Solomon Is Made King

¹King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets his servants piled on him, he couldn't get warm. ²So his servants suggested, "Let us find a young virgin for our lord the king. She can attend to you, lie close to you, and keep you warm." ³They searched throughout all of Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a girl from Shunem, and brought her to the king. ⁴The young woman was very beautiful. She cared for the king and served him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her. ⁵Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, 'I will be king.' He prepared chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶His father David had never once challenged him or asked, "Why are you doing this?" Adonijah was also very handsome, and he was born next after Absalom. ⁷He consulted with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed Adonijah and helped him. ⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah. ⁹Adonijah slaughtered sheep, oxen, and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is near Enrogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah who served the king. ¹⁰But he did not call Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon. ¹¹Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and asked her, "Have you heard that Adonijah, Haggith's son, has made himself king? And David our lord doesn't even know about it!" ¹²"Please, let me give you some advice that could save your life and the life of your son Solomon." ¹³"Go to King David and say to him, 'My lord the king, didn't you swear an oath to me, your servant, that my son Solomon would be king after you and sit on your throne? Then why has Adonijah become king?'" ¹⁴"While you're still speaking with the king, I'll come in right behind you and back up everything you've said." ¹⁵So Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. David was very old by now, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to him. ¹⁶Bathsheba bowed low before the king. He asked her, "What do you want?" ¹⁷She answered, "My lord, you swore to me by the LORD your God, saying, 'Your son Solomon will be king after me and will sit on my throne.'" ¹⁸"But now Adonijah has made himself king, and you, my lord, don't even know about it!" ¹⁹"He has sacrificed cattle, fattened calves, and sheep in huge numbers, and he's invited all the king's sons, along with Abiathar the priest and Joab the army commander. But he didn't invite your servant Solomon." ²⁰"My lord the king, all of Israel is watching you, waiting for you to announce who will sit on your throne after you." ²¹Otherwise, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, my son Solomon and I will be counted as offenders. ²²She was still speaking with the king when Nathan the prophet arrived. ²³The servants announced, "Nathan the prophet is here." Nathan came before the king and bowed with his face to the ground. ²⁴Nathan said, "My lord the king, did you declare that Adonijah would be king after you and sit on your throne?" ²⁵Because he went down today and slaughtered oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in large numbers. He invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Look, they are eating and drinking before him and saying, 'May God save King Adonijah!' ²⁶"But he didn't invite me — your servant — or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon." ²⁷"Did my lord the king authorize this without telling your servants who should sit on the throne after you?" ²⁸King David replied, "Bring Bathsheba back to me." She came in and stood before the king. ²⁹The king swore and said, "As the LORD lives, who has rescued my soul from all distress," ³⁰"I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, that your son Solomon would be king after me and sit on my throne in my place. I will make that happen today." ³¹Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and said, "May my lord King David live forever!" ³²King David ordered, "Bring me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada." They came before the king. ³³The king told them, "Take my personal servants with you, put my son Solomon on my own mule, and escort him down to Gihon." ³⁴Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and say, 'May God save King Solomon!' ³⁵"After that, follow him back here so he can take his seat on my throne. He will be king in my place — I have appointed him ruler over all Israel and Judah." ³⁶Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, confirm it!" ³⁷"Just as the LORD has been with my lord the king, may he be with Solomon and make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David." ³⁸So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites went down, placed Solomon on King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. ³⁹Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet, and all the people said, 'May God save King Solomon!' ⁴⁰The whole crowd followed him back, playing flutes and celebrating with such tremendous joy that the ground shook from the noise. ⁴¹Adonijah and his guests heard the commotion just as they were finishing their feast. When Joab heard the trumpet blast, he asked, "What's all that noise? Why is the city in an uproar?" ⁴²While he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, arrived. Adonijah said to him, 'Come in, for you are a valiant man and bring good news.' ⁴³Jonathan answered Adonijah, "Indeed, our ruler, King David, has made Solomon king." ⁴⁴"The king sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethites with him, and they put him on the king's own mule." ⁴⁵"Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king at Gihon. They came back from there celebrating so loudly that the whole city is still ringing with it. That's the noise you heard." ⁴⁶"What's more, Solomon is already sitting on the royal throne." ⁴⁷Moreover, the king's servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, 'God make Solomon's name greater than yours and his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself on the bed. ⁴⁸The king also said, 'Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.' ⁴⁹At this, all of Adonijah's guests panicked. They jumped up and scattered, each one going his own way. ⁵⁰Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up, went to the altar, and held onto its horns. ⁵¹Solomon was told, "Look, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon. He has grabbed the horns of the altar and says, 'Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not kill me, his servant, with a sword.'" ⁵²Solomon said, "If he proves himself to be a worthy man, not a single hair of his head will fall to the ground. But if wickedness is found in him, he will die." ⁵³So King Solomon sent men to bring Adonijah down from the altar. Adonijah came and bowed before King Solomon, and Solomon told him, "Go home."