| King James Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. | 1When David had grown very old, they covered him with blankets, but he could not keep warm, |
| 2Wherefore 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. | 2so his servants suggested to him, "Let's look for a young virgin woman to take care of you, your majesty. She will be of use to you if you have her lie down near you so that your majesty may keep warm." |
| 3So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. | 3So they conducted a search throughout the territory of Israel for a beautiful young woman, and Abishag the Shunammite was located and brought to the king. |
| 4And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not. | 4The young woman was absolutely beautiful. She served the king and was very useful to him. The king was not sexually involved with her. |
| 5Then 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. | 5Meanwhile, about this time Haggith's son Adonijah began to seek a reputation for himself and decided, "I'm going to be king!" So he prepared chariots, cavalry, and 50 soldiers to serve as a security detail to guard him. |
| 6And 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. | 6His father had never challenged him at any time during his life by asking him, "Why are you acting like this?" Adonijah was very handsome and had been born after Absalom. |
| 7And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him. | 7He had the support of Zeruiah's son Joab and of Abiathar the priest, who followed Adonijah and assisted him, |
| 8But 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. | 8but Zadok the priest, Jehoiada's son Benaiah, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's personal elite forces would have nothing to do with Adonijah. |
| 9And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants: | 9Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fatted cattle by the Serpent Stone near En-rogel, inviting all of his relatives, the king's sons, and all of the men of Judah who worked for the king, |
| 10But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not. | 10but he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, David's personal elite forces, or his brother Solomon. |
| 11Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? | 11"Haven't you heard?" Nathan asked Solomon's mother Bathsheba. "Haggith's son Adonijah has become king and David, our true king, isn't aware of it. |
| 12Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. | 12If you listen to me, you'll save your life and the life of your son Solomon. |
| 13Go 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? | 13Go right now to King David and ask him, 'Your majesty, you promised your servant that "Your son Solomon will certainly become king after me and will sit on my throne," didn't you? So why has Adonijah become king?' |
| 14Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words. | 14Then, while you are still talking to the king, I'll come in after you and verify your statement." |
| 15And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king. | 15So Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to him. |
| 16And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou? | 16Bathsheba knelt and bowed down to the king, and the king asked her, "What do you wish?" |
| 17And 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. | 17"Your majesty," she replied, "you promised your servant in the name of the LORD your God, 'Your son Solomon will certainly become king after me and will sit on my throne.' |
| 18And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not: | 18Now look, Adonijah has become king, and your majesty is not aware of it. |
| 19And 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. | 19Adonijah has sacrificed myriads of oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep, and he has invited all of the king's sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited your servant Solomon. |
| 20And 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. | 20And as for you, your majesty, everyone in Israel is looking to you to tell them who will sit on your majesty's throne after you. |
| 21Otherwise 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. | 21Otherwise, as soon as your majesty is laid to rest with his ancestors, my son Solomon and I will be branded as traitors." |
| 22And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. | 22While she was still talking to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. |
| 23And 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. | 23They informed the king, "Nathan the prophet is here." When he had been ushered into the presence of the king, Nathan bowed low in front of the king with his face to the ground |
| 24And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? | 24and asked, "Your majesty, did you say 'Adonijah will be king after me and will sit on my throne'? |
| 25For 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. | 25Well now, he went down today and sacrificed lots of oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep, and has invited all the king's sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. They're having a party together and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!' |
| 26But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called. | 26Of course, he never invited me, Zadok the priest, Jehoiada's son Benaiah, nor your servant Solomon. |
| 27Is 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? | 27Were you behind this, your majesty, without letting your servants know who would sit on your majesty's throne after him?" |
| 28Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king. | 28"Call Bathsheba for me," King David replied. So she came in and stood in front of the king. |
| 29And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, | 29"As the LORD lives," the king said with an oath, "who has redeemed me from all sorts of troubles, |
| 30Even 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. | 30I certainly did tell you in the name of the LORD God of Israel, 'Your son Solomon will be king after me and will sit on my throne in my place.' I'm certainly going to make this happen today!" |
| 31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever. | 31"King David," Bathsheba said as she bowed low in front of the king with her face to the ground, "your majesty, may you live forever." |
| 32And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. | 32"Get me Zadok the priest," King David said, "along with Nathan the prophet, and Jehoiada's son Benaiah." So they were ushered into the king's presence |
| 33The 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: | 33and David addressed them. "Take your lord's servants, have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. |
| 34And 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. | 34Have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel. Then sound a trumpet and declare 'Long live King Solomon!' |
| 35Then 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. | 35After this, you are to follow him back here, and he is to come and sit on my throne and take my place as king, because I've appointed him to be Commander-in-Chief over Israel and Judah." |
| 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too. | 36"Amen!" replied Jehoiada's son Benaiah to the king. "May the LORD God of your majesty make this happen! |
| 37As 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. | 37As the LORD has been with your majesty the king, so may he be with Solomon. May he make his throne greater than the throne of your majesty, King David." |
| 38So 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. | 38So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Jehoiada's son Benaiah, the special forces and mercenaries went out and had Solomon ride the king's mule all the way to Gihon. |
| 39And 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. | 39Zadok the priest brought from his tent a horn filled with oil and anointed Solomon, a trumpet was sounded, and everybody yelled out, "Long live King Solomon!" |
| 40And 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. | 40All the people followed after him, playing on wind pipes and so full of joy that the earth shook because of all the noise! |
| 41And 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? | 41Right about then, Adonijah and all of his guests were just finishing their meal when they heard all the noise. "Why is the city in such an uproar?" Joab asked as he heard the trumpet sounds. |
| 42And 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. | 42While he was still asking that question, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest arrived, so Adonijah told him, "Come on in, since you're a worthy man and are bringing us good news!" |
| 43And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. | 43"No," Jonathan answered. "Our lord King David has installed Solomon as king. |
| 44And 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: | 44The king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Jehoiada's son Benaiah, the special forces and mercenaries, along with Solomon, who is riding the king's personal mule. |
| 45And 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. | 45Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him in Gihon, and they just left from there rejoicing, and that's why the city is all in an uproar. That's the noise that you've been hearing! |
| 46And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. | 46Solomon now sits on the royal throne. |
| 47And 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. | 47In addition to all of this, the king's servants have come along to congratulate our lord King David. They've been telling David 'May your God make Solomon's reputation even more famous than yours, and may he make his throne greater than yours!' The king has himself bowed in worship on his own bed |
| 48And 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. | 48and said 'Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has provided someone to sit on my throne today. I've seen it with my own eyes!'" |
| 49And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. | 49Terrified, all of Adonijah's guests jumped up and ran away. |
| 50And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. | 50Afraid of Solomon, Adonijah also jumped up and headed straight for the horns of the altar. |
| 51And 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. | 51"Hey look!" somebody informed Solomon. "Adonijah is terrified of King Solomon! He's gone out, grabbed hold of the horns of the altar, and now he's begging King Solomon, 'Swear to me that you won't put your servant to death with a sword!'" |
| 52And 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. | 52"If he's done nothing wrong, not a hair of his head will be harmed," Solomon replied. "But if we find evil in him, he's a dead man." |
| 53So 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. | 53So King Solomon sent for him, and he was brought down from the altar. When he had arrived, he fell on his face in front of King Solomon, so Solomon told him, "Go home!" |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. |
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