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¹ And wha kinge Dauid was olde & well strycke in age, he coulde not be warme, though he was couered with clothes.² Then sayde his seruauntes vnto him: Let vs seke a yonge damsell a virgin for oure lorde the kynge, to stonde before the kynge, and to norish him, & to slepe in his armes, and to warme oure lorde the kynge.³ And they sought a fayre dasell, in all the coastes of Israel, and founde Abisag of Sunem, and brought her vnto ye kynge.⁴ And she was a very fayre damsell, and noryshed ye kynge, and serued him. Howbeit the kynge knewe her not.

⁵ Adonias ye sonne of Hagith lifte vp him selfe and sayde: I wyl be kynge. And he prepared him charettes and horsmen, and fyftie men to be renners on fote before him.⁶ And his father reproued hi not therfore, so moch as to saye: Wherfore doest thou so? And he was a man of a very fayre bewtye and he had begotten him nexte after Absalo.⁷ And his matter stode by Ioab ye sonne of Zeru Ia and by Abiathar the prest, which helped Adonias.⁸ But Sadoc the prest, and Benaia the sonne of Ioiada, and Nathan the prest and Semei and Rei, and Dauids Worthies were not with Adonias.⁹ And wha Adonias offred shepe and oxe, and fat catell besyde the stone of Soheleth, which lyeth by the well of Rogel, he called all his brethre the kynges sonnes, and all the men of Iuda the kynges seruautes.¹⁰ But the prophet Nathan and Benaia, and the Worthies, and his brother Salomon called he not.

¹¹ Then sayde Nathan vnto Bethseba Salomons mother: Hast thou not herde yt Adonias is kynge, and oure lorde Dauid knoweth not therof?¹² Come now therfore, I wyll geue the councell, that thou mayest delyuer thy soule and the soule of thy sonne Salomon.¹³ Come now and go in to kinge Dauid and saye vnto him: Hast not thou my lorde the kynge sworne and sayde vnto thy handmayden: Salomon thy sonne shall be kynge after me, and he shall sytt vpon my seate? Why is then Adonias made kynge?¹⁴ Beholde, while thou art yet there, and talkest with the kynge, I wyll come in after the, and tell forth thy tayle.¹⁵ And Bethseba wente in to the kynge to ye chamber. And the kynge was very olde. And Abisag of Sunem serued the kynge.¹⁶ And Bethseba bowed hirselfe, and worshipped the kynge.The kynge sayde: What wilt thou?¹⁷ She sayde vnto him: My lorde, Thou hast sworne vnto thy handmayde by the LORDE thy God: Thy sonne Salomon shall be kynge after me and syt vpon my seate.¹⁸ But now lo, Adonias is kynge, and my lorde the kynge knoweth it not.¹⁹ He hath offred oxen and fat catell, and many shepe, and hath called all the kynges sonnes, and Abiathar the prest, and Ioab the chefe captayne. But thy seruaunt Salomon hath he not bydden.²⁰ Neuertheles thou my lorde art kynge, the eyes of all Israel loke vnto the., that thou shuldest shewe them who shall syt vpon the seate of my lorde the kynge after the.²¹ And wha my lorde the kynge slepeth with his fathers then shal I and my sonne Salomon be fayne to be synners.²² But whyle she yet spake to the kynge, the prophet Nathan came,²³ and she tolde ye kinge: beholde, there is the prophet Nathan. And whan he came in before the kynge, he worshipped the kynge vpon his face to the grounde,²⁴ and sayde My lorde O kynge, hast thou saide: Adonias shal be kinge after me, & syt vpo my seate?²⁵ For he is gone downe this daye, and hath offred oxen, and fat catell, & hath called all the kynges sonnes, and the captaynes, and the prest Abiathar. And beholde, they eate and drynke before him, and saye: God saue the kynge Adonias.²⁶ But me thy seruaunt, and Sadoc the prest, and Benaia the sonne of Ioiada, and thy seruaunt Salomon hath he not called.²⁷ Hath my lorde the kynge commaunded this, and not certifyed his seruauntes who shall sytt vpon the seate of my lorde the kynge after him?²⁸ The kinge answered and saide: Call Bethseba vnto me. And she came in before the kinge. And whan she stode before the kynge,²⁹ the kynge sware and sayde: As truly as the LORDE lyueth (which hath delyuered my soule out of trouble,)³⁰ I wyl do vnto the this daye, euen as I sware vnto the by the LORDE the God of Israel, so that Salomon thy sonne shalbe kynge after me, and he shal sit pon my seate in my steade.³¹ Then Bethseba bowed hir selfe with hir face to the grounde, and thanked the kynge and sayde: God saue my lorde kynge Dauid for euermore.

