^1:1King David was very old;¹ even when they covered him with blankets,² he could not get warm. ^1:2His servants advised³ him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king,⁴ to take care of the king’s needs⁵ and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you⁶ and keep our master, the king, warm.”⁷^1:3So they looked through all Israel⁸ for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. ^1:4The young woman was very beautiful; she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.⁹

^1:5Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith,¹⁰ was promoting himself,¹¹ boasting,¹² “I will be king!” He managed to acquire¹³ chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.¹⁴^1:6(Now his father had never corrected¹⁵ him¹⁶ by saying, “Why do you do such things?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom.¹⁷) ^1:7He collaborated¹⁸ with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported¹⁹ him.²⁰^1:8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s elite warriors²¹ did not ally themselves²² with Adonijah. ^1:9Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened steers at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons,²³ as well as all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. ^1:10But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the elite warriors,²⁴ or his brother Solomon.

^1:11Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Has it been reported to you²⁵ that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back?²⁶^1:12Now²⁷ let me give you some advice as to how²⁸ you can save your life and your son Solomon’s life. ^1:13Visit²⁹ King David and say to him, ‘My master, O king, did you not solemnly promise³⁰ your servant, “Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne”? So why has Adonijah become king?’ ^1:14While³¹ you are still there speaking to the king, I will arrive³² and verify your report.”³³

^1:15So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters.³⁴ (The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) ^1:16Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before³⁵ the king. The king said, “What do you want?” ^1:17She replied to him, “My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.’ ^1:18But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you,³⁶ my master the king, are not even aware of it!³⁷^1:19He has sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army, but he has not invited your servant Solomon. ^1:20Now,³⁸ my master, O king, all Israel is watching anxiously to see who is named to succeed my master the king on the throne.³⁹^1:21If a decision is not made,⁴⁰ when my master the king is buried with his ancestors,⁴¹ my son Solomon and I⁴² will be considered state criminals.”⁴³

^1:22Just then,⁴⁴ while she was still speaking to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. ^1:23The king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” Nathan entered and bowed before the king with his face to the floor.⁴⁵^1:24Nathan said, “My master, O king, did you announce, ‘Adonijah will be king after me; he will sit on my throne’? ^1:25For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. At this moment⁴⁶ they are having a feast⁴⁷ in his presence, and they have declared, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’⁴⁸^1:26But he did not invite me—your servant—or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon. ^1:27Has my master the king authorized this without informing your servants⁴⁹ who should succeed my master the king on his throne?”⁵⁰

David Picks Solomon as His Successor

^1:28King David responded,⁵¹ “Summon Bathsheba!”⁵² She came and stood before the king.⁵³^1:29The king swore an oath: “As certainly as the Lord lives (he who has rescued me⁵⁴ from every danger), ^1:30I will keep⁵⁵ today the oath I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel: ‘Surely Solomon your son will be king after me; he will sit in my place on my throne.’ ” ^1:31Bathsheba bowed down to the king with her face to the floor⁵⁶ and said, “May my master, King David, live forever!”

^1:32King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet,⁵⁷ and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king, ^1:33and he⁵⁸ told them, “Take your master’s⁵⁹ servants with you, put my son Solomon on my mule, and lead him down to Gihon.⁶⁰^1:34There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint⁶¹ him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and declare, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ ^1:35Then follow him up as he comes and sits on my throne. He will be king in my place; I have decreed⁶² that he will be ruler over Israel and Judah.” ^1:36Benaiah son of Jehoiada responded⁶³ to the king: “So be it!⁶⁴ May the Lord God of my master the king confirm it!⁶⁵^1:37As the Lord is with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and may he make him an even greater king than my master King David!”⁶⁶

^1:38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites⁶⁷ went down, put Solomon on King David’s mule, and led him to Gihon. ^1:39Zadok the priest took a horn filled with olive oil⁶⁸ from the tent and poured it on⁶⁹ Solomon; the trumpet was blown and all the people declared, “Long live King Solomon!” ^1:40All the people followed him up, playing flutes and celebrating so loudly they made the ground shake.⁷⁰

^1:41Now Adonijah and all his guests heard the commotion just as they had finished eating.⁷¹ When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, “Why is there such a noisy commotion in the city?”⁷²^1:42As he was still speaking, Jonathan⁷³ son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for⁷⁴ an important man like you must be bringing good news.”⁷⁵^1:43Jonathan replied⁷⁶ to Adonijah: “No!⁷⁷ Our master⁷⁸ King David has made Solomon king. ^1:44The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites and they put him on the king’s mule. ^1:45Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed⁷⁹ him king in Gihon. They went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the sound you hear. ^1:46Furthermore, Solomon has assumed the royal throne.⁸⁰^1:47The king’s servants have even come to congratulate⁸¹ our master⁸² King David, saying, ‘May your God⁸³ make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even greater king than you!’⁸⁴ Then the king leaned⁸⁵ on the bed ^1:48and said⁸⁶ this: ‘The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because⁸⁷ today he has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.’ ”⁸⁸

^1:49All of Adonijah’s guests panicked;⁸⁹ they jumped up and rushed off their separate ways. ^1:50Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar.⁹⁰^1:51Solomon was told, “Look, Adonijah fears you;⁹¹ see, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon solemnly promise⁹² me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’ ” ^1:52Solomon said, “If he is a loyal subject,⁹³ not a hair of his head will be harmed, but if he is found to be a traitor,⁹⁴ he will die.” ^1:53King Solomon sent men to bring him down⁹⁵ from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon told him, “Go home.”⁹⁶

