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1 Kings 1
1Now David was old and advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he couldn’t keep warm.
2Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the . Let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.”
3So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the .
4The young lady was very beautiful; and she cherished the , and served him; but the king didn’t know her intimately.
5Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be .” Then he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
6His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, “Why have you done so?” and he was also a very handsome man; and he was born after Absalom.
7He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar ; and they followed Adonijah and helped him.
8But Zadok , Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9Adonijah killed sheep, cattle, and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En Rogel; and he called all his brothers, the ’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants;
10but he didn’t call Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.
11Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn’t know it?
12Now therefore come, please let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life and your son Solomon’s life.
13Go in to David, and tell him, ‘Didn’t you, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then does Adonijah reign?’
14Behold, while you are still talking there with the , I will also come in after you and confirm your words.”
15Bathsheba went in to the in his room. The king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.
16Bathsheba bowed and showed respect to the . The king said, “What would you like?”
17She said to him, “My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your servant, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’
18Now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord the , don’t know it.
19He has slain cattle and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the , Abiathar , and Joab the captain of the army; but he hasn’t called Solomon your servant.
20You, my lord the , the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered criminals.”
22Behold, while she was still talking with the , Nathan the prophet came in.
23They told the , saying, “Behold, Nathan the prophet!” When he had come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
24Nathan said, “My lord, , have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
25For he has gone down today, and has slain cattle, fatlings, and sheep in abundance, and has called all the ’s sons, the captains of the army, and Abiathar . Behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
26But he hasn’t called me, even me your servant, Zadok , Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon.
27Was this thing done by my lord the , and you haven’t shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28Then David answered, “Call Bathsheba in to me.” She came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
29The vowed and said, “As the LORD lives, who has my soul out of all adversity,
30most certainly as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place;’ I will most certainly do this today.”
31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth and showed respect to the , and said, “Let my lord King David live forever!”
32 David said, “Call to me Zadok , Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king.
33The said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.
34Let Zadok and Nathan the prophet him there over Israel. Blow the trumpet, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
35Then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my ; for he shall be king in my place. I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah.”
36Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the , and said, “Amen. May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so.
37As the LORD has been with my lord the , even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
38So Zadok , Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.
39Zadok took the horn of from the Tent, and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet; and all the people said, “Long live Solomon!”
40All the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with their sound.
41Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar?”
42While he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar came; and Adonijah said, “Come in; for you are a worthy man, and bring good news.”
43Jonathan answered Adonijah, “Most certainly our lord David has made Solomon king.
44The has sent with him Zadok , Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have caused him to ride on the king’s mule.
45Zadok and Nathan the prophet have him in Gihon. They have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have heard.
46Also, Solomon sits on the of .
47Moreover the ’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne;’ and the king bowed himself on the bed.
48Also thus said the , ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne today, my eyes even seeing it.’”
49All the guests of Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and each man went his way.
50Adonijah was afraid because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and hung onto the horns of the .
51Solomon was told, “Behold, Adonijah fears Solomon; for, behold, he is hanging onto the horns of the , saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”
52Solomon said, “If he shows himself a worthy man, not a hair of his shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”
53So Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the . He came and bowed down to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
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Questions this passage answers
Does God provide for my needs?
Scripture says yes, and it is careful about the word need. God promises to supply what his people need, often daily rather than in advance, and he does not promise surplus, comfort or the removal of hard seasons. Paul, who wrote that God will supply every need, also wrote that he had learned to be hungry.
What does the Bible say about fear?
Scripture never tells a frightened person that fear is imaginary. It says do not be afraid hundreds of times, and almost always attaches a reason rather than a technique: I am with you, I have redeemed you, you are of more value than sparrows. It also distinguishes the fear that must go from the fear of the Lord, which is commanded and which shrinks every smaller fear.
What does the Bible say about anxiety?
Scripture treats anxiety with far more tenderness than most Christians expect. It names it honestly, traces it to a divided and overloaded heart, and answers it with the character of God rather than with willpower. The command not to be anxious always comes attached to a reason and to an action, never as a bare demand to feel differently.
What does the Bible say about loneliness?
Scripture treats loneliness as a real ache rather than a spiritual failure. It says the first thing God called not good was a man being alone, that many of his most faithful servants were profoundly lonely, that his own presence is promised and sufficient, and that he ordinarily answers isolation by placing people in families and congregations rather than by removing the need.