Abishag Cares for David

1And king Dauid was olde and stricken in yeres, so that whe they couered him with clothes, he caught no heate. 2Wherefore his seruauntes sayde vnto him: Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgyn, to stande before the king and to cherishe him, and let her lye in thy bosome, that my lorde the king may get heate. 3And so they sought for a faire damosell throughout al the coastes of Israel, and founde one Abisag a Sunamite, and brought her to the king. 4And the damosell was exceeding faire, and cherished the king, and ministred to him: But the king knewe her not.

Adonijah Usurps the Kingdom

5And Adonia the sonne of Haggith exalted him selfe, saying: I wilbe king. And he gat him charettes and horsemen, and fyftie men to runne before him. 6And his father for his time would not displease him, to say why hast thou done so? And he was a very goodly man: and his mother bare him next after Absalom. 7And he toke counsell at Ioab the sonne of Zaruia, and at Abiathar the priest: and they helped forward Adonia: 8But Sadoc the priest, Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada, Nathan the prophete, Semei, and Rei, and the men of might which were with Dauid, they were not with Adonia.

9And Adonia sacrificed sheepe, and oxen, and fat cattel, by the stone of Zoheleth, whiche is by the well of Rogel, and called all his brethren the kinges sonnes, and all the men of Iuda the kinges seruauntes: 10But Nathan the prophete, and Banaiah, and the mightie men, and Solomon his brother he called not.

Nathan and Bathsheba before David

11Wherfore Nathan spake vnto Bethsabe the mother of Solomon, saying: Hast thou not hearde that Adonia the sonne of Haggith doth raigne, and Dauid our lorde knoweth it not? 12Nowe therfore come, and I will geue thee counsell howe to saue thyne owne lyfe, and the lyfe of thy sonne Solomon. 13Go and get thee in vnto king Dauid, & say vnto him: Diddest not thou my lorde O king, sweare vnto thy handmayde, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy sonne shall raigne after me, and he shall sit vpon my seate? why is then Adonia king? 14Beholde, whyle thou yet talkest there with the king, I wil come in after thee, and confirme thy wordes.

15And Bethsabe went in vnto the king into the chamber: And the king was very olde, and Abisag the Sunamite ministred vnto the king. 16And Bethsabe stouped & made obeysaunce vnto the king: And the king sayd, What is thy matter? 17She aunswered: My lorde, thou swarest by the Lorde thy God vnto thine handmayde saying Assuredly Solomon thy sonne shall raigne after me, and he shall sit vpon my seate. 18And beholde, nowe is Adonia king, and thou my lorde the king knowest it not. 19And he hath offered oxen, fat cattel, and many sheepe, and hath called all the sonnes of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Ioab the captayne of the hoast: But Solomon thy seruaunt hath he not bydden. 20And nowe my lorde O king, the eyes of all Israel wayte on thee, that thou shouldest tell them who ought to sit on the seate of my lord the king after him: 21For els when my lorde the king shall sleepe with his fathers, I & my sonne Solomon shalbe synners.

22And lo whyle she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet came also. 23And they told the king, saying: Behold, here commeth Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in to the king, he made obeysaunce before the king vpo his face on the grounde. 24And Nathan sayde: My lord (O king) hast thou sayde, Adonia shall raigne after me, and he shall sit vpon my seate? 25For he is gone downe this day, & hath slayne oxen, & fat cattell, and sheepe a great meany, & hath called al the kinges sonnes, and the captaynes of the hoast, and Abiathar the priest: And beholde, they eate & drinke before him, and say: God saue king Adonia. 26But me thy seruaunt, and Sadoc the priest, and Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada, & thy seruaunt Solomon, hath he not called. 27Is this thing done of my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it vnto thy seruaunt who should sit on the seate of my lorde the king after him?

David Renews His Oath to Bathsheba

28Then king Dauid aunswered, & sayd: Cal me Bethsabe. And she came into the kinges presence, and stoode before him. 29And the king sware, saying: As the Lord lyueth that hath ryd my soule out of all aduersite, 30Euen as I sware vnto thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy sonne shal raigne after me, & he shal sit vpon my seate for me: so will I certeinly do this day. 31Then Bethsabe bowed on her face to the earth, and dyd reuerence vnto the king, & sayde: I pray God that my lorde king Dauid may lyue for euer.

Solomon Anointed King
(1 Chronicles 29:21–25)

32And king Dauid sayde: Call me Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada. And they came before the king. 33The king also sayde vnto them: Take with you the seruauntes of your lord, & set Solomo my sonne vpon myne owne mule, and cary him downe to Gihon: 34And let Sadoc the priest and Nathan the prophet annoynt him there king ouer Israel: And blowe ye with trumpettes, & say, God saue king Solomon. 35And then ye shall come vp after him, that he may come and sit vpo my seate, for he shalbe king in my steade: and I haue commaunded him to be captayne ouer Israel and Iuda. 36And Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada aunswered the king, and sayde, Amen: And the Lord God of my lorde the king say so to. 37And as the Lorde hath ben with my lord the king, eue so be he with Solomo also, and make his seate greater then the seate of my lord king Dauids hath ben.

38And so Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada, and the Cerethites, and Phelethites went downe, and set Solomon vpon king Dauids mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39And Sadoc the priest toke an horne of oyle out of the tabernacle, & annoynted Solomon: And they blew the trumpettes, and al the people sayde: God saue king Solomon. 40And all the people came vp after him, pyping with pypes and reioysing greatly, so that the earth rang with the sounde of them.

Adonijah Learns of Solomon’s Kingship

41And Adonia and al the ghestes that he had called vnto him, hearde it euen as they had made an ende of eating. And when Ioab hearde the sounde of the trumpet, he sayde: What meaneth this noyse and vprore in the citie? 42And as he yet spake, beholde Ionathan the sonne of Abiathar the priest came, and Adonia said vnto him: Come in, for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tydinges. 43And Ionathan aunswered and sayde to Adonia: Ueryly our lorde king Dauid hath made Solomon king. 44And the king hath sent with him Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banaiah the sonne of Iehoiada, & the Cerethites, and the Phelethites, & they haue set him vpo the kinges mule. 45And Sadoc the priest & Nathan the prophete, haue annoynted him king in Gihon. And they came vp from thence, & reioyced, that the citie did sounde againe: And that is the noyse, that ye haue hearde. 46And Solomon sitteth on the seate of the kingdome. 47And moreouer, the kinges seruauntes came to blesse our lorde king Dauid, saying: God make the name of Solomo more honorable then thy name, & make his seate greater then thy seate. And the king bowed him selfe vpon the bed. 48And thus sayd the king: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which hath made one to sit on my seate this day, myne eye seyng it.

49And al the ghestes that were with Adonia were afrayde, and rose vp, & went euery man his way. 50And Adonia fearing the presence of Solomon, arose, and went and caught hold on the hornes of the aulter. 51And one tolde Solomon, saying: Behold, Adonia feareth king Solomon: for lo he hath caught hold on the hornes of the aulter, saying: Let king Solomon sweare vnto me this day that he wil not slay his seruaunt with the sword. 52And Solomo said: If he wil shew him selfe a worthy ma, ther shal not an heer of hym fal to the earth: But & if wickednesse be founde in him, he shall dye. 53And so king Solomon sent, and they brought him from the aulter, and he came and did obeysaunce vnto king Solomon: And Solomon sayde vnto him, Get thee to thyne house.