1Now king David was old, far on in years. They covered him with clothes, but he could not get warm.
2So his servants said to him, "Let a young girl be looked for, for my lord the king. Let her wait on the king and take care of him. Let her lie close to you, so that my lord the king may be warm."
3So they looked for a beautiful girl through all the land of Israel. They found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4The girl was very beautiful. She took care of the king and served him, but the king did not have relations with her.
5Then Adonijah the son of Haggith lifted himself up and said, "I will be king." He got ready chariots and horsemen for himself, and fifty men to run in front of him.
6His father had never at any time upset him by asking, "Why have you done this?" Adonijah was also a very handsome man. His mother had given birth to him after Absalom.
7He talked with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. They followed Adonijah and helped him.
8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.
9Adonijah killed sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside Enrogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants.
11So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. He said, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has made himself king, and David our lord does not know it?"
12"Now come, let me give you advice, so that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon."
13"Go in to king David and say to him, 'My lord, O king, did you not promise to me, your servant, that Solomon my son would surely be king after you, and that he would sit on your throne? Why then is Adonijah king?'"
14"Look, while you are still talking there with the king, I will come in after you and back up your words."
15So Bathsheba went in to the king in his room. The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving him.
16Bathsheba bent low and bowed down before the king. The king said, "What do you want?"
17She said to him, "My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to me, your servant, and said, 'Surely Solomon your son will be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.'"
18"And now, look, Adonijah is king, and you, my lord the king, do not know it."
19"He has killed oxen and fat cattle and many sheep. He 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"And you, my lord, O king - the eyes of all Israel are on you, waiting for you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him."
21"If you do not, then when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals."
22And look, while she was still talking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.
23They told the king, "Nathan the prophet is here." When he had come before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
24Nathan said, "My lord, O king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne'?"
25"For today he has gone down and killed oxen and fat cattle and many sheep. He has invited all the king's sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Look, they are eating and drinking with him, and saying, 'God save king Adonijah.'"
26"But 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, without telling your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"
28Then king David answered, "Call Bathsheba to me." She came into the king's presence and stood before the king.
29The king made a promise and said, "As the LORD lives, who has rescued me out of all trouble,"
30"I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel and said, 'Surely Solomon your son will be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place.' I will certainly do this today."
31Then Bathsheba bent low with her face to the ground and bowed to the king. She said, "May my lord king David live for ever."
32King David said, "Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada to me." So they came before the king.
33The king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord. Put Solomon my son on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon."
34"There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and say, 'God save king Solomon.'"
35"Then come up after him, and let him come and sit on my throne. He will be king in my place. I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah."
36Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen. May the LORD God of my lord the king say so too."
37"As the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David."
38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down. They put Solomon on king David's mule and brought him to Gihon.
39Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "God save king Solomon."
40All the people came up after him. The people played on pipes and were filled with great joy, so that the earth shook with the sound of them.
41Adonijah and all the guests with him heard it as they were finishing their meal. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "Why is there such an uproar in the city?"
42While he was still speaking, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said to him, "Come in, for you are a worthy man, and you bring good news."
44"The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king's mule."
45"Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon. They have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city rang with the sound. That is the noise you have heard."
46"And what is more, Solomon is sitting on the throne of the kingdom."
47"And the king's servants have come to bless our lord king David. They said, 'May God make the name of Solomon greater than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself on the bed."
48"And this is what the king said: 'Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given someone to sit on my throne today, and has let my own eyes see it.'"
49Then all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid. They got up, and each man went his own way.
50Adonijah was afraid of Solomon. He got up and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
51Someone told Solomon, "Look, Adonijah is afraid of king Solomon. He has taken hold of the horns of the altar and says, 'Let king Solomon swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.'"
52Solomon said, "If he shows himself to be a worthy man, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground. But if wickedness is found in him, he will die."
53So king Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed down to king Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."