1 Kings 1:5-25

5 Now 1Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." So 2he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him.
6 His father had never [a]crossed him at any time by asking, "Why have you done so?" And he was also a very handsome * man, and [b]3he was born after Absalom.
7 [c]He had conferred with 4Joab the son of Zeruiah and with 5Abiathar the priest; and following 6Adonijah they helped him.
8 But 7Zadok the priest, 8Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, 9Nathan the prophet, 10Shimei, Rei, and 11the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the [d]stone of Zoheleth, which is beside 12En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants.
10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and 13Solomon his brother.

Nathan and Bathsheba

11 Then Nathan spoke to 14Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?
12 "So now come, please let me 15give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon.
13 "Go [e]at once to King David and say to him, 'Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, "16Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne "? Why then has Adonijah become king?'
14 "Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words."
15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now 17the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.
16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself [f]before the king. And the king said, "What [g]do you wish?"
17 She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God, saying, '18Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.'
18 "Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it.
19 "19He has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant.
20 "As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 "Otherwise it will come about, 20as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [h]offenders."
22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.
23 They told the king, saying, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself [i]before the king with his face to the ground.
24 Then Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne '?
25 "21For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, '22Long live King Adonijah!'

Cross References 22

  • 1. 2 Samuel 3:4
  • 2. 2 Samuel 15:1
  • 3. 2 Samuel 3:3, 4
  • 4. 1 Chronicles 11:6
  • 5. 1 Samuel 22:20, 23; 2 Samuel 20:25
  • 6. 1 Kings 2:22
  • 7. 2 Samuel 20:25; 1 Chronicles 16:39
  • 8. 2 Samuel 8:18
  • 9. 2 Samuel 12:1
  • 10. 1 Kings 4:18
  • 11. 2 Samuel 23:8-39
  • 12. Joshua 15:7; Joshua 18:16; 2 Samuel 17:17
  • 13. 2 Samuel 12:24
  • 14. 2 Samuel 12:24
  • 15. Proverbs 15:22
  • 16. 1 Kings 1:30; 1 Chronicles 22:9-13
  • 17. 1 Kings 1:1
  • 18. 1 Kings 1:13
  • 19. 1 Kings 1:9
  • 20. Deuteronomy 31:16; 2 Samuel 7:12; 1 Kings 2:10
  • 21. 1 Kings 1:9
  • 22. 1 Samuel 10:24

Footnotes 9

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