מלכים א

FIRST KINGS

1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he could get no heat. 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 be a companion unto him; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.' So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel was very fair; and she became a companion unto the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not.

than the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.

"Then Nathan spoke unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying: 'Hast thou not heard that Ádonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? 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. 13Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him: Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thy handmaid, saying: Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? 14Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.'

"Now 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. And his father had not grieved him all his life in saying: 'Why 15 And Bath-sheba went in unto the hast thou done so?' and he was also king into the chamber. Now the king a very goodly man; and he was born was very old; and Abishag the Shuafter Absalom. And he conferred nammite ministered unto the king.— with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with 16And Bath-sheba bowed, and prosAbiathar the priest; and they following trated herself unto the king. And Adonijah helped him. But Zadok the king said: "What wouldest thou?' the priest, and Benaiah the son of "And she said unto him: My lord, Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, thou didst swear by the LORD thy and Shimei; and Rei, and the mighty God unto thy handmaid: Assuredly men that belonged to David, were not Solomon thy son shall reign after me, with Adonijah. And Adonijah slew and he shall sit upon my throne. sheep and oxen and fatlings by the 18And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; stone of Zoheleth, which is beside and thou, my lord the king, knowest En-rogel; and he called all his brethren it not. 19And he hath slain oxen and the king's sons, and all the men of fatlings and sheep in abundance, and Judah the king's servants; 10but Na-hath called all the sons of the king,

and Abiathar the priest, and Joab stead; verily so will I do this day.' the captain of the host; but Solomon "Then Bath-sheba bowed with her thy servant hath he not called. 20And face to the earth, and prostrated herthou, my lord the king, the eyes of self to the king, and said: 'Let my all Israel are upon thee, that thou lord king David live for ever.' shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise it will 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 came in. 23And they told the king, saying: 'Behold Nathan the prophet.' And when he was come in before the king, he bowed down before 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? 25 For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fatlings 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: Long live 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. 27Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not declared 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 swore and said: 'As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, verily as I swore unto thee by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying: Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my

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 And the king 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. And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow ye with the horn, and say: Long live king Solomon. 35 Then ye shall come up after him, and he shail come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead; and I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah.' 36And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said: 'Amen; so say the LORD, the God of my lord the king. 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.'

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. 39And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the ram's horn; and all the people said: 'Long live 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.

And Adonijah and all the guests

that were with him heard it as they not slay his servant with the sword.' had made an end of eating. And 52And Solomon said: 'If he shall show when Joab heard the sound of the himself a worthy man, there shall not horn, he said: 'Wherefore is this a hair of him fall to the earth; but if noise of the city being in an uproar?' wickedness be found in him, he shall While he yet spoke, behold, Jon- die.' So king Solomon sent, and they athan the son of Abiathar the priest brought him down from the altar. came; and Adonijah said: 'Come in; And he came and prostrated himself for thou art a worthy man, and bring- before king Solomon; and Solomon est good tidings.' 43 And Jonathan said unto him: 'Go to thy house.' answered and said to Adonijah: 'Verily Now the days of David drew our lord king David hath made nigh that he should die; and he Solomon king. And the king hath charged Solomon his son, saying: "'1 sent with him Zadok the priest, and go the way of all the earth; be thou Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah strong therefore, and show thyself a the son of Jehoiada, and the Chere- man; and keep the charge of the thites and the Pelethites, and they LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, have caused him to ride upon the king's to keep His statutes, and His commule. And Zadok the priest and mandments, and His ordinances, and Nathan the prophet have anointed His testimonies, according to that him king in Gihon; and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that ye have heard. 46 And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. "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 down upon the bed. 48And also thus said the king: Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.'

which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself; that the LORD may establish His word which He spoke 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. "Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did unto me, even 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, 49And all the guests of Adonijah whom he slew, and shed the blood were afraid, and rose up, and went of war in peace, and put the blood of every man his way. 50And Adonijah war upon his girdle that was about feared because of Solomon; and he his loins, and in his shoes that were arose, and went, and caught hold on on his feet. Do therefore according the horns of the altar. And it was to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar told Solomon, saying: 'Behold, Ado-head go down to the grave in peace. nijah feareth king Solomon; for, lo, But show kindness unto the sons of he hath laid hold on the horns of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them the altar, saying: Let king Solomon be of those that eat at thy table; for swear unto me first of all that he will so they drew nigh unto me when I

fled from Absalom thy brother. And, behold, there is with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim; but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, and I swore to him by the LORD, saying: I will not put thee to death with the sword. Now therefore hold him not guiltless, for thou art a wise man; and thou wilt know what thou oughtest to do unto him, and thou shalt bring his hoar head down to the grave with blood.'

meet her, and bowed down unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20Then she said: 'I ask one small petition of thee; deny me not.' And the king said unto her: 'Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny thee.' And she said: 'Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.' 22And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother: 'And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Ado10 And David slept with his fathers, nijah? ask for him the kingdom also; and was buried in the city of David. for he is mine elder brother; even for "And the days that David reigned him, and for Abiathar the priest, and over Israel were forty years: seven for Joab the son of Zeruiah.' 23Then years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty king Solomon swore by the LORD, sayand three years reigned he in Jeru-ing: 'God do so to me, and more salem. 12And Solomon sat upon the also, if Adonijah have not spoken this throne of David his father; and his word against his own life. 24 Now kingdom was established firmly. therefore as the LORD liveth, who 13Then Adonijah the son of Hag- hath established me, and set me on gith came to Bath-sheba the mother the throne of David my father, and of Solomon. And she said: 'Comest who hath made me a house, as He thou peaceably? And he said: 'Peace- promised, surely Adonijah shall be ably. He said moreover: 'I have put to death this day.' 25And king somewhat to say unto thee.' And Solomon sent by the hand of Beshe said: 'Say on.' 15And he said: naiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell "Thou knowest that the kingdom upon him, so that he died. 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. 16And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not.' And she said unto him: 'Say on.' 17And 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.'

19Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to

26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king: 'Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art deserving of death; but I will not at this time put thee to death, because thou didst bear the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because thou wast afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted.' 27So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that the word of the LORD might be fulfilled, which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

28 And the tidings came to Joab; for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom.

36 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him: Build thee a house in Jerusalem, and dwell And the kingdom was established in there, and go not forth thence any 3 the hand of Solomon. 'And Solwhither. 37For on the day thou goest omon became allied to Pharaoh out, and passest over the brook Kid-king of Egypt by marriage, and took