Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they
covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. Therefore his
servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the
king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her
lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.” So they
sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of
Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the
king. The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to
the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.

  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. His father had never at any time
displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was
also a very handsome man, and he was born next after Absalom. He
conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the
priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. 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.

  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,
but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty
men or Solomon his brother.

  Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you
not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and
David our lord does not know it? Now therefore come, let me give
you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your
son Solomon. 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?’ Then while you are still speaking with the king,
I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”

  So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was
very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king).
Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said,
“What do you desire?” 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.’ And now, behold, Adonijah
is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it. 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.
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. Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps
with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted
offenders.”

  While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet
came in. 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. And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you
said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my
throne’? 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!’ But me, your servant, and Zadok the
priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon
he has not invited. 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?”

  Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came
into the king's presence and stood before the king. And the king
swore, saying, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of
every adversity, 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.” Then Bathsheba
bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and
said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

  King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the
prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the
king. And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of
your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring
him down to Gihon. And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet
there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say,
‘Long live King Solomon!’ 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.”
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the
LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so. As the LORD has been
with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his
throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

  So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had
Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon. There
Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed
Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long
live King Solomon!” And all the people went up after him, playing
on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split
by their noise.

  Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they
finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he
said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?” While he was still
speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And
Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good
news.” Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has
made Solomon king, and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest,
Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the
Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king's
mule. And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him
king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that
the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard.
Solomon sits on the royal throne. 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. And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of
Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my
own eyes seeing it.’”

  Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went
his own way. And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and
took hold of the horns of the altar. Then it was told Solomon,
“Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold
of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me
first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”
And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of
his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in
him, he shall die.” So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down
from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and
Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.