1 Now king David
was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes,
but he gat no heat.
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 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 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and
ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
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 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 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar
the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.
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 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 Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men,
and Solomon his brother, he called not.
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 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 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 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also
will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
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 And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And
the king said, What wouldest thou?
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, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the
king, thou knowest it not:
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 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 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 And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet
also came in.
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 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 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 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 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 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And
she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
29 And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath
redeemed my soul out of all distress,
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord
king David hath made Solomon king.
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 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 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.
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 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 And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and
rose up, and went every man his way.
50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went,
and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
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 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 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.
Chapter 2
1 Now the days
of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon
his son, saying,
2 I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and
shew thyself a man;
3 And keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways,
to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments,
and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that
thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever
thou turnest thyself:
4 That the LORD may continue his word which he spake concerning
me, saying, If thy children take heed to their way, to walk
before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,
there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel.
5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did
to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel,
unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether,
whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the
blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in
his shoes that were on his feet.
6 Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar
head go down to the grave in peace.
7 But shew kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite,
and let them be of those that eat at thy table: for so they
came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother.
8 And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a
Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse
in the day when I went to Mahanaim: but he came down to meet
me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, I will
not put thee to death with the sword.
9 Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise
man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his
hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city
of David.
11 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years:
seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years
reigned he in Jerusalem.
12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and
his kingdom was established greatly.
13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother
of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said,
Peaceably.
14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she
said, Say on.
15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and
that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign:
howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's:
for it was his from the LORD.
16 And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she
said unto him, Say on.
17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for
he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite
to wife.
18 And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the
king.
19 Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto
him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed
himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat
to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray
thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my
mother: for I will not say thee nay.
21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah
thy brother to wife.
22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why
dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him
the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him,
and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
23 Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to
me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against
his own life.
24 Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established
me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath
made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death
this day.
25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada;
and he fell upon him that he died.
26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth,
unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will
not at this time put thee to death, because thou barest the
ark of the Lord GOD before David my father, and because thou
hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.
27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the
LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake
concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28 Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah,
though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle
of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the
tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then
Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon
him.
30 And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said
unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay;
but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again,
saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.
31 And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall
upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent
blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
32 And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who
fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew
them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to
wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and
Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab,
and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and
upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall
there be peace for ever from the LORD.
34 So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him,
and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room
over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put in the
room of Abiathar.
36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him,
Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not
forth thence any whither.
37 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest
over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou
shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.
38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my
lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei
dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
39 And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of
the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king
of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants
be in Gath.
40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to
Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his
servants from Gath.
41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem
to Gath, and was come again.
42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him,
Did I not make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto
thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out,
and walkest abroad any wither, that thou shalt surely die? and
thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the
commandment that I have charged thee with?
44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness
which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father:
therefore the LORD shall return thy wickedness upon thine own
head;
45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David
shall be established before the LORD for ever.
46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which
went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was
established in the hand of Solomon. |