1Ki 1:5-25 | ESV | STEP | 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.

f[See ver. 7 above]

g 2 Sam. 8:18

h 2 Sam. 12:1

i ch. 4:18

jSee 2 Sam. 23:8-39

k Josh. 15:7; 2 Sam. 17:17

l 2 Sam. 12:24

m[See ver. 5 above]

n ver. 30; [1 Chr. 22:9]

p[See ver. 13 above]

q ver. 9

r[See ver. 7 above]

s[See ver. 10 above]

t ch. 2:10; 2 Sam. 7:12; [Deut. 31:16]

u[See ver. 19 above]

wSee 1 Sam. 10:24

1 Kings 1:5-25

Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

5 Now ^aAdonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” ^bAnd he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 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, ^cand he was born next after Absalom. 7 He conferred with ^dJoab the son of Zeruiah and with ^eAbiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. 8 But ^fZadok the priest and ^gBenaiah the son of Jehoiada and ^hNathan the prophet and ⁱShimei and Rei and ^jDavid’s mighty men were not with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent’s Stone, which is beside ^kEn-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah, 10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or ^lSolomon his brother.

Nathan and Bathsheba Before David

11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that ^mAdonijah 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, ⁿ“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 ^{▼▼Or expand on} 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, ^p‘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 ^qHe has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, ^rAbiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but ^sSolomon 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 ^tsleeps 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 ^uhas sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders ^{▼▼Hebrew; Septuagint Joab the commander} of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ^w‘Long live King Adonijah!’