1 Kings 1
1 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.
Now king David was old, and advanced in years: and when he was covered with clothes, he was not warm.
2 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.”
His servants therefore said to him: Let us seek for our lord the king, a young virgin, and let her stand before the king, and cherish him, and sleep in his bosom, and warm our lord the king.
3 [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.
So they sought a beautiful young woman in all the coasts of Israel, and they found Abisag a Sunamitess, and brought her to the king.
4 She was [truly] very beautiful. She took care of [DOU] the king, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.
And the damsel was exceeding beautiful, and she slept with the king: and served him, but the king did not know her.
5 [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].
And Adonias the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying: I will be king. And he made himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
Neither did his father rebuke him at any time, saying: Why hast thou done this? And he also was very beautiful, the next in birth after Absalom.
7 One day he conferred with Joab, [David’s army commander], and Abiathar the priest, and they promised/agreed to help/support Adonijah.
And he conferred with Joab the son of Sarvia, and with Abiathar the priest, who furthered Adonias’s side.
8 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.
But Sadoc the priest, and Banaias the son of Joiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Semei, and Rei, and the strength of David’s army was not with Adonias.
9 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.
And Adonias having slain rams and calves, and all fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which was near the fountain Rogel, invited all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Juda, the king’s servants:
10 But he did not invite Nathan or Benaiah or the king’s most capable soldiers or his [younger/half]-brother Solomon.
But Nathan the prophet, and Banaias, and all the valiant men, and Solomon his brother, he invited not.
11 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!
And Nathan said to Bethsabee the mother of Solomon: Hast thou not heard that Adonias the son of Haggith reigneth, and our lord David knoweth it not?
12 So if you want to save yourself and your son Solomon from being killed, allow me to tell you what you should do.
Now then come, take my counsel and save thy life, and the life of thy son Solomon.
13 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?’
Go, and get thee in to king David, and say to him: Didst not thou, my lord O king, swear to me thy handmaid, saying: Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? why then doth Adonias reign?
14 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.”
And while thou art yet speaking there with the king, I will come in after thee, and will fill up thy words.
15 So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. He was very old, and Abishag was taking care of him.
So Bethsabee went in to the king into the chamber: now the king was very old, and Abisag the Sunamitess ministered to him.
16 Bathsheba bowed very low in front of the king, and the king asked her, “What do you want?”
Bethsabee bowed herself, and worshipped the king. And the king said to her: What is thy will?
17 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].
She answered and said: My lord, thou didst swear to thy handmaid by the Lord thy God, saying: Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.
18 But now, believe it or not, Adonijah has become king, and you do not know anything about it.
And behold now Adonias reigneth, and thou, my lord the king, knowest nothing of it.
19 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.
He hath killed oxen, and all fat cattle, and many rams, and invited all the king’s sons, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the general of the army: but Solomon thy servant he invited not.
20 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.
And now, my lord O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldst tell them, who shall sit on thy throne, my lord the king, after thee.
21 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].”
Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king sleepeth with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
22 While she was still talking to the king, Nathan came [to the palace].
As she was yet speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came.
23 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.
And they told the king, saying: Nathan the prophet is here. And when he was come in before the king, and had worshipped, bowing down to the ground,
24 Then Nathan said, “Your Majesty, have you declared that Adonijah will become king after you are no longer the king?
Nathan said: My lord O king, hast thou said: Let Adonias reign after me, and let him sit upon my throne?
25 [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!’
Because he is gone down today, and hath killed oxen, and fatlings, and many rams, and invited all the king’s sons, and the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest: and they are eating and drinking before him, and saying: God save king Adonias:
26 But he did not invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon.
But me thy servant, and Sadoc the priest, and Banaias the son of Joiada, and Solomon thy servant he hath not invited.
27 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?”
Is this word come out from my lord the king, and hast thou not told me thy servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 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.
And king David answered and said: Call to me Bethsabee. And when she was come in to the king, and stood before him,
29 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.”
The king swore and said: As the Lord liveth, who hath delivered my soul out of all distress,
Even as I swore to thee by the Lord the God of Israel, saying: Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead, so will I do this day.
31 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]!”
And Bethsabee bowing with her face to the earth worshipped the king, saying: May my lord David live for ever.
32 Then King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah.” [So someone went and summoned them.] When they came in,
King David also said: Call me Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banaias the son of Joiada. And when they were come in before the king,
33 he said to them, “Put my son Solomon on my mule. Take him with my officials down to Gihon [Spring].
He said to them: Take with you the servants of your lord, and set my son Solomon upon my mule: and bring him to Gihon.
34 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!’
And let Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and you shall sound the trumpet, and shall say: God save king Solomon.
35 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.”
And you shall come up after him, and he shall come, and shall sit upon my throne, and he shall reign in my stead: and I will appoint him to be ruler over Israel, and over Juda.
36 Benaiah replied, “We will do that! We hope/wish that Yahweh, who is your God [and our God], will cause it to happen!
And Banaias the son of Joiada answered the king, saying: Amen: so say the Lord the God of my lord the king.
37 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.”
As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, so be he with Solomon, and make his throne higher than the throne of my lord king David.
38 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].
So Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet went down, and Banaias the son of Joiada, and the Cerethi, and Phelethi: and they set Solomon upon the mule of king David, and brought him to Gihon.
39 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!”
And Sadoc the priest took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon: and they sounded the trumpet, and all the people said: God save king Solomon.
40 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.
And all the multitude went up after him, and the people played with pipes, and rejoiced with a great joy, and the earth rang with the noise of their cry.
41 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?”
And Adonias, and all that were invited by him, heard it, and now the feast was at an end: Joab also hearing the sound of the trumpet, said: What meaneth this noise of the city in an uproar?
42 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!”
While he yet spoke, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonias said to him: Come in, because thou art a valiant man, and bringest good news.
43 Jonathan replied, “No, [I do not have good news]! His Majesty, King David, has caused Solomon to be the king!
And Jonathan answered Adonias: Not so: for our lord king David hath appointed Solomon king.
44 He sent Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and his own group of bodyguards to go with Solomon. They put Solomon on King David’s mule.
And hath sent with him Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banaias the son of Joiada, and the Cerethi, and Phelethi, and they have set him upon the king’s mule.
45 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.
And Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are gone up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again: this is the noise that you have heard.
46 So Solomon is now our king [MTY].
Moreover Solomon sitteth upon the throne of the kingdom,
47 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].
And the king’s servants going in have blessed our lord king David, saying: May God make the name of Solomon greater than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king adored in his bed:
48 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.’”
And he said: Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, who hath given this day one to sit on my throne, my eyes seeing it.
49 Then all of Adonijah’s guests (trembled/were afraid), so they all immediately got up and left and scattered.
Then all the guests of Adonias were afraid, and they all arose and every man went his way.
50 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].
And Adonias fearing Solomon, arose, and went, and took hold on the horn of the altar.
51 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.’”
And they told Solomon, saying: Behold Adonias, fearing king Solomon, hath taken hold of the horn of the altar, saying: Let king Solomon swear to me this day, that he will not kill his servant with the sword.
52 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.”
And Solomon said: If he be a good man, there shall not so much as one hair of his head fall to the ground: but if evil be found in him, he shall die.
53 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.”
Then king Solomon sent, and brought him out from the altar: and going in he worshipped king Solomon: and Solomon said to him: Go to thy house.
