1 Kings 1

1 Now King David was old and far on in years; and though they put covers over him, his body was cold.

And King David [is] old, entering into days, and they cover him with garments, and he has no heat,

2 So his servants said to him, Let search be made for a young virgin for my lord the king, to take care of him and be waiting on him; and you may take her in your arms, and so my lord the king will be warm.

and his servants say to him, “Let them seek [for] a young woman, a virgin, for my lord the king, and she has stood before the king, and is a companion to him, and has lain in your bosom, and my lord the king has heat.”

3 So after searching through all the land of Israel for a fair young girl, they saw Abishag the Shunammite, and took her to the king.

And they seek [for] a beautiful young woman in all the border of Israel, and find Abishag the Shunammite, and bring her to the king,

4 Now she was very beautiful; and she took care of the king, waiting on him at all times; but the king had no connection with her.

and the young woman [is] very, very beautiful, and she is a companion to the king, and serves him, and the king has not known her.

5 Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, lifting himself up in pride, said, I will become king; and he made ready his carriages of war and his horsemen, with fifty runners to go before him.

And Adonijah son of Haggith is lifting himself up, saying, “I reign”; and he prepares for himself a chariot and horsemen, and fifty men running before him,

6 Now all his life his father had never gone against him or said to him, Why have you done so? and he was a very good-looking man, and younger than Absalom.

and his father has not grieved him [all] his days, saying, “Why have you done this?” And he also [is] of a very good form, and [his mother] bore him after Absalom.

7 And he had talk with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest; and they were on his side and gave him their support.

And his words are with Joab son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest, and they help after Adonijah;

8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei, and David's men of war did not take the side of Adonijah.

and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty ones whom David has, have not been with Adonijah.

9 Then Adonijah put to death sheep and oxen and fat beasts by the stone of Zoheleth, by En-rogel; and he sent for all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants, to come to him:

And Adonijah sacrifices sheep and oxen and fatlings near the stone of Zoheleth that [is] by En-Rogel, and calls all his brothers, sons of the king, and for all the men of Judah, servants of the king;

10 But he did not send for Nathan the prophet and Benaiah and the other men of war and Solomon his brother.

and he has not called Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty ones, and his brother Solomon.

11 Then Nathan said to Bath-sheba, the mother of Solomon, Has it not come to your ears that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has made himself king without the knowledge of David our lord?

And Nathan speaks to Bathsheba, mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has reigned, and our lord David has not known?

12 So now, let me make a suggestion, so that you may keep your life safe and the life of your son Solomon.

And now, come, please let me counsel you, and deliver your life and the life of your son Solomon;

13 Come now, go to King David and say to him, Did you not, O my lord, take an oath to me, your servant, saying, Truly Solomon your son will be king after me, seated on the seat of my kingdom? why then is Adonijah acting as king?

go and enter in to King David, and you have said to him: Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your handmaid, saying, Surely your son Solomon reigns after me, and he sits on my throne? And why has Adonijah reigned?

14 And while you are still talking there with the king, see, I will come in after you and say that your story is true.

Behold, you are yet speaking there with the king, and I come in after you, and have completed your words.”

15 Then Bath-sheba went into the king's room; now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was waiting on him.

And Bathsheba comes in to the king, [into] the inner chamber, and the king [is] very aged, and Abishag the Shunammite is serving the king;

16 And Bath-sheba went down on her face on the earth before the king giving him honour. And he said, What is your desire?

and Bathsheba bows and pays respect to the king, and the king says, “What do you [want]?”

17 And she said to him, My lord, you took an oath by the Lord your God and gave your word to your servant, saying, Truly, Solomon your son will be king after me, seated on the seat of my kingdom.

