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¹ Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he got no heat. ² Therefore his servants said to him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm. ³ So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Yisra'el, and found Avishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. ⁴ The young lady was very beautiful; and she cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king didn't know her intimately.

⁵ Then Adoniyahu the son of Haggit exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶ His father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why have you done so? and he was also a very goodly man; and he was born after Avshalom. ⁷ He conferred with Yo'av the son of Tzeru'yah, and with Avyatar the Kohen: and they following Adoniyahu helped him. ⁸ But Tzadok the Kohen, and Benayah the son of Yehoiada, and Natan the prophet, and Shim`i, and Re`i, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adoniyahu. ⁹ Adoniyahu killed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zochelet, which is beside `En-Rogel; and he called all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Yehudah, the king's servants: ¹⁰ but Natan the prophet, and Benayah, and the mighty men, and Shlomo his brother, he didn't call.

¹¹ Then Natan spoke to Bat-Sheva the mother of Shlomo, saying, Haven't you heard that Adoniyahu the son of Haggit reigns, and David our lord doesn't know it? ¹² Now therefore come, please let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of your son Shlomo. ¹³ Go and get you in to king David, and tell him, Didn't you, my lord, king, swear to your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Shlomo your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? why then does Adoniyahu reign? ¹⁴ Behold, while you yet talk there with the king, I also will come in after you, and confirm your words. ¹⁵ Bat-Sheva went in to the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Avishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. ¹⁶ Bat-Sheva bowed, and did obeisance to the king. The king said, What would you? ¹⁷ She said to him, My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your handmaid, [saying], Assuredly Shlomo your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne. ¹⁸ Now, behold, Adoniyahu reigns; and you, my lord the king, don't know it: ¹⁹ and he has slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Avyatar the Kohen, and Yo'av the captain of the host; but he hasn't called Shlomo your servant. ²⁰ You, my lord the king, the eyes of all Yisra'el are on you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹ Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Shlomo shall be counted offenders. ²² Behold, while she yet talked with the king, Natan the prophet came in. ²³ They told the king, saying, Behold, Natan the prophet. When he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. ²⁴ Natan said, My lord, king, have you said, Adoniyahu shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? ²⁵ For he is gone down this day, and has slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Avyatar the Kohen; and, behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and say, [Long] live king Adoniyahu. ²⁶ But he hasn't called me, even me your servant, and Tzadok the Kohen, and Benayah the son of Yehoiada, and your servant Shlomo. ²⁷ Is this thing done by my lord the king, and you haven't shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? ²⁸ Then king David answered, Call to me Bat-Sheva. She came into the king's presence, and stood before the king. ²⁹ The king swore, and said, As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, ³⁰ most assuredly as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, saying, Assuredly Shlomo your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place; most assuredly so will I do this day. ³¹ Then Bat-Sheva bowed with her face to the eretz, and did obeisance to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live forever.

³² King David said, Call to me Tzadok the Kohen, and Natan the prophet, and Benayah the son of Yehoiada. They came before the king. ³³ The king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Shlomo my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gichon: ³⁴ and let Tzadok the Kohen and Natan the prophet anoint him there king over Yisra'el; and blow you the shofar, and say, [Long] live king Shlomo. ³⁵ Then you shall 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 prince over Yisra'el and over Yehudah. ³⁶ Benayah the son of Yehoiada answered the king, and said, Amein: the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so [too]. ³⁷ As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so be he with Shlomo, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. ³⁸ So Tzadok the Kohen, and Natan the prophet, and Benayah the son of Yehoiada, and the Kereti and the Peleti, went down, and caused Shlomo to ride on king David's mule, and brought him to Gichon. ³⁹ Tzadok the Kohen took the horn of oil out of the Tent, and anointed Shlomo. They blew the shofar; and all the people said, [Long] live king Shlomo. ⁴⁰ All the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the eretz shook with the sound of them.

⁴¹ Adoniyahu and all the guests who were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. When Yo'av heard the sound of the shofar, he said, Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar? ⁴² While he yet spoke, behold, Yonatan the son of Avyatar the Kohen came: and Adoniyahu said, Come in; for you are a worthy man, and bring good news. ⁴³ Yonatan answered Adoniyahu, Most assuredly our lord king David has made Shlomo king: ⁴⁴ and the king has sent with him Tzadok the Kohen, and Natan the prophet, and Benayah the son of Yehoiada, and the Kereti and the Peleti; and they have caused him to ride on the king's mule; ⁴⁵ and Tzadok the Kohen and Natan the prophet have anointed him king in Gichon; and they are come up from there rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have heard. ⁴⁶ Also Shlomo sits on the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷ Moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, Your God make the name of Shlomo better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne: and the king bowed himself on the bed. ⁴⁸ Also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, my eyes even seeing it. ⁴⁹ All the guests of Adoniyahu were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way. ⁵⁰ Adoniyahu feared because of Shlomo; and he arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. ⁵¹ It was told Shlomo, saying, Behold, Adoniyahu fears king Shlomo; for, behold, he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Shlomo swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword. ⁵² Shlomo said, If he shall show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the eretz; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die. ⁵³ So king Shlomo sent, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and did obeisance to king Shlomo; and Shlomo said to him, Go to your house.