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Footnotes

1 Heb “was old, coming into the days” (i.e., advancing in years).
2 Or “garments.”
3 Heb “said to.”
4 Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see §12.3b).
5 Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” ( 764 עָמַד).
6 Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.
7 Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”
8 Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”
9 Heb “did not know her.”
10 Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father. Haggith was one of David’s wives (2 Sam 3:4; 2 Chr 3:2).
11 Heb “lifting himself up.”
12 Heb “saying.”
13 Or “he acquired for himself.”
14 Heb “to run ahead of him.”
15 Or “disciplined.”
16 Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See §119.w, n. 2.
17 Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).
18 Heb “his words were.”
19 Heb “helped after” (i.e., stood by).
20 Heb “Adonijah.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).
22 Heb “were not.”
23 The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.
24 Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).
25 Heb “Have you not heard?”
26 Heb “and our master David does not know.”
27 Heb “now, come.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See 234 חָלַךְ.
28 Or “so that.”
29 Heb “come, go to.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See 234 חָלַךְ.
30 Or “swear an oath to.”
31 In the Hebrew text the sentence is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which here draws attention to Nathan’s concluding word of assurance and support. For this use of the word, see הִנֵּה.
32 The Hebrew text reads, “I will come after you.”
33 Heb “fill up [i.e., confirm] your words.”
34 Or “bedroom.”
35 Heb “bowed low and bowed down to.”
36 Instead of עַתָּה (’attah, “now”) many Hebrew , along with the Old Greek, , and Latin , have the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (’attah, “you”). This reading is followed in the present translation.
37 Heb “you do not know [about it].”
38 Many Hebrew have עַתָּה (’attah, “now”) rather than the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (’attah, “you”).
39 Heb “the eyes of all Israel are upon you to declare to them who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him.”
40 The words “if a decision is not made” are added for clarification.
41 Heb “lies down with his fathers.”
42 Heb “I and my son Solomon.” The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.
43 Heb “will be guilty”; “considered offenders”; “treated as traitors.”
44 Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) here draws attention to Nathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
45 Heb “ground.” Since this was indoors, “floor” is more appropriate than “ground.”
46 Heb “look.”
47 Heb “eating and drinking.”
48 Heb “let the king, Adonijah, live!”
49 Many Hebrew and ancient textual witnesses agree with the Qere in reading this as singular, “your servant.”
50 Heb “From my master the king is this thing done, and you did not make known to your servants who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him?”
51 Heb “answered and said.”
52 Summon Bathsheba. Bathsheba must have left the room when Nathan arrived (see 1:22).
53 Heb “she came before the king and stood before the king.”
54 Or “ransomed my life.”
55 Or “carry out, perform.”
56 Heb “bowed low, face [to] the ground, and bowed down to the king.”
57 Summon … Nathan. Nathan must have left the room when Bathsheba reentered.
58 Heb “the king.”
59 The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
60 Heb “mount Solomon my son on the mule that belongs to me and take him down to Gihon.”
61 Or “designate” (i.e., by anointing with oil).
62 Or “commanded.”
63 Heb “answered and said.”
64 Or “Amen.”
65 Heb “So may the Lord God of my master the king say.”
66 Heb “and may he make his throne greater than the throne of my master King David.”
67 The Kerethites and Pelethites were members of David’s royal guard (see 2 Sam 8:18). The Kerethites may have been descendants of an ethnic group originating in Crete.
68 Heb “the horn of oil.” This has been specified as olive oil in the translation for clarity. A horn filled with oil. An animal’s horn was used as an oil flask in the anointing ceremony.
69 Or “anointed.”
70 Heb “and all the people went up after him, and the people were playing flutes and rejoicing with great joy and the ground split open at the sound of them.” The verb בָּקַע (baqa’, “to split open”), which elsewhere describes the effects of an earthquake, is obviously here an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis.
71 Heb “And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard, now they had finished eating.”
72 Heb “Why is the city’s sound noisy?”
73 The Hebrew text has “look” at this point. The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), “look draws attention to Jonathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.
74 Or “surely.”
75 Heb “you are a man of strength [or “ability”] and you bring a message [that is] good.” Another option is to understand the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (’ish khayil) in the sense of “a worthy man,” that is “loyal.” See also 1 Kgs 1:52 and חַיִל.
76 Heb “answered and said.”
77 For a similar use of אֲבָל (’aval), see Gen 17:19, where God rejects Abraham’s proposal and offers an alternative.
78 The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
79 I.e., designated by anointing with oil.
80 Heb “And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.”
81 Heb “to bless.”
82 The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.
83 Many Hebrew agree with the Qere in reading simply “God.”
84 Heb “make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” The term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) is used here of one’s fame and reputation.
85 Or “bowed down; worshiped.”
86 The Hebrew text reads, “and the king said.”
87 Or “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who.…” In this blessing formula אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “who; because”) introduces the reason why the one being blessed deserves the honor.
88 Heb “and my eyes are seeing.”
89 Or “were afraid, trembled.”
90 Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Adonijah was seeking asylum from Solomon.
91 Heb “King Solomon.” The name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“you”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
92 Or “swear an oath to.”
93 Heb “if he is a man of strength [or ability].” In this context, where Adonijah calls himself a “servant,” implying allegiance to the new king, the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (’ish khayil) probably carries the sense of “a worthy man,” that is, “loyal” (see חַיִל).
94 Heb “but if evil is found in him.”
95 Heb “sent and they brought him down.”
96 Heb “Go to your house.”