¹King David had grown old, and although he was covered with blankets, he couldn’t get warm. ²His officials told him, “Your Majesty, let us search for a young woman who has never been married. She can stay with you and be your servant. She can lie in your arms and keep you warm.”

³So they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. They found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. ⁴The woman was very beautiful. She became the king’s servant and took care of him, but the king did not make love to her.

Adonijah Plots to Become King

⁵Adonijah, son of Haggith,^awas very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after she had Absalom.^bAdonijah was boasting that he was king. So he got a chariot and horses and 50 men to run ahead of him. ⁶His father had never confronted him by asking why he was doing this. ⁷But Adonijah had discussed his actions with Joab (son of Zeruiah) and with the priest Abiathar, so they supported him. ⁸But the priest Zadok, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David’s ⸤thirty⸥ fighting men did not join Adonijah.

⁹Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves at Zoheleth Rock near En Rogel. He had invited all his brothers, the king’s ⸤other⸥ sons, all the men of Judah, and the king’s officials. ¹⁰But he didn’t invite the prophet Nathan, Benaiah, the fighting men, or his brother Solomon.

The Prophet Nathan Helps Solomon Become King

¹¹Then Nathan asked Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah, Haggith’s son, has become king, and our master David doesn’t ⸤even⸥ know about it? ¹²Bathsheba, let me give you some advice about how to save your life and your son’s life. ¹³Go to King David and ask him, ‘Your Majesty, didn’t you swear to me that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Why is Adonijah acting as king?’ ¹⁴And while you’re still there talking to the king, I’ll come in and confirm what you have said.”

¹⁵Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was taking care of him. ¹⁶Bathsheba knelt and bowed down in front of the king. “What do you want?” the king asked.

¹⁷“Sir,” she answered, “You took an oath to the Lord your God. You said that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne. ¹⁸But now, you see, Adonijah has become king, and you don’t ⸤even⸥ know anything about it, Your Majesty. ¹⁹He has sacrificed many fattened calves, bulls, and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army ⸤to his feast⸥. But he hasn’t invited your servant Solomon. ²⁰All Israel is looking to you, Your Majesty, to tell them who should succeed you on your throne. ²¹Otherwise, my son Solomon and I will be treated like criminals when you lie down in death with your ancestors.”

²²While she was still talking to the king, the prophet Nathan arrived. ²³The servants told the king, “The prophet Nathan is here.” When he came to the king, he bowed down in front of him. ²⁴Nathan said, “Your Majesty, you must have said that Adonijah will be king after you and that he will sit on your throne, ²⁵because today he went and sacrificed many bulls, fattened calves, and sheep. He invited all the king’s sons, the army’s commanders, and the priest Abiathar ⸤to his feast⸥. They are eating and drinking with him and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶But he didn’t invite me or the priest Zadok or Benaiah, who is Jehoiada’s son, or your servant Solomon. ²⁷Did you allow this to happen without telling me who would sit on your throne next?”

²⁸Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba in here.” So she stood in front of him, ²⁹and he swore an oath. He said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord who has saved my life from all trouble lives, ³⁰I will do today exactly what I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.”

³¹Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face touching the ground in front of the king. “May Your Majesty, King David, live forever!” she said.

³²King David said, “Summon the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada.” So they came to the king, ³³and he said, “Take my officials with you. Put my son Solomon on my mule, and take him to Gihon. ³⁴Have the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king of Israel there. Then blow the ram’s horn and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ³⁵Follow him ⸤back⸥ here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will be king in place of me. I have appointed him to be the leader of Israel and Judah.”

³⁶“So be it!” Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king. “The Lord your God says so too. ³⁷As the Lord has been with you, so may he be with Solomon. May Solomon be an even greater king than you, King David.”

³⁸Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites put Solomon on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. ³⁹The priest Zadok took the container of olive oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram’s horn, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” ⁴⁰All the people followed him, blew flutes, and celebrated so loudly that their voices shook the ground.

Adonijah’s Plot Fails

⁴¹Adonijah and all his guests heard this as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the horn, he asked, “What’s the reason for the noise in the city?” ⁴²He was still speaking when Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. “Come in,” Adonijah said. “You’re an honorable man, so you must be bringing good news.”

