1 Kings 1:5-31 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

1 Kings 1:5-31

5 Now ^aAdonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So ^bhe prepared for himself a chariot and horsemen and fifty men as runners before him. 6 But his father had never ¹grieved him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man in form, and ²^ahe was born after Absalom. 7 ¹And he had conferred with ^aJoab the son of Zeruiah and with ^bAbiathar the priest; and following ^cAdonijah, they helped him. 8 But ^aZadok the priest, ^bBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, ^cNathan the prophet, ^dShimei, Rei, and ^ethe mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the ¹stone of Zoheleth, which is beside ^aEn-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and ^aSolomon his brother.

Nathan Speaks to Bathsheba

11 Then Nathan spoke to ^aBathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 So now come, please let me ^agive you counsel and provide escape for your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go ¹at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “^aSurely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and fully confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now ^athe king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself ¹before the king. And the king said, “What ²do you wish?” 17 And she said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by ¹Yahweh your God, saying, ‘^aSurely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 But now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 ^aAnd he has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 As for you 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. 21 Otherwise it will be, ^aas soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered ¹offenders.”
22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 Then they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And then he came in before the king and prostrated himself ¹before the king with his ²face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 ^aFor he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘^bLong live King Adonijah!’ 26 ^aBut me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 27 Has this thing happened by my lord the king, and you have not made known to your ¹servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28 Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore and said, “^aAs Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as ^aI swore to you by Yahweh, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will surely do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her ¹face to the ground, and prostrated herself ²before the king and said, “^aMay my lord King David live forever.”