1 Kings 1
1 Now, King David, was old, advanced in days, —and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
When King David was very old [IDM, DOU], even though his servants put many blankets on top of him, he was unable to become warm.
2 Wherefore his servants said unto him—Let there be sought for my lord the king, a young woman—a virgin, so shall she stand before the king, that she may become his companion, —and she shall lie in thy bosom, and my lord the king shall get, heat.
So they said to him, “Your Majesty, allow us to search for a young virgin who can stay with you and take care of you. She can sleep close to you and enable you to become warm.”
3 So they sought a fair young woman, throughout all the bounds of Israel, —and found Abishag, the Shunammite, and brought her in, unto the king.
[The king gave them permission, ] so they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman. They found a woman named Abishag, from Shunem [town], and brought her to the king.
4 Now, the young woman, was exceeding fair, —so she became unto the king a companion, and ministered unto him, but, the king, knew her not.
She was [truly] very beautiful. She took care of [DOU] the king, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.
5 And, Adonijah son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying—I, will be king. Therefore prepared he for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
[After Absalom died], David’s oldest surviving son was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. He was a very handsome/good-looking man. But David had never rebuked him about anything he did. [After Absalom died, Adonijah thought that he would become king]. So he started to boast, saying “I will become king [now].” Then he provided for himself some chariots, and men to drive them, and horses [to pull them], and 50 men to run [as his bodyguards] in front of those chariots [wherever he went].
6 Now his father had not displeased him all his days, by saying—Why, thus, hast thou done? Moreover also, he, was of exceeding handsome appearance, and, him, did his mother bear, after Absolom.
7 So then he had speech with Joab, son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest, —and they gave help, following Adonijah.
One day he conferred with Joab, [David’s army commander], and Abiathar the priest, and they promised/agreed to help/support Adonijah.
8 But, Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
But Zadok, who was also a priest, Benaiah [who had supervised David’s bodyguards], Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei, and David’s most capable soldiers refused to help/support Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and heifers, near the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel, —and invited all his brethren, sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, servants of the king;
One day Adonijah went to Snake Rock near En-Rogel [Spring, which is near Jerusalem], to sacrifice some sheep and oxen and fattened cattle. He invited most of his brothers, King David’s other sons, to come. He also invited all of the king’s officials from Judah to come to the celebration.
10 but, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he invited not.
But he did not invite Nathan or Benaiah or the king’s most capable soldiers or his [younger/half]-brother Solomon.
11 Then spake Nathan unto Bath-sheba mother of Solomon, saying—Hast thou not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith hath become king, and, our lord David, knoweth it not?
Nathan [found out what they were doing, so he went to] Solomon’s mother Bathsheba [and] asked her, “Have you not heard that Haggith’s son Adonijah is declared himself to be the king? And King David does not know about it!
12 Now, therefore, come; let me give thee counsel, I pray thee, —so shalt thou rescue thine own life, and the life of thy son, Solomon.
So if you want to save yourself and your son Solomon from being killed, allow me to tell you what you should do.
13 Go, and get thee in unto King David, and thou shalt say unto him—Didst not, thou thyself, my lord O king, swear unto thy handmaid, saying—Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, yea, he, shall sit upon my throne? Why, then, hath, Adonijah, become king?
Go immediately to King David. Say to him, ‘Your Majesty, you solemnly promised me [RHQ] that my son Solomon would become the king after you [die], and that he would sit on your throne [and rule]. So why is it that Adonijah [has said that he] is now the king?’
14 Lo! while thou art yet speaking there with the king, I also, will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
Then, while you are still talking to the king, I will come in and tell him that what you are saying to him [about Adonijah] is true.”
15 So Bath-sheba went in unto the king, into the chamber, now, the king, was very old, —and Abishag the Shunammite, was ministering unto the king.
So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. He was very old, and Abishag was taking care of him.
16 And Bath-sheba bowed, and did homage unto the king, —and the king said—What aileth thee?
Bathsheba bowed very low in front of the king, and the king asked her, “What do you want?”
17 And she said unto him—My lord, thou thyself, didst swear by Yahweh thy God, unto thy handmaid, Assuredly, Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, —yea, he, shall sit upon my throne.
She replied, “Your Majesty, you solemnly promised me, knowing that Yahweh our God [was listening] [IDM], that my son Solomon would become king after you [die], and that he would sit on your throne [and rule].
18 But, now, lo! Adonijah, hath become king; now, therefore, my lord, O king, thou knowest it not:
But now, believe it or not, Adonijah has become king, and you do not know anything about it.
