1Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, for he could not get warm. 2Therefore his servants said to him, Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and serve him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm. 3So they sought for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4The girl was very beautiful; and she served the king, and ministered to him; but the king did not know her. 5Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king; and he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6(Now his father had not hurt him at any time by saying, Why have you done so? He was also very good in appearance. And his mother had borne him after Absalom.) 7And he spoke with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they went after Adonijah and helped him. 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with Adonijah. 9And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother. 11So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba 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? 12Come now, please let me counsel you with advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13Depart and go to King David and say to him, Have you not sworn to your maidservant, my lord, O king, saying, Surely your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? Why then has Adonijah become king? 14Then, while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words. 15So Bathsheba came into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.) 16And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. And the king said, What can I do for you? 17And she said to him, My lord, you have sworn by Jehovah your God to your maidservant, saying, Surely Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne. 18So now, behold, Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you have not known about it. 19He has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20And as for you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king lies down with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders. 22And behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 23And they reported to the king, saying, Behold, Nathan the prophet. And when he came in before the king, he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground. 24And Nathan said, My lord, O king, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? 25For 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 said, Long live King Adonijah! 26But he has not invited me; me your servant, nor Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. 27Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king, and you have not declared to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? 28Then King David answered and said, Summon Bathsheba to me. So she came before the king and stood before the king. 29And the king swore and said, As Jehovah lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 30just as I have sworn to you by Jehovah the God of Israel, saying, Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place, thus I shall do this day. 31And Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did homage to the king, and said, Let my lord King David live forever! 32And King David said, Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came in before the king. 33And the king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 34There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the shofar, and say, Long live King Solomon! 35And when you have come up after him, he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah. 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, Amen! Thus says Jehovah the God of my lord the king. 37As Jehovah has been with my lord the king, even so shall He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David. 38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. And they blew the shofar, and all the people said, Long live King Solomon! 40And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth was rent with their sound. 41And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the shofar, he said, Why is the city in such a commotion? 42And while he was still speaking, behold Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest came in. And Adonijah said to him, Come in, for you are a mighty man, and bring good news. 43And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, No rather, our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. 45And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is all stirred up. This is the sound that you have heard. 46Also Solomon has sat down on the throne of the kingdom. 47And moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne. And the king bowed himself on the bed. 48Also the king has said, Blessed is Jehovah the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, with my eyes seeing it! 49So all the guests who were with Adonijah trembled, and rose up, and each one went his way. 50And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51And it was reported to Solomon, saying, Behold Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me this day that he will not put his servant to death with the sword. 52And Solomon said, If he is a son of worth, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if evil is found in him, he shall die. 53So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, Go to your house.