1 Kings 1:11-38

Nathan and Bathsheba Before David

11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, "Have you not heard that b Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? 12 Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, m "Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then is Adonijah king?' 14 Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm 1 your words."

15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king). 16 Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, "What do you desire?" 17 She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, m 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.' 18 And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. 19 n He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, f Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but l Solomon your servant he has not invited. 20 And 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 come to pass, when my lord the king o sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders."

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 And they told the king, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne'? 25 For he has gone down this day and n has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders 2 of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, p 'Long live King Adonijah!' 26 q But 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 been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

Solomon Anointed King

28 Then King David answered, "Call Bathsheba to me." So she came into the king's presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore, saying, r "As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, 30 s as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' even so will I do this day." 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, t "May my lord King David live forever!"

32 King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came before the king. 33 And the king said to them, "Take with you u the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to v Gihon. 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there w anoint him king over Israel. x Then blow the trumpet and say, y 'Long live King Solomon!' 35 You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah." 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so. 37 z As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, a and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David."

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, b and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon.

  1. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:5
    Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
  2. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:30
    As I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' even so will I do this day.
    1 Chronicles 22:9
    Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.
  3. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:13
    Go in at once to King David, and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, "Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then is Adonijah king?
  4. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:9
    Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah.
  5. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:7
    He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him.
  6. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:10
    But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother.
  7. Cross References
    1 Kings 2:10
    Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.
    2 Samuel 7:12
    When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
    Deuteronomy 31:16
    And the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them.
  8. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:19
    He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited.
  9. Cross References
    1 Samuel 10:24
    And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!
  10. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:8
    But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.
    1 Kings 1:10
    But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother.
    1 Kings 1:32
    King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came before the king.
  11. Cross References
    Ruth 3:13
    Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the Lord lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.
  12. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:13
    Go in at once to King David, and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, "Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then is Adonijah king?
    1 Kings 1:17
    She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.
  13. Cross References
    Nehemiah 2:3
    I said to the king, "Let the king live forever!...
    Daniel 2:4
    Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic,...
    Daniel 3:9
    They declared to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, ...
    Daniel 5:10
    The queen, because of the words of the king and...
    Daniel 6:6
    Then these presidents and satraps came by agree...
    Daniel 6:21
    Then Daniel said to the king, "O king, live for...
  14. Cross References
    2 Samuel 11:11
    Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.
    2 Samuel 20:6
    And David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.
  15. Cross References
    2 Chronicles 32:30
    This same Hezekiah closed the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them down to the west side of the city of David. And Hezekiah prospered in all his works.
    2 Chronicles 33:14
    Afterward he built an outer wall for the city of David west of Gihon, in the valley, and for the entrance into the Fish Gate, and carried it around Ophel, and raised it to a very great height. He also put commanders of the army in all the fortified cities in Judah.
  16. Cross References
    1 Samuel 10:1
    Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, "Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.
  17. Cross References
    2 Samuel 15:10
    But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, 'Absalom is king at Hebron!'
    2 Kings 9:13
    Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, "Jehu is king.
    2 Kings 11:14
    And when she looked, there was the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom, and the captains and the trumpeters beside the king, and all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets. And Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!
  18. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:25
    For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!
    1 Samuel 10:24
    And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!
  19. Cross References
    1 Samuel 20:13
    But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.
  20. Cross References
    1 Kings 1:47
    Moreover, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself on the bed.
  21. Cross References
    2 Samuel 8:18
    And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David's sons were priests.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.