19 and he hath sacrificed oxen and heifers and sheep, in abundance, and hath invited all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab general of the army, —but, Solomon thy servant, hath he not invited.
He has sacrificed a lot of oxen and fattened cattle and sheep, and he has invited all of your other sons to the celebration. He has also invited Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of your army, but he did not invite your son Solomon.
20 Thou, therefore, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel, are upon thee, —to tell them, who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king, after him.
Your Majesty, all the people [SYN] of Israel are expecting you to tell them who is the one who will become king after you are no longer the king.
21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, then shall I and my son Solomon be counted, offenders.
If you do not do that, what will happen is that after you die [EUP] people will consider that my son Solomon and I are rebelling, [and they will execute us because we did not help Adonijah to become king].”
22 And lo! while yet she was speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet, came in.
While she was still talking to the king, Nathan came [to the palace].
23 So they told the king, saying, Lo! Nathan the prophet! And, when he had come in before the king, he bowed himself down to the king with his face to the ground.
The king’s servants/advisors told David, “Nathan the prophet has come.” So [Bathsheba left, and] Nathan went into where the king was and knelt down, with his face on the ground.
24 Then said Nathan—My lord, O king, hast, thou, said, Adonijah, shall become king after me, —yea, he, shall sit upon my throne?
Then Nathan said, “Your Majesty, have you declared that Adonijah will become king after you are no longer the king?
25 For he hath gone down to-day, and hath sacrificed oxen and heifers and sheep, in abundance, and hath invited all the sons of the king, and the generals of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and, there they are—eating and drinking before him, —and they have said—Long live King Adonijah!
[I say that] because today he has gone down [to En-Rogel Spring] and has sacrificed a lot of oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. And he has invited all of your other sons, Joab the army commander, and Abiathar the priest. They are all eating and drinking with him and saying ‘We hope/desire that King Adonijah will live a long time!’
26 But, me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and Solomon thy servant, hath he not invited.
But he did not invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon.
27 If, of my lord the king, this thing had been brought to pass, then wouldest thou not have made known unto thy servant, who should sit upon the throne of my lord the king, after him?
Did you, as the king, say that they should do this without telling your other officials who you want to become king [MTY] after you are no longer the king?”
28 Then responded King David, and said, Call me Bath-sheba. So she came in before the king, and stood before the king.
Then [after Nathan left the room, ] King David said [to one of his servants], “Tell Bathsheba to come in here again.” So [he went and told her, and] she came in and stood in front of the king.
29 And the king sware, and said, —By the life of Yahweh, who hath redeemed my life out of every strait,
Then the king said, “Yahweh has rescued me from all my troubles. I promised you, with Yahweh the God whom we Israelis [worship] listening, that your son Solomon would be king after I am no longer the king. Today, as surely as Yahweh lives, [I solemnly declare that] I will do what I promised.”
30 even as I sware unto thee by Yahweh, God of Israel, saying, Assuredly, Solomon thy son, shall become king after me, yea, he, shall sit upon my throne, in my stead, even so, will I do this day.
31 Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the ground, and did homage unto the king, —and said—Let my lord, King David, live to times age-abiding!
Bathsheba knelt down with her face on the ground and said, “Your Majesty, I hope/desire that you will live for many more years [HYP]!”
32 Then said King David—Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada. And they came in before the king.
Then King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah.” [So someone went and summoned them.] When they came in,
33 Then said the king unto them—Take ye with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon the mule which pertaineth unto myself, —and bring him down unto Gihon;
he said to them, “Put my son Solomon on my mule. Take him with my officials down to Gihon [Spring].
34 then shall Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, —and ye shall blow with the horn, and say—Long live King Solomon!
There, you two, Zadok and Nathan, should anoint him, [with olive oil to appoint him to be] the king of Israel. Then you must blow trumpets, and [all the people there must] shout, ‘We hope/desire that King Solomon will live for many years!’
35 Then shall ye come up after him, and he shall enter, and sit upon my throne, yea, he, shall become king in my stead; even, him, have I charged to become leader, over Israel, and over Judah.
Then follow him back here, and he will come and sit on my throne. He will then become king instead of me. I have appointed him to be the ruler of [all the people of] Israel and of Judah.”
36 Then did Benaiah son of Jehoiada make response unto the king, and say—Amen! so, say Yahweh, God of my lord the king.
Benaiah replied, “We will do that! We hope/wish that Yahweh, who is your God [and our God], will cause it to happen!