⁴³“Not at all,” Jonathan answered Adonijah. “His Majesty King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴The king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites with him. They have put him on the king’s mule. ⁴⁵The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon. They have come from there celebrating, so the city is excited. That is the sound you heard. ⁴⁶Solomon is now seated on the royal throne. ⁴⁷Furthermore, the royal officials have come ⸤to congratulate⸥ His Majesty King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his reign greater than your reign.’ The king himself bowed down on his bed ⁴⁸and said, ‘Praise the Lord God of Israel who has let me see the heir to my throne.’ ”

⁴⁹Adonijah’s guests were frightened, so they got up and scattered in all directions. ⁵⁰Adonijah was afraid of Solomon. He got up, went ⸤to the tent of meeting,⸥ and took hold of the horns of the altar.^c⁵¹Someone told Solomon, “Adonijah is afraid of you, King Solomon. He is holding on to the horns of the altar and saying, ‘Make King Solomon swear to me today that he will not have me killed.’ ”

⁵²Solomon said, “If he will behave like an honorable man, not one hair on his head will fall to the ground. But if he does ⸤anything⸥ wrong, he will die.” ⁵³King Solomon sent men to take him from the altar. Adonijah bowed down in front of King Solomon. “Go home,” Solomon told him.

2ND CHAPTER

David’s Advice to Solomon—1 Chronicles 29:26–30

¹When David was about to die, he instructed his son Solomon, ²“I’m about to leave this world. Be strong and mature. ³Fulfill your duty to the Lord your God. Obey his directions, laws, commands, rules, and written instructions as they are recorded in Moses’ Teachings. Then you’ll succeed in everything you do wherever you may go. ⁴⸤You’ll succeed⸥ because the Lord will keep the promise he made to me: ‘If your descendants are faithful to me with all their hearts and lives, you will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.’

⁵“You know what Joab (Zeruiah’s son) did to me and to the two commanders of Israel’s army—Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether. Joab killed them. When there was peace, he shed blood as if it were wartime. With their blood he stained the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet. ⁶Use your wisdom. Don’t let that gray-haired, old man go to his grave peacefully.

⁷“Be kind to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead. Let them eat at your table. They helped me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.

⁸“Shimei, son of Gera from Bahurim in Benjamin, is still with you. He cursed me repeatedly when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I took an oath by the Lord and said, ‘As long as I’m king, I won’t have you killed.’ ⁹Now, don’t let him go unpunished. You are wise and know what to do to him: Put that gray-haired, old man into his grave by slaughtering him.”

¹⁰David lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. ¹¹He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 years in Jerusalem.

Solomon Establishes His Authority

¹²Solomon sat on his father David’s throne, and his power was firmly established.

¹³Then Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. “Is this a friendly visit?” she asked.

“Yes,” he answered. ¹⁴Then he added, “I have a matter ⸤to discuss⸥ with you.”

“What is it?” she asked.

¹⁵He said, “You know the kingship was mine. All Israel expected me to be their king. But the kingship has been turned over to my brother because the Lord gave it to him. ¹⁶Now I want to ask you for one thing. Don’t refuse me.”

“What is it?” she asked.

¹⁷He said, “Please ask King Solomon to give me Abishag from Shunem as my wife. He will not refuse you.”

¹⁸“Very well,” Bathsheba answered. “I will talk to the king for you.”

¹⁹Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk to him on Adonijah’s behalf. The king got up to meet her and bowed down in front of her. Then he sat on his throne. He had a throne brought for his mother, and she sat at his right side.

²⁰“I’m asking you for one little thing,” she said. “Don’t refuse me.”

“Ask, Mother,” the king told her. “I won’t refuse you.”

²¹She replied, “Let Abishag from Shunem be given to…

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Footnotes

a 1:5 Adonijah’s mother was Haggith; his father was David. He was David’s oldest living son.
b 1:5 “very handsome … Absalom.” These words are the last part of verse 6 (in Hebrew). They have been placed at the beginning of verse 5 to express the complex Hebrew sentence structure more clearly in English.
c 1:50 Holding on to the horns of the altar was an appeal for mercy.