And she says to him, “My lord, you have sworn by your God YHWH to your handmaid, [saying], Surely your son Solomon reigns after me, and he sits on my throne;

18 And now, see, Adonijah has made himself king without my lord's knowledge;

and now, behold, Adonijah has reigned, and now, my lord, O king, you have not known;

19 And has put to death oxen and fat beasts and sheep in great numbers, and has sent for all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the captain of the army; but he has not sent for Solomon your servant.

and he sacrifices ox, and fatling, and sheep in abundance, and calls for all the sons of the king, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab head of the host—and he has not called for your servant Solomon.

20 And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, waiting for you to say who is to take the place of my lord the king after him.

And you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel [are] on you, to declare to them who sit on the throne of my lord the king after him;

21 For as things are, it will come about, when my lord the king is sleeping with his fathers, that I and Solomon my son will be made outlaws.

and it has been, when my lord the king lies with his fathers, that I have been, I and my son Solomon—[reckoned] sinners.”

22 And while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.

And behold, she is yet speaking with the king, and Nathan the prophet has come in;

23 And they said to the king, Here is Nathan the prophet. And when he came in before the king, he went down on his face on the earth.

and they declare to the king, saying, “Behold, Nathan the prophet”; and he comes in before the king, and bows himself to the king, on his face to the earth.

24 And Nathan said, O my lord king, have you said, Adonijah is to be king after me, seated on the seat of my kingdom?

And Nathan says, “My lord, O king, you have said, Adonijah reigns after me, and he sits on my throne;

25 Because today he has gone down and has put to death oxen and fat beasts and sheep in great numbers, and has sent for all the king's sons to come to him, with the captains of the army and Abiathar the priest; and they are feasting before him and crying, Long life to King Adonijah!

for he has gone down today, and sacrifices ox, and fatling, and sheep, in abundance, and calls for all the sons of the king, and for the heads of the host, and for Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and they say, Let King Adonijah live!

26 But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, he has not sent for.

But he has not called for me, your servant, and for Zadok the priest, and for Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, and for your servant Solomon;

27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, without giving word to your servants who was to be placed on my lord the king's seat after him?

if this thing has been from my lord the king, then you have not caused your servant to know who sits on the throne of my lord the king after him.”

28 Then King David in answer said, Send for Bath-sheba to come to me. And she came in and took her place before the king.

And King David answers and says, “Call for Bathsheba for me”; and she comes in before the king, and stands before the king.

29 And the king took an oath, and said, By the living Lord, who has been my saviour from all my troubles,

And the king swears and says, “YHWH lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity;

30 As I took an oath to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, Certainly Solomon your son will become king after me, seated on my seat in my place; so will I do this day.

surely as I swore to you by YHWH, God of Israel, saying, Surely your son Solomon reigns after me, and he sits on my throne in my stead; surely so I do this day.”

31 Then Bath-sheba went down on her face on the earth before the king giving him honour, and said, May my lord King David go on living for ever.

And Bathsheba bows—face to the earth—and pays respect to the king, and says, “Let my lord, King David, live for all time.”

32 And King David said, Send for Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.

And King David says, “Call for Zadok the priest, and for Nathan the prophet, and for Benaiah son of Jehoiada for me”; and they come in before the king.

33 And the king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and put Solomon my son on my beast, yes, mine, and take him down to Gihon;

And the king says to them, “Take the servants of your lord with you, and you have caused my son Solomon to ride on my own mule, and caused him to go down to Gihon,

34 And there let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet put the holy oil on him to make him king over Israel; and sounding the horn say, Long life to King Solomon!

and Zadok the priest has anointed him there—and Nathan the prophet—for king over Israel, and you have blown with a horn and said, Let King Solomon live;

35 Then come up after him and he will come in and take his place on the seat of my kingdom; for he is to be king in my place, and I have given orders that he is to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.

and you have come up after him, and he has come in and has sat on my throne, and he reigns in my stead, and I have appointed him to be leader over Israel, and over Judah.”

36 And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answering the king, said, So be it: and may the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so.