³² And the kynge sayde: Call me the prest Sadoc & the prophet Nathan, and Benaia the sonne of Ioiada.And whan they came in before the kynge,³³ the kynge sayde vnto them: Take youre lordes seruauntes with you, and set my sonne Salomon vpon my Mule, and cary him downe to Gihon:³⁴ and let Sadoc ye prest and the prophet Nathan, anoynte him there to be kynge ouer Israel, and blowe the trompe, and saye: God saue kynge Salomon,³⁵ and go ye vp after him: and whan he commeth, he shal syt vpo my seate, and be kynge in my steade: for I haue ordeyned him to be prynce ouer Israel and Iuda.³⁶ Then answered Benaia the sonne of Ioiada vnto the kynge, & sayde: Amen. The LORDE God of my lorde the kynge saye thus also.³⁷ As the LORDE hath bene with my lorde the kynge, so be he with Salomon also, that his seate maye be greater then the seate of my lorde kynge Dauid.³⁸ Then wente they downe, the prest Sadoc and the prophet Nathan, and Benaia the sonne of Ioiada, and the Chrethians, & Plethians, & set Salomon vpon kynge Dauids Mule, & broughte him to Gihon.³⁹ And Sadoc the prest toke the oyle horne out of the Tabernacle, and anoynted Salomon. And they blewe the trompe: And all ye people sayde: God saue kynge Salomon.⁴⁰ And all the people wente vp after him, and the people pyped with pypes, and was very ioyfull, so that the earth range at the noyse of them.

⁴¹ And Adonias herde it, and all they whom he had called, which were wt him, and they had new eaten. And whan Ioab herde the noyse of the trompe, he sayde: What meaneth this noyse of the cite and this busynes?⁴² But whyle he yet spake, beholde, Ionathas the sonne of Abiathar ye prest came.And Adonias sayde: Come in, for thou art a valeaunt man, and bryngest good tydinges.⁴³ Ionathas answered and sayde vnto Adonias: Alas, or lorde kynge Dauid hath made Salomon kynge,⁴⁴ and hath sent with him Sadoc the prest, and the propheth Nathan, and Benaia the sonne of Ioiada, and the Chrethians and Plethians, and they haue set him vpon the kynges Mule:⁴⁵ and Sadoc ye prest with the prophet Nathan hath anoynted him kynge at Gihon, and from thece are they gone vp with ioye, that the cite range with all: that is the noyse that ye haue herde.⁴⁶ Salomon also sytteth vpo the kynges seate,⁴⁷ and the kynges seruauntes are gone in to wysh good lucke vnto ouer lorde kynge Dauid, and haue sayde: Thy God make Salomon a better name then thy name is, and make his seate greater then thy seate. And they haue wy?shed the kynge good lucke vpon the bed.⁴⁸ Morouer ye kynge hath sayde thus: Praysed be ye LORDE God of Israel, which this daye hath made one to syt vpon my seate, that myne eyes haue sene it.⁴⁹ Then were they afrayed, and gatt them vp all that were called by Adonias, and so they departed euery man his waye.⁵⁰ But Adonias was afrayed of Salomon, and gat him vp, and wete his waye, & toke holde of ye hornes of ye altare.⁵¹ And it was tolde Salomon: beholde, Adonias feareth kynge Salomo, & beholde, he taketh holde of the hornes of ye altare, & sayeth: Let kige Salomo sweare vnto me this daye, that he shall not slaye his seruaunt with the swerde.⁵² Salomon sayde: Yf he wil be an honest man, there shall not one heer fall from him vpon the earth: but yf there be euell founde in him, he shall dye.⁵³ And kinge Salomo sent, and caused him to be fetched from the altare. And whan he came, he fell downe before kynge Salomon. But Salomon sayde vnto him: Go yi waye in to thy house.