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 they covered him with clothes, but he could not get 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.”
Therefore his servants said to him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get warm.
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 for a fair damsel throughout all the land of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, 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 very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
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].
Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very handsome man; and his mother bore him 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 Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.
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 Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
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 Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and invited all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah 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 Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called 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!
Therefore Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord 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 therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thy own 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 enter in to king David, and say to him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear to thy handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah 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.”
Behold, while thou art yet talking there with the king, I will also come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
15 So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. He was very old, and Abishag was taking care of him.
And Bathsheba went to the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered to the king.
16 Bathsheba bowed very low in front of the king, and the king asked her, “What do you want?”
And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?
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].
And she said to him, My lord, thou didst swear by the LORD thy God to thy handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
18 But now, believe it or not, Adonijah has become king, and you do not know anything about it.
And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:
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.
And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath invited all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not invited.
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 thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
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 shall sleep 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].
And, lo, while she was yet talking with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
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, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he had come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
24 Then Nathan said, “Your Majesty, have you declared that Adonijah will become king after you are no longer the king?
And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall 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!’
For he hath gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath invited all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.
26 But he did not invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or Solomon.
But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he 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 thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shown it to 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.
Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king.
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.”
And the king swore, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
Even as I swore to thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly 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]!”
Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king 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,
And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.
33 he said to them, “Put my son Solomon on my mule. Take him with my officials down to Gihon [Spring].
The king also said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon my own mule, and bring him down 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 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and 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.”
Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.
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 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
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, even so let him be with Solomon, and make his throne greater 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 Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, 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 Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew 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 people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with the sound of them.
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 Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Why is this noise of the city being 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!”
And while he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said to him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.
43 Jonathan replied, “No, [I do not have good news]! His Majesty, King David, has caused Solomon to be the king!
And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made 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 the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride 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 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they have come from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that ye have heard.
46 So Solomon is now our king [MTY].
And also Solomon sitteth on 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 moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the 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 also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath given one to sit on my throne this day, my eyes even seeing it.
49 Then all of Adonijah’s guests (trembled/were afraid), so they all immediately got up and left and scattered.
And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and went every man 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 Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns 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 it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear to me to day that he will not slay 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 will show himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall 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.”
So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said to him, Go to thy house.
