1Ki 1:5-25 | NASB1995 | STEP | Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying , “ I will be king .” So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him.

1 Kings 1:5-25

5 Now ^aAdonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So ^bhe prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never ^{▼▼ Lit pained him}crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man, and ^{▼▼ Lit she gave him birth
,} ^ehe was born after Absalom. 7 ^{▼▼ Lit his words were}He had conferred with ^gJoab the son of Zeruiah and with ^hAbiathar the priest; and following ⁱAdonijah they helped him. 8 But ^jZadok the priest, ^kBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, ^lNathan the prophet, ^mShimei, Rei, and ⁿthe mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the ^{▼▼ Or Gliding or Serpent Stone}stone of Zoheleth, which is beside ^pEn-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 ^qSolomon his brother.

Nathan and Bathsheba

11 Then Nathan spoke to ^rBathsheba 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 ^sgive you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 “Go ^{▼▼ Lit and enter}at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, ^u“Surely 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 confirm your words.”

15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now ^vthe king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself ^{▼▼ Lit to}before the king. And the king said, “What ^{▼▼ Lit to you}do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘ ^ySurely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 “Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 ^z“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 come about, ^aaas soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered ^{▼▼ Lit sinners}offenders.”

22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 They told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself ^{▼▼ Lit to}before the king with his face 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 ^ad“For 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, ‘ ^ae Long live King Adonijah!’