37 As Yahweh hath been with my lord the king, so, let him he with Solomon, —and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord, King David.
King David, Yahweh has helped you; we hope/wish that he will also help Solomon and enable him to become a greater king than you have been.”
38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, with the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon the mule of King David, —and they escorted him to Gihon.
So Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and the two groups of men who were the king’s bodyguards went and put Solomon on King David’s mule and escorted him down to Gihon [Spring].
39 Then took Zadok the priest, the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon, —and they blew with a [ram’s] horn, and all the people said, Long live King Solomon!
There Zadok took the container of [olive] oil from the Sacred Tent and (anointed/poured some oil on) Solomon. Then the trumpets were blown, and all the people shouted, “We hope/wish that King Solomon will live for many years!”
40 And all the people came up after him, the people themselves also, playing with flutes, and rejoicing with great joy, —so that the earth rent with the sound of them.
Then all the people followed him back up [to the city], shouting joyfully and playing flutes. They shouted very loudly, with the result that the ground shook.
41 And Adonijah, and all the guests who were with him, heard it, just as, they, had made an end of eating, —and, when Joab heard the sound of a horn, he said—Wherefore the noise of the city, in tumult?
When Adonijah and all (his guests/the people whom he had invited) were finishing eating at their celebration, they heard the noise. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpets, he asked, “What is causing all that noise in the city?”
42 While yet he was speaking, lo! Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest, came in, —and Adonijah said—Come in, for, a worthy man, thou art, and, good tidings, dost thou bring.
While he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in! You are a man whom we can trust, so you must be bringing us good news!”
43 But Jonathan responded and said to Adonijah, —Of a truth, our lord, King David, hath made, Solomon, king.
Jonathan replied, “No, [I do not have good news]! His Majesty, King David, has caused Solomon to be the king!
44 And the king hath sent with him—Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, with the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, —and they have caused him to ride upon the mule of the king;
He sent Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and his own group of bodyguards to go with Solomon. They put Solomon on King David’s mule.
45 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king, in Gihon, and they went up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again, —That, is the noise ye have heard.
They [went down to] Gihon [Spring], and there Zadok and Nathan anointed him to become the king. Now they have returned from there to the city, shouting joyfully. That is why there is that great/loud noise that you are hearing.
46 Moreover also, Solomon hath taken his seat upon the throne of the kingdom.
So Solomon is now our king [MTY].
47 Moreover also, the servants of the king have been in, to bless our lord King David, saying—Thy God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne, —And the king bowed himself upon his bed.
Furthermore, the palace officials came to His Majesty, King David, to tell him that they approved of what he had done. They said, ‘We wish/hope that our God will enable Solomon [MTY] to become more famous than you have been and enable him to be a better king than you have been.’ When they said that, the king, lying on his bed, bowed his head to worship [Yahweh].
48 Moreover also, thus and thus, hath said the king, —Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, who hath given, to-day, one to sit upon my throne, mine own eyes also beholding it.
Then he said, ‘I praise Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], because he has allowed one of my sons to become the king today, and has permitted me to see it happen.’”
49 Then trembled and rose up, all Adonijah’s guests, —and departed, every man his own way.
Then all of Adonijah’s guests (trembled/were afraid), so they all immediately got up and left and scattered.
50 Adonijah also, feared because of Solomon, —and rose and went, and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
Adonijah was afraid of what Solomon [would do], so he went [to the Sacred Tent] and grabbed the projections at the corners of the altar, [because he knew that no one would kill him there].
51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Lo! Adonijah, feareth King Solomon, —lo! therefore, he hath laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear unto me at once that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.
But someone told Solomon, “Hey/Listen, Adonijah is afraid of you, so he [has gone to the Sacred Tent and] is holding on to the corners of the altar. He is saying, ‘[Before I leave, ] I want King Solomon to solemnly promise that he will not command that I be executed.’”
52 Then said Solomon, If he will be a man of worth, there shall not one hair of him fall to the earth, —but, if mischief be found in him, then shall he die.
Solomon replied, “If he proves that he is loyal to me, I will not harm him at all [IDM]. But if he does anything that is wrong, he will be executed.”
53 So King Solomon sent, and brought him down from the altar, and he came in, and bowed himself down to King Solomon, —and Solomon said unto him—Go to thine own house.
So King Solomon sent [some men to Adonijah], and they brought him back from the altar. He came to Solomon and bowed down in front of him. Then Solomon said to him, “Go home.”