And Benaiah son of Jehoiada answers the king and says, “Amen! So does YHWH, God of my lord the king, say;

37 As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon and make the seat of his authority greater than that of my lord King David.

as YHWH has been with my lord the king, so is He with Solomon, and makes his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down and put Solomon on King David's beast and took him to Gihon.

And Zadok the priest goes down, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethite, and the Pelethite, and they cause Solomon to ride on the mule of King David, and cause him to go to Gihon,

39 And Zadok the priest took the vessel of oil out of the Tent, and put the holy oil on Solomon. And when the horn was sounded, all the people said, Long life to King Solomon!

and Zadok the priest takes the horn of oil out of the tent, and anoints Solomon, and they blow with a horn, and all the people say, “Let King Solomon live.”

40 And all the people came up after him, piping with pipes, and they were glad with great joy, so that the earth was shaking with the sound.

And all the people come up after him, and the people are piping with pipes, and rejoicing [with] great joy, and the earth splits with their voice.

41 And it came to the ears of Adonijah and all the guests who were with him, when their meal was ended. And Joab, hearing the sound of the horn, said, What is the reason of this noise as if the town was worked up?

And Adonijah hears, and all those called who [are] with him, and they have finished to eat, and Joab hears the noise of the horn and says, “Why [is] the noise of the city roaring?”

42 And while the words were on his lips, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, came; and Adonijah said, Come in; for you are a man of good faith and the news which you have for us will be good.

He is yet speaking, and behold, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest has come in, and Adonijah says, “Come in, for you [are] a man of valor, and you bear good tidings.”

43 And Jonathan, answering, said to Adonijah, Not so, but our lord King David has made Solomon king:

And Jonathan answers and says to Adonijah, “Truly our lord King David has caused Solomon to reign,

44 And he sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they put him on the king's beast:

and the king sends with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethite, and the Pelethite, and they cause him to ride on the king’s mule,

45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet put the holy oil on him and made him king in Gihon; and they came back from there with joy, and the town was all worked up. This is the noise which has come to your ears.

and they anoint him—Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet—for king in Gihon, and have come up there rejoicing, and the city is moved; it [is] the noise that you have heard.

46 And now Solomon is seated on the seat of the kingdom.

And also Solomon has sat on the throne of the kingdom,

47 And the king's servants came to our lord King David, blessing him and saying, May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and the seat of his authority greater than your seat; and the king was bent low in worship on his bed.

and also the servants of the king have come into bless our lord King David, saying, Your God makes the name of Solomon better than your name, and his throne greater than your throne; and the king bows himself on the bed,

48 Then the king said, May the God of Israel be praised, who has given one of my seed to be king in my place this day and has let my eyes see it.

and also thus the king has said, Blessed [is] YHWH, God of Israel, who has given [one] sitting on my throne today, and my eyes are seeing.”

49 And all the guests of Adonijah got up in fear and went away, every man to his place.

And they tremble, and rise—all those called who [are] for Adonijah—and go, each on his way;

50 And Adonijah himself was full of fear because of Solomon; and he got up and went to the altar, and put his hands on its horns.

and Adonijah fears because of Solomon, and rises, and goes, and lays hold on the horns of the altar.

51 And they gave Solomon word of it, saying, See, Adonijah goes in such fear of King Solomon, that he has put his hands on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon first give me his oath that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.

And it is declared to Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, and behold, he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me as today—he does not put his servant to death by the sword.”

52 And Solomon said, If he is seen to be a man of good faith, not a hair of him will be touched; but if any wrongdoing is seen in him, he is to be put to death.

And Solomon says, “If he becomes a virtuous man—there does not fall [even one] hair of his to the earth, and if evil is found in him—then he has died.”

53 So King Solomon sent, and they took him down from the altar. And he came and gave honour to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, Go to your house.

And King Solomon sends, and they bring him down from off the altar, and he comes in and bows himself to King Solomon, and Solomon says to him, “Go to your house.”