1 Kings 1

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 King David was now a very old man, and though wrapped in bedclothes he could not keep warm.	1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
2 So his servants said to him, 'Let us find a young girl for my lord the king, to wait on the king and lookafter him; she wil lie close beside you and this wil keep my lord the king warm.'	2 Wherefore his servants said unto 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 heat.
3 Having searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, they found Abishag of Shunem andbrought her to the king.	3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 The girl was very beautiful. She looked after the king and waited on him but the king did not haveintercourse with her.	4 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
5 Now Adonijah son of Haggith was growing pretentious and saying, 'I shal be king!' Accordingly, heprocured a chariot and team with fifty guards to run ahead of him.	5 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.
6 Never once in his life had his father crossed him by saying, 'Why are you behaving like that?' He wasvery handsome too; his mother had given birth to him after Absalom.	6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.
7 He conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar, who both ral ied to Adonijah's cause;	7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.
8 but neither Zadok the priest, nor Benaiah son of Jehoiada, nor the prophet Nathan, nor Shimei and Rei,nor David's champions, supported Adonijah.	8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 One day when Adonijah was sacrificing sheep, oxen and fattened calves at the Sliding Stone which isbeside the Ful er's Spring, he invited al his brothers, the royal princes, and al the men of Judah in the king'sservice;	9 And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants:
10 but he did not invite the prophet Nathan, or Benaiah, or the champions, or his brother Solomon.	10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
11 Nathan then said to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, 'Have you not heard that, unknown to our lordDavid, Adonijah son of Haggith has become king?	11 Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba 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 Wel , this is my advice to you if you want to save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.	12 Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.
13 Go straight in to King David and say, "My lord king, did you not make your servant this promise onoath: Your son Solomon is to be king after me; he is the one who is to sit on my throne? How is it, then, thatAdonijah is king?"	13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?
14 And while you are stil there talking to the king, I shal come in after you and confirm what you say.'	14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his room (he was very old and Abishag of Shunem was in attendanceon him).	15 And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.
16 She knelt, prostrated herself before the king, and the king said, 'What do you want?'	16 And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?
17 'My lord,' she replied, 'you swore to your servant by Yahweh your God, "Your son Solomon is to beking after me; he is the one who is to sit on my throne."	17 And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne.
18 And now here is Adonijah king, and you, my lord king, knowing nothing about it!	18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:
19 He has sacrificed quantities of oxen, fattened calves and sheep, and invited all the royal princes, thepriest Abiathar, and Joab the army commander; but he has not invited your servant Solomon.	19 And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called.
20 Yet you are the man, my lord king, to whom al Israel looks, to tel them who is to succeed my lord theking.	20 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 And when my lord the king fal s asleep with his ancestors, Solomon and I shal be made to suffer forthis.'	21 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 She was stil speaking to the king when the prophet Nathan came in.	22 And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
23 The king was told, 'The prophet Nathan is here'; and he came into the king's presence and prostratedhimself on his face before the king.	23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
24 'My lord king,' said Nathan, 'is this, then, your decree, "Adonijah is to be king after me; he is the onewho is to sit on my throne"?	24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
25 For he has gone down today and sacrificed quantities of oxen, fattened calves and sheep, and invitedal the royal princes, the army commanders, and the priest Abiathar; and they are there now, eating and drinkingin his presence and shouting, "Long live King Adonijah!"	25 For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called 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 He has not, however, invited me your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or yourservant Solomon.	26 But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.
27 Can it be that this is done with my lord the king's approval and that you have not told those loyal to youwho is to succeed to the throne of my lord the king?'	27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 King David then spoke. 'Cal Bathsheba to me,' he said. And she came into the king's presence andstood before him.	28 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
29 Then the king swore this oath, 'As Yahweh lives, who has delivered me from all adversity,	29 And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
30 just as I swore to you by Yahweh, God of Israel, that your son Solomon should be king after me andtake my place on my throne, so I shal bring it about this very day.'	30 Even as I sware unto 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, prostrated herself on her face before the king and said, 'May my lord KingDavid live for ever!'	31 Then Bath-sheba 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, the prophet Nathan and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.'So they came into the king's presence.	32 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 'Take the royal guard with you,' said the king, 'mount my son Solomon on my own mule and escort himdown to Gihon.	33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
34 There Zadok the priest and the prophet Nathan are to anoint him king of Israel; then sound the trumpetand shout, "Long live King Solomon!"	34 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 you are to escort him back, and he is then to assume my throne and be king in place of me, forhe is the man whom I have appointed as ruler of Israel and of Judah.'	35 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 son of Jehoiada answered the king. 'Amen!' he said. 'And may Yahweh, God of my lord theking, confirm it!	36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
37 As Yahweh has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon and make his throne evengreater than the throne of my lord King David!'	37 As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.
38 Zadok the priest, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and Pelethitesthen went down; they mounted Solomon on King David's mule and escorted him to Gihon.	38 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 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the Tent and anointed Solomon. They sounded the trumpetand all the people shouted, 'Long live King Solomon!'	39 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 The people al escorted him back, with pipes playing and loud rejoicing and shouts to split the earth.	40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.
41 Adonijah and his guests, who had by then finished their meal, al heard the noise. Joab too heard thesound of the trumpet and said, 'What is that noise of uproar in the city?'	41 And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?
42 While he was stil speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. 'Come in,' Adonijah said, 'youare an honest man, so you must be bringing good news.'	42 And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.
43 'The truth is,' Jonathan answered, 'our lord King David has made Solomon king.	43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.
44 With him, the king sent Zadok the priest, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah son of Jehoiada and theCherethites and Pelethites; they mounted him on the king's mule,	44 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 and Zadok the priest and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have goneback again with shouts of joy and the city is now in an uproar; that was the noise you heard.	45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.
46 What is more, Solomon is seated on the royal throne.	46 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.
47 And further, the king's officers have been to congratulate our lord King David with the words, "May yourGod make the name of Solomon more glorious than yours, and his throne more exalted than your own!" And theking bowed down on his bed,	47 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 and then said, "Blessed be Yahweh, God of Israel, for setting one of my own sons on the throne while Iam stil alive to see it!" '	48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.
49 At this, all Adonijah's guests, taking fright, got up and made off in their several directions.	49 And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.
50 Adonijah, in terror of Solomon, got up and ran off to cling to the horns of the altar.	50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
51 Solomon was told, 'You should know that Adonijah is terrified of King Solomon and is now clinging tothe horns of the altar, saying, "Let King Solomon first swear to me that he will not have his servant executed." '	51 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 unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
52 'Should he bear himself honourably,' Solomon answered, 'not one hair of his shal fal to the ground;but if he proves difficult, he shal die.'	52 And Solomon said, If he will shew 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 King Solomon then sent for him to be brought down from the altar; he came and threw himselfprostrate before King Solomon; Solomon said to him, 'Go to your house.'	53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.