1 Kings 1:5–25

⁵Then ^bAdonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will ^†be king: and ^che prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶And his father had not displeased him ^†at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; ^dand his mother bare him after Absalom. ⁷And ^†he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with ^eAbiathar the priest: and ^fthey ^†following Adonijah helped him. ⁸But ^eZadok the priest, and ^gBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, and ^hNathan the prophet, and ⁱShimei, and Rei, and ^jthe mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. ⁹And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by ^||En-rogel, and called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah the king’s servants: ¹⁰But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and ^kSolomon his brother, he called not.

¹¹Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? ¹²Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. ¹³Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, ^lAssuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? ¹⁴Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and ^†confirm thy words. ¹⁵And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and ^mAbishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king. ¹⁶And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, ^†What wouldest thou? ¹⁷And she said unto him, My lord, ⁿthou swarest by the Lord thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. ¹⁸And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not: ^19oAnd he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called. ²⁰And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall ^psleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted ^†offenders. ²²And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. ²³And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. ²⁴And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? ^25qFor he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, ^†God save king Adonijah.