1 Kings 1

David in Old Age

1 Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm.
2 So his servants said to him, "Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her [a]attend * the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm."
3 So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the 1Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king's nurse and served him, but the king did not [b]cohabit with her.
5 Now 2Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." So 3he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him.
6 His father had never [c]crossed him at any time by asking, "Why have you done so?" And he was also a very handsome * man, and [d]4he was born after Absalom.
7 [e]He had conferred with 5Joab the son of Zeruiah and with 6Abiathar the priest; and following 7Adonijah they helped him.
8 But 8Zadok the priest, 9Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, 10Nathan the prophet, 11Shimei, Rei, and 12the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the [f]stone of Zoheleth, which is beside 13En-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 14Solomon his brother.

Nathan and Bathsheba

11 Then Nathan spoke to 15Bathsheba 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 16give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon.
13 "Go [g]at once to King David and say to him, 'Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, "17Surely 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 18the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.
16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself [h]before the king. And the king said, "What [i]do you wish?"
17 She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God, saying, '19Surely 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 "20He 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, 21as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [j]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 [k]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 "22For 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, '23Long live King Adonijah!'
26 "24But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited.
27 "Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not shown to your [l]servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"
28 Then King David said, "Call Bathsheba to me." And she came into the king's presence and stood before the king.
29 The king vowed and said, "25As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress,
30 surely as 26I vowed to you by the LORD the God of Israel, saying, 'Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place '; I will indeed do so this day."
31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself [m]before the king and said, "27May my lord King David live forever."
32 Then King David said, "Call to me 28Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." And they came into the king's presence.
33 The king said to them, "Take with you 29the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to 30Gihon.
34 "Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet 31anoint him there as king over Israel, and 32blow the trumpet and say, '33Long live King Solomon!'
35 "Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah."
36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! Thus may the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say.
37 "34As the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and 35make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!"

Solomon Anointed King

38 So 36Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, 37the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule, and brought him to 38Gihon.
39 Zadok the priest then 39took the horn of oil from the tent and 40anointed Solomon. Then they 41blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "42Long live King Solomon!"
40 All the people went up after him, and the people [n]were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth [o]shook at their noise.
41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "Why [p]is the city making such an uproar?"
42 While he was still speaking, behold, 43Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, "Come in, for 44you are a valiant man and bring good news."
43 But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, "No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king.
44 "The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king's mule.
45 "Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, 45so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard.
46 "Besides, 46Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom.
47 "Moreover, the king's servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, 'May 47your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!' And 48the king bowed himself on the bed.
48 "The king has also said thus, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who 49has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it."'
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified; and they arose and each went on his way.
50 And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went and 50took hold of the horns of the altar.
51 Now it was told Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.' "
52 Solomon said, "If he is a worthy man, 51not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die."
53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself [q]before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

Cross References 51

  • 1. Joshua 19:18; 1 Samuel 28:4
  • 2. 2 Samuel 3:4
  • 3. 2 Samuel 15:1
  • 4. 2 Samuel 3:3, 4
  • 5. 1 Chronicles 11:6
  • 6. 1 Samuel 22:20, 23; 2 Samuel 20:25
  • 7. 1 Kings 2:22
  • 8. 2 Samuel 20:25; 1 Chronicles 16:39
  • 9. 2 Samuel 8:18
  • 10. 2 Samuel 12:1
  • 11. 1 Kings 4:18
  • 12. 2 Samuel 23:8-39
  • 13. Joshua 15:7; Joshua 18:16; 2 Samuel 17:17
  • 14. 2 Samuel 12:24
  • 15. 2 Samuel 12:24
  • 16. Proverbs 15:22
  • 17. 1 Kings 1:30; 1 Chronicles 22:9-13
  • 18. 1 Kings 1:1
  • 19. 1 Kings 1:13
  • 20. 1 Kings 1:9
  • 21. Deuteronomy 31:16; 2 Samuel 7:12; 1 Kings 2:10
  • 22. 1 Kings 1:9
  • 23. 1 Samuel 10:24
  • 24. 1 Kings 1:8, 10
  • 25. 2 Samuel 4:9
  • 26. 1 Kings 1:13, 17
  • 27. Daniel 2:4; Daniel 3:9
  • 28. 1 Kings 1:8
  • 29. 2 Samuel 20:6, 7
  • 30. 2 Chronicles 32:30; 2 Chronicles 33:14
  • 31. 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:3, 12; 2 Samuel 5:3; 1 Kings 19:16; 2 Kings 9:3
  • 32. 2 Samuel 15:10
  • 33. 1 Kings 1:25
  • 34. Joshua 1:5, 17; 1 Samuel 20:13
  • 35. 1 Kings 1:47
  • 36. 1 Kings 1:8
  • 37. 2 Samuel 8:18
  • 38. 1 Kings 1:33
  • 39. Exodus 30:23-32; Psalms 89:20
  • 40. 1 Chronicles 29:22
  • 41. 1 Kings 1:34
  • 42. 1 Samuel 10:24
  • 43. 2 Samuel 15:27, 36; 2 Samuel 17:17
  • 44. 2 Samuel 18:27
  • 45. 1 Kings 1:40
  • 46. 1 Chronicles 29:23
  • 47. 1 Kings 1:37
  • 48. Genesis 47:31
  • 49. 2 Samuel 7:12; 1 Kings 3:6
  • 50. Exodus 27:2; Exodus 30:10; 1 Kings 2:28
  • 51. 1 Samuel 14:45; 2 Samuel 14:11; Acts 27:34

Footnotes 17

1 Kings 1 Commentaries

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