| English Standard Version | New International Version |
| 1Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. | 1When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. |
| 2Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.” | 2So his attendants said to him, "Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm." |
| 3So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. | 3Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. |
| 4The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not. | 4The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her. |
| 5Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. | 5Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, "I will be king." So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. |
| 6His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. | 6(His father had never rebuked him by asking, "Why do you behave as you do?" He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.) |
| 7He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. | 7Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. |
| 8But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David’s mighty men were not with Adonijah. | 8But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David's special guard did not join Adonijah. |
| 9Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent’s Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, | 9Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, |
| 10but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother. | 10but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon. |
| 11Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? | 11Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, "Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? |
| 12Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. | 12Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. |
| 13Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’ | 13Go in to King David and say to him, 'My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: "Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' |
| 14Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.” | 14While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said." |
| 15So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king). | 15So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. |
| 16Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?” | 16Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king. "What is it you want?" the king asked. |
| 17She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the LORD your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ | 17She said to him, "My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: 'Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.' |
| 18And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. | 18But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. |
| 19He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited. | 19He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. |
| 20And 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. | 20My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. |
| 21Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.” | 21Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals." |
| 22While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. | 22While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. |
| 23And they told the king, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground. | 23And the king was told, "Nathan the prophet is here." So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground. |
| 24And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? | 24Nathan said, "Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? |
| 25For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ | 25Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!' |
| 26But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited. | 26But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. |
| 27Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?” | 27Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?" |
| 28Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. | 28Then King David said, "Call in Bathsheba." So she came into the king's presence and stood before him. |
| 29And the king swore, saying, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, | 29The king then took an oath: "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, |
| 30as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.” | 30I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place." |
| 31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!” | 31Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground, prostrating herself before the king, and said, "May my lord King David live forever!" |
| 32King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. | 32King David said, "Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada." When they came before the king, |
| 33And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. | 33he said to them: "Take your lord's servants with you and have Solomon my son mount my own mule and take him down to Gihon. |
| 34And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ | 34There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, 'Long live King Solomon!' |
| 35You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” | 35Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah." |
| 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so. | 36Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. |
| 37As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.” | 37As the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!" |
| 38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. | 38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon mount King David's mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. |
| 39There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” | 39Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!" |
| 40And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise. | 40And all the people went up after him, playing pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound. |
| 41Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” | 41Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, "What's the meaning of all the noise in the city?" |
| 42While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.” | 42Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, "Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news." |
| 43Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king, | 43"Not at all!" Jonathan answered. "Our lord King David has made Solomon king. |
| 44and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king’s mule. | 44The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king's mule, |
| 45And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. | 45and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with it. That's the noise you hear. |
| 46Solomon sits on the royal throne. | 46Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. |
| 47Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself on the bed. | 47Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make Solomon's name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!' And the king bowed in worship on his bed |
| 48And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.’” | 48and said, 'Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.'" |
| 49Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way. | 49At this, all Adonijah's guests rose in alarm and dispersed. |
| 50And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. | 50But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. |
| 51Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” | 51Then Solomon was told, "Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, 'Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'" |
| 52And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” | 52Solomon replied, "If he shows himself to be worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die." |
| 53So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.” | 53Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, "Go to your home." |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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