1 Kings 1

1 Now king David had become elderly, and he had many days in his lifetime. And though he was covered with clothes, he was not warmed.

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

2 Therefore, his servants said to him: “Let us seek, for our lord the king, a young virgin. And let her stand before the king, and warm him, and sleep in his bosom, and provide warmth for our lord the king.”

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 And so they sought a beautiful young woman in all the parts of Israel. And they found Abishag, a Shunammite, and they led 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 the girl was exceedingly beautiful. And she slept with the king, and she ministered to him. Yet truly, the king did not know 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, exalted himself, saying, “I shall reign!” And he appointed for himself chariots and horsemen, with fifty men who would run 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 Neither did his father chastise him at any time, saying, “Why have you done this?” Now he, too, was very beautiful, the second in birth, after 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 conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, the priest, who gave assistance to the side of Adonijah.

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

8 Yet truly, Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei and Rei, and the mature men of the army of David were not with 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, having immolated rams and calves and every kind of fat cattle beside the Stone of the Serpent, which was in the vicinity of the fountain Rogel, summoned all his brothers, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king.

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 summon Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, and all the mature men, and Solomon, his brother.

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

11 And so Nathan said to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon: “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has begun to reign, and that our lord David is ignorant of this?

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 Now then, come, accept my counsel, and save your life 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 Go and enter to king David, and say to him: ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to me, your handmaid, saying: “Your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he himself shall sit on my throne?” Then why does Adonijah reign?’

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 speaking with the king there, I will enter after you, and I will complete your words.”

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

15 And so Bathsheba entered to the king in the bedroom. Now the king was very old, and Abishag, the Shunammite, was ministering to 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 Bathsheba bowed herself, and she reverenced the king. And the king said to her, “What do you wish?”

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

17 And responding, she said: “My lord, you swore to your handmaid, by the Lord your God: ‘your son Solomon will reign after me, and he himself shall sit upon my throne.’

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 behold, Adonijah reigns, while you, my lord the king, are ignorant of it.

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

19 He has slain oxen, and every kind of fattened cattle, and many rams. And he has summoned all the sons of the king, as well as Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the leader of the military. But Solomon, your servant, he did not summon.

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 Truly now, my lord the king, the eyes of all of Israel look with favor upon you, that you may indicate to them who ought to sit upon your throne, my lord the king, after you.

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 Otherwise, this will be: when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be as sinners.”

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 speaking with the king, Nathan, the prophet, arrived.

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

23 And they announced to the king, saying, “Nathan, the prophet, is here.” And when he had entered in the sight of the king, and he had reverenced prone on the ground,

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 Nathan said: “My lord the king, did you say, ‘Let Adonijah reign after me, and let him sit upon my throne?’

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

25 For today, he descended, and he immolated oxen, and fattened cattle, and many rams. And he summoned all the sons of the king, and the leaders of the army, along with Abiathar, the priest. And they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘As king Adonijah lives.’

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 he did not summon me, your servant, and Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Solomon, your lowly servant.

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 Could this word have gone out from my lord the king, and could you not have revealed it to me, your servant, as to who would be seated upon the throne of my lord the king 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 And king David responded, saying, “Summon to me Bathsheba.” And when she had entered before the king, and she had stood before him,

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

29 the king swore and said: “As the Lord lives, who has rescued my soul from all distress,

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

30 just as I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he himself shall sit upon my throne in my place,’ so shall 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 And Bathsheba, having lowered her face to the ground, reverenced the king, saying, “May my lord David live forever.”

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, “Summon to me Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada.” And when they had entered 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 he said to them: “Take with you the servants of your lord, and place my son Solomon upon my mule. And lead him 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 let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him in that place as the king over Israel. And you shall sound the trumpet, and you shall say, ‘As king Solomon lives.’

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 And you shall ascend after him, and he shall arrive and shall sit upon my throne. And he himself shall reign in my place. And I will command that he be the 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, responded to the king, saying: “Amen. So says the Lord, the God of my lord the king.

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

37 In the same way that the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon. And may he make his throne more sublime than the throne 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 Then Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, descended, with Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites. And they placed Solomon on the mule of king David, and they led 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 horn of oil from the tabernacle, and he anointed Solomon. And they sounded the trumpet. And all the people said, “As king Solomon lives.”

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 the entire multitude ascended after him. And the people were playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy. And the earth resounded before the noise of them.

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 Then Adonijah, and all who had been summoned by him, heard it. And now the feast had ended. Then, too, Joab, hearing the voice of the trumpet, said, “What is the meaning of this clamor from the tumultuous city?”

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 While he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, arrived. And Adonijah said to him, “Enter, for you are a valiant man, and you report good news.”

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 answered Adonijah: “By no means. For our lord king David has appointed Solomon as king.

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

44 And he has sent with him Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites. And they have placed him on the mule of the king.

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, have anointed him king, at Gihon. And they are ascending from there, rejoicing, and so the city resounds. This is the noise that you have heard.

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 But also, Solomon sits upon the throne of the kingdom.

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

47 And the servants of the king, entering, have blessed our lord king David, saying: ‘May God amplify the name of Solomon above your name, and may he magnify his throne above your throne.’ And the king reverenced from 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 And he said: ‘Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, who today has bestowed someone to sit upon my throne, while my eyes may 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 Therefore, all those who had been summoned by Adonijah were terrified. And they all rose up, and each one went his own way.

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

50 Then Adonijah, fearing Solomon, rose up and went away. And he took hold of the horn of the altar.

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

51 And they reported to Solomon, saying: “Behold, Adonijah, fearing king Solomon, has taken hold of the horn of the altar, saying: ‘May king Solomon swear to me this day that he will not put to death his servant 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 a good man, not so much as one hair of his head shall fall to the ground. But if evil is found in him, he shall die.”

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 Therefore, king Solomon sent and brought him from the altar. And entering, he reverenced king Solomon. And Solomon said to him, “Go to your own 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.”