1Now when King David was old and stricken in years, he could not get warm, no matter how many blankets they covered him with. 2Therefore, his servants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin for my lord, the king; and let her stand before the king, and cherish him, and let her lie in your bosom, so that the king may get warm.” 3So they looked for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel; and they found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4And the damsel was very fair (beautiful), and she cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king had no relations with her.

5Then Adonijah, a son of David whose mother was Haggith, exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he got chariots, horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6And David had never disciplined him by saying, “Why have you done this?” He was also very handsome; the second son of Haggith, after Absalom. 7And he conferred with Joab, son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, the priest; and they agreed to support him. 8But Zadok, the priest, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, Nathan, the prophet, Shimei and Rei, and the men of David’s personal bodyguard, refused to support Adonijah. 9And Adonijah slaughtered sheep, oxen and fat cattle by the Stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants: 10But he did not invite Nathan, the prophet, Benaiah, or the king's bodyguards, or his brother, Solomon.

11Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, a son of Haggith, now reigns, and David, our lord, does not even know it? 12Now, let me give you advice, so that may save your own life, and the life of your son, Solomon: 13Go to King David, and say to him, ‘My lord, the king, did you not swear to me that, “Assuredly Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?” Why, then, has Adonijah become king?’ 14And while you are yet talking with the king, I will come in, and confirm your words.”

15And so Bathsheba went in to the king in his chamber. And the king was now very old; and Abishag, the Shunammite, was caring for him. 16And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king. And the king asked, “What is it that you want?” 17And she said to him, “My lord, you did swear by the LORD your God, to me, your handmaid, that, ‘Assuredly, Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne’. 18And now, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord, the king, do not know it. 19And he has slaughtered oxen, fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the other sons of the king, and Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army; but Solomon, your servant and son, he has not invited. 20And the eyes of all Israel are upon you, my lord, O king, waiting for you to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord, the king, after him. 21Otherwise, as soon as you, my lord, the king, are laid to rest with your fathers, both I and my son Solomon shall be treated as criminals.”

22And while she still talking with the king, Nathan, the prophet, came in. 23And they announced to the king, “Behold, Nathan, the prophet.” And when he had come in before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 24And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and sit upon my throne?’ 25For today, he has gone down and slaughtered oxen, fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commander, and leaders of the army, and Abiathar, the priest; and they are all eating and drinking with him, and saying, ‘God save King Adonijah’. 26But Adonijah has not invited me, your servant, Zadok, the priest, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, or your son Solomon. 27Is this something my lord, the king, has done, but have not told me who should sit on the throne after my lord, the king?”

28Then King David said, “Call me Bathsheba.” And she came back into the king's presence, and stood before him. 29And David took an oath, and said, “As the LORD lives, Who has redeemed my soul out of all distress, 30I will certainly do today what I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, that ‘Assuredly Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead.’” 31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, “Let my lord, King David, live forever.”

32And King David said, “Summon Zadok, the priest, Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada.” And they came before the king. 33Then the king said to them, “Take your lord’s servants with you, and have Solomon, my son, mount and ride upon my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34And let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him king over Israel there; and blow the trumpet, and shout, ‘God save King Solomon.’ 35Then you shall escort him back here, so that he may sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my place; and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36And Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, answered the king, and said, “Amen! May the LORD 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 even greater than the throne of my lord, King David.”

38So Zadok, the priest, Nathan, the prophet, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites (both the Cherethites and the Pelethites served as bodyguards for David, known for their loyalty to him, especially during times of crisis), went down, and had Solomon mount and ride upon King David's mule, and they escorted him to Gihon. 39And Zadok, the priest, took a horn of oil from the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And then they blew the trumpet; and all the people shouted, “God save King Solomon!” 40And all the people followed Solomon, playing pipes, and shouting joyously, so that the earth shook with the sound.

41And Adonijah, and all his guests heard it as they were finished eating. And when Joab heard the trumpet, he said, “Why all this tumult in the city?” 42And while he yet spoke, Jonathan, son of Abiathar, the priest, came; and Adonijah said to him, “Come in; a worthy man such as you will be bringing good news.” 43And Jonathan replied, “Not at all! King David has just made Solomon king. 44And the king has sent Zadok, the priest, Nathan, the prophet, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites (the king’s bodyguards) with Solomon, and they have had him ride upon the king's own mule: 45And Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, have anointed him king in Gihon; and they have come up from there rejoicing, and the city resonates with the sound of it. That is what you have heard. 46And now Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47And, furthermore, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord, King David, saying, ‘God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself upon the bed. 48And then king David said, ‘Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who has provided someone to sit on my throne today, and I have lived to see it.’”

49At this news, all Adonijah’s guests rose, and scattered in fear. 50And Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, rushed to the Tabernacle, and grabbed the horns of the altar. 51Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is in fear of King Solomon; and has grabbed the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let king Solomon swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’” 52And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not a hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” 53So King Solomon sent, and they brought Adonijah down from the altar. And he came and bowed to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”