1 Kings 1:5–25

⁵And Adonijah son of Haggith is lifting himself up, saying, ‘I do reign;’ and he prepareth for himself a chariot and horsemen, and fifty men running before him, ⁶and his father hath not grieved him all his days, saying, ‘Wherefore thus hast thou done?’ and he also is of a very good form, and his mother bare him after Absalom. ⁷And his words are with Joab son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest, and they help after Adonijah; ⁸and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty ones whom David hath, have not been with Adonijah. ⁹And Adonijah sacrificeth sheep and oxen and fatlings near the stone of Zoheleth, that is by En-Rogel, and calleth all his brethren, sons of the king, and for all the men of Judah, servants of the king; ¹⁰and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty ones, and Solomon his brother, he hath not called.

¹¹And Nathan speaketh unto Bath-Sheba, mother of Solomon, saying, ‘Hast thou not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith hath reigned, and our lord David hath not known? ¹²and now, come, let me counsel thee, I pray thee, and deliver thy life, and the life of thy son Solomon; ¹³go and enter in unto king David, and thou hast said unto him, Hast thou not, my lord, O king, sworn to thy handmaid, saying, Surely Solomon thy son doth reign after me, and he doth sit on my throne? and wherefore hath Adonijah reigned? ¹⁴Lo, thou are yet speaking there with the king, and I come in after thee, and have completed thy words.’ ¹⁵And Bath-Sheba cometh in unto the king, to the inner chamber, and the king is very aged, and Abishag the Shunammite is serving the king: ¹⁶and Bath-Sheba boweth and doth obeisance to the king, and the king saith, ‘What—to thee?’ ¹⁷And she saith to him, ‘My lord, thou hast sworn by Jehovah thy God to thy handmaid: Surely Solomon thy son doth reign after me, and he doth sit on my throne; ¹⁸and now, lo, Adonijah hath reigned, and now, my lord, O king, thou hast not known; ¹⁹and he sacrificeth ox, and fatling, and sheep in abundance, and calleth for all the sons of the king, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab head of the host—and for Solomon thy servant he hath not called. ²⁰And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on thee, to declare to them who doth sit on the throne of my lord the king after him; ²¹and it hath been, when my lord the king lieth with his fathers, that I have been, I and my son Solomon—reckoned sinners.’ ²²And lo, she is yet speaking with the king, and Nathan the prophet hath come in; ²³and they declare to the king, saying, ‘Lo, Nathan the prophet;’ and he cometh in before the king, and boweth himself to the king, on his face to the earth. ²⁴And Nathan saith, ‘My lord, O king, thou hast said, Adonijah doth reign after me, and he doth sit on my throne; ²⁵for he hath gone down to-day, and doth sacrifice ox, and fatling, and sheep, in abundance, and calleth for all the sons of the king, and for the heads of the host, and for Abiathar the priest, and lo, they are eating and drinking before him, and they say, Let king Adonijah live!