar the priest; and they followed ^cAdonijah and helped him. 8 But ^aZadok the priest, ^bBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, ^cNathan the prophet, ^dShimei, Rei, and David’s ^1emost formidable warriors did not side with Adonijah in his desire to become king.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened steers by the Stone of Zoheleth, which is beside the well ^aEn-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants to this feast. 2+@Sam 15:7-12 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the most formidable warriors, or his brother ^aSolomon.

11 Then Nathan spoke to ^aBathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know about it? 12 Come now, please let me ^aadvise you and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 2+@Sam 12:24, 25 13 Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “^aSolomon your son shall certainly be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his bedroom. Now ^athe king was very old and weak, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending the king. 16 So Bathsheba bowed down and paid respect to the king. And the king said, “¹What do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘^aSolomon your son shall certainly be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, behold, Adonijah is acting as king; and now as things stand, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 ^aHe has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army to a feast, but he did not invite your servant Solomon. 20 Now as for you, my lord the king, the eyes of all ¹Israel are on you waiting for you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come about ^awhen my lord the king lies down in death with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered ¹political enemies.”

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 The king was told, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 ^aBecause he has gone down today to En-Rogel and has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest to this feast; and right now they are eating and drinking in his presence; and they say, ‘^bLong live King Adonijah!’ 26 ^aBut he has not invited me, your servant, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27 If this thing has been done by my lord the king, why have you not shown your servants who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before him. 29 Then the king swore an oath and said, “^aAs the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul from all distress, 30 even as ^aI swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall certainly be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will indeed do so this very day.” 31 Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, and laid herself face down before the king and said, “^aMay my lord King David live forever!”

32 Then King David said, “Call ^aZadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to me.” And they came before the king. 33 The king told them, “Take ^athe ¹servants of your lord with you and have Solomon my son ²ride on my own mule, and bring him down to ^bthe spring at ³Gihon in the Kidron Valley. 34 Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet ^aanoint him there as king over Israel. Then ^bblow the trumpet and say, ‘^cLong live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall come up to Jerusalem after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and he shall reign as king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah the overseer of the king’s bodyguards, the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! (So be it!) May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so too. 37 ^1aJust as the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and ^bmake his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

38 So ^aZadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, ^bthe Cherethites, and the Pelethites the king’s bodyguards went down from Jerusalem and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to ^cthe spring at Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest ^atook a horn of olive oil from the sacred tent and ^banointed Solomon. They ^cblew the trumpet, and all the people said, “^dLong live King Solomon!” 40 All the people went up after him, and they were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook and seemed to burst open with their joyful sound.

41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the trumpet sound, he said, “¹Why is the city in such an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, ^aJonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for ^byou are a valiant and trustworthy man and you bring good news.” 2+@Sam 17:17-21 43 But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “No, on the contrary, our lord King David has made Solomon king! 44 The king has sent him with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have had him ride on the king’s own royal mule. 45 Also, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there celebrating, ^aso the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard. 46 ^aBesides, Solomon has taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless (congratulate) our lord King David, saying, ‘May ^1ayour God make the name of Solomon better (more famous) than your name and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And ^bthe king bowed himself before God upon the bed. 48 The king has also said this: ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who ^ahas granted one of my descendants to sit on my throne today and allowed my eyes to see it.’”

49 Then all Adonijah’s guests were terrified of being branded as traitors and stood up and left the feast, and each one went on his way. 50 And Adonijah feared Solomon, and he got up and went to the tabernacle on Mt. Zion and ^atook hold of the horns of the altar seeking asylum. 51 Now Solomon was told, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, he has grasped the horns of the altar seeking God’s protection, saying, ‘King Solomon must swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’” 52 Solomon said, “If he proves he is a worthy man, ^anot even one of his hairs shall fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53 So King Solomon sent soldiers, and they brought Adonijah down from the altar that was in front of the tabernacle. And he came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her stand before the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the ^aShunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 Now the young woman was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and attended him, but the king did not ¹know her.

5 Now ^aAdonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So ^bhe prepared for himself a chariot and horsemen and fifty men as runners before him. 6 But his father had never ¹grieved him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man in form, and ^2ahe was born after Absalom. 7 ¹And he had conferred with ^aJoab the son of Zeruiah and with ^bAbiathar the priest; and following ^cAdonijah, they helped him. 8 But ^aZadok the priest, ^bBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, ^cNathan the prophet, ^dShimei, Rei, and ^ethe mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the ¹stone of Zoheleth, which is beside ^aEn-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and ^aSolomon his brother.

11 Then Nathan spoke to ^aBathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 So now come, please let me ^agive you counsel and provide escape for your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go ¹at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “^aSurely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and fully confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now ^athe king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself ¹before the king. And the king said, “What ²do you wish?” 17 And she said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by ¹Yahweh your God, saying, ‘^aSurely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 ^aAnd he has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will be, ^aas soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered ¹offenders.”

22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 Then they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And then he came in before the king and prostrated himself ¹before the king with his ²face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 ^aFor he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘^bLong live King Adonijah!’ 26 ^aBut me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 27 Has this thing happened by my lord the king, and you have not made known to your ¹servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore and said, “^aAs Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as ^aI swore to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will surely do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her ¹face to the ground, and prostrated herself ²before the king and said, “^aMay my lord King David live forever.”

32 Then King David said, “Call to me ^aZadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’s presence. 33 And the king said to them, “Take with you ^athe servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to ^bGihon. 34 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet shall ^aanoint him there as king over Israel and ^bblow the trumpet and say, ‘^cLong live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne. And he shall be king in my place; for I have commanded him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may Yahweh, the God of my lord the king, say. 37 ^aAs Yahweh has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and ^bmake his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”

38 So ^aZadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, ^bthe Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to ^cGihon. 39 Zadok the priest then ^atook the horn of oil from the tent and ^banointed Solomon. Then they ^cblew the trumpet, and all the people said, “^dLong live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, and the people ¹were playing on flutes and were glad with great gladness, so that the earth ²shook at their sound.

41 And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. Then Joab heard the sound of the trumpet and said, “Why is the sound of the city such an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, ^aJonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, “Come in, for ^byou are a valiant man and bring good news.” 43 But Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there with gladness, ^aso that the city is in an uproar. This is the sound which you have heard. 46 And also, ^aSolomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And also, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May ^ayour God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!’ And ^bthe king bowed himself on the bed. 48 And also, the king said thus, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who ^ahas granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’”

49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled; and they arose and each went on his way. 50 And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went, and ^atook hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Then it was told to Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” 52 And Solomon said, “If he is a worthy man, ^anot one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself ¹before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”