1 Kings 1:11–40
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 save 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 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 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘aSurely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’
18 “Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it.
19 “aHe 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 come about, 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 They told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself 1before 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 “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 been done by my lord the king, and you have not shown to your 1servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28 Then King David said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29 The king vowed and said, “aAs the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,
30 surely as aI vowed to you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will indeed do so this day.”
31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself 1before 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 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 “Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet 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 be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”
36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say.
37 “aAs 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 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 All the people went up after him, and the people 1were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth 2shook at their noise.