1 Kings 1-4

New International Reader's Version

Adonijah Makes Himself King

1 King David was now very old. He couldn’t keep warm even when blankets were spread over him. ² So his attendants spoke to him. They said, “You are our king and master. Please let us try to find a young virgin to serve you. She can take care of you. She can lie down beside you to keep you warm.”

³ So David’s attendants looked all over Israel for a beautiful young woman. They found Abishag. She was from the town of Shunem. They brought her to the king. ⁴ The woman was very beautiful. She took care of the king and served him. But the king didn’t have sex with her.

⁵ Adonijah was the son of David and his wife Haggith. He came forward and announced, “I’m going to be the next king.” So he got chariots and horses ready. He also got 50 men to run in front of him. ⁶ His father had never tried to stop him from doing what he wanted to. His father had never asked him, “Why are you acting the way you do?” Adonijah was also very handsome. Now that Absalom was dead, Adonijah was David’s oldest son.

⁷ Adonijah talked things over with Joab, the son of Zeruiah. He also talked with Abiathar the priest. They agreed to help him. ⁸ But Zadok the priest and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, didn’t join Adonijah. Nathan the prophet didn’t join him. Shimei and Rei didn’t join him. And neither did David’s special guard.

⁹ Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle and fat calves. He sacrificed them at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah. ¹⁰ But he didn’t invite Benaiah or Nathan the prophet. He didn’t invite the special guard or his brother Solomon either.

¹¹ Nathan asked Solomon’s mother Bathsheba, “Haven’t you heard? Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has made himself king. And King David doesn’t know anything about it. ¹² So let me tell you what to do to save your life. It will also save the life of your son Solomon. ¹³ Go in and see King David. Say to him, ‘You are my king and master. You promised me, “You can be sure that your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.” If that’s really true, why has Adonijah become king?’ ¹⁴ While you are still talking to the king, I’ll come in and support what you have said.”

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went to see the old king in his room. Abishag, the Shunammite, was taking care of him there. ¹⁶ Bathsheba bowed low in front of the king.

“What do you want?” the king asked.

¹⁷ She said to him, “My master, you made a promise in the name of the Lord your God. You promised me, ‘Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne.’ ¹⁸ But now Adonijah has made himself king. And you don’t even know about it. ¹⁹ He has sacrificed large numbers of cattle, fat calves and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons. He has also invited Abiathar the priest and Joab, the commander of the army. But he hasn’t invited your son Solomon. ²⁰ You are my king and master. All the Israelites are watching to see what you will do. They want to find out from you who will sit on the throne after you. ²¹ If you don’t do something, I and my son Solomon will be treated like people who have committed crimes. That will happen as soon as you join the members of your family who have already died.”

²² While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. ²³ The king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” So Nathan went to the king. He bowed down with his face toward the ground.

²⁴ Nathan said, “You are my king and master. Have you announced that Adonijah will be king after you? Have you said he will sit on your throne? ²⁵ Today he has gone down outside the city. He has sacrificed large numbers of cattle, fat calves and sheep. He has invited all the king’s sons. He has also invited the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Even now they are eating and drinking with him. They are saying, ‘May King Adonijah live a long time!’ ²⁶ But he didn’t invite me. He didn’t invite Zadok the priest or Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. He didn’t invite your son Solomon either. ²⁷ King David, have you allowed all of that to happen? Did you do it without letting us know about it? Why didn’t you tell us who is going to sit on your throne after you?”

David Makes Solomon King

²⁸ King David said, “Tell Bathsheba to come in.” So she came and stood in front of the king.

²⁹ Then the king made a promise. He said, “The Lord has saved me from all my troubles. You can be sure that he lives. ³⁰ And you can be just as sure I will do what I promised. This is the day I will do what I promised in the name of the Lord. He is the God of Israel. I promised you that your son Solomon would be king after me. He will sit on my throne in my place.”

³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed down in front of the king. Her face was toward the ground. She said, “King David, you are my master. May you live forever!”

³² King David said, “Tell Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet to come in. Also tell Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, to come.” So they came to the king. ³³ He said to them, “Take my officials with you. Have my son Solomon get on my own mule. Take him down to the Gihon spring. ³⁴ Have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him as king over Israel there. Blow a trumpet. Shout, ‘May King Solomon live a long time!’ ³⁵ Then come back up to the city with him. Have him sit on my throne. He will rule in my place. I’ve appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah.”

³⁶ Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answered the king. “Amen!” he said. “May the Lord your God make it come true. ³⁷ You are my king and master. The Lord has been with you. May he also be with Solomon. King David, may the Lord make Solomon’s kingdom even greater than yours!”

³⁸ So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet left the palace. Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went with them. So did the Kerethites and Pelethites. They had Solomon get on King David’s mule. And they brought him down to the Gihon spring. ³⁹ Zadok the priest had taken an animal horn from the sacred tent. The horn was filled with olive oil. He anointed Solomon with the oil. A trumpet was blown. All the people shouted, “May King Solomon live a long time!” ⁴⁰ Then they went up toward the city. Solomon was leading the way. The people were playing flutes. They were filled with great joy. The ground shook because of all the noise.

⁴¹ Adonijah and all his guests heard it. They were just finishing their meal. Joab heard the sound of the trumpet. So he asked, “What does all this noise in the city mean?”

⁴² While Joab was still speaking, Jonathan arrived. Jonathan was the son of Abiathar the priest. Adonijah said, “Come in. I have respect for you. You must be bringing good news.”

⁴³ “No! I’m not!” Jonathan answered. “Our master King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴ David sent Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet along with Solomon. He also sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, with him. He sent the Kerethites and Pelethites with him too. They put him on the king’s mule. ⁴⁵ They took him down to the Gihon spring. There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him as king. Now they’ve gone back up to the city. They were cheering all the way. The city is filled with the sound of it. That’s the noise you hear. ⁴⁶ And that’s not all. Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. ⁴⁷ The royal officials came to give their blessing to our master King David. They said, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours! May he make Solomon’s kingdom greater than yours!’ While King David was sitting on his bed, he bowed in worship. ⁴⁸ He said, ‘I praise the Lord. He is the God of Israel. He has let me live to see my son sitting on my throne today as the next king.’ ”

⁴⁹ When all Adonijah’s guests heard that, they were terrified. So they got up and scattered. ⁵⁰ Adonijah was afraid of what Solomon might do to him. So he went and grabbed the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. Those horns stuck out from its upper corners. ⁵¹ Then Solomon was told, “King Solomon, Adonijah is afraid of you. He’s holding onto the horns of the altar. He says, ‘I want King Solomon to make a promise today. I want him to promise that he won’t kill me with his sword.’ ”

⁵² Solomon replied, “Let him show that he’s a man people can respect. Then not even one hair on his head will fall to the ground. But if I find out he’s done something evil, he will die.” ⁵³ King Solomon got some men to bring Adonijah down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon. Solomon said, “Go on home.”

David Gives Orders to Solomon

2 The time came near for David to die. So he gave orders to his son Solomon.

² He said, “I’m about to die, just as everyone else on earth does. So be strong. Show how brave you are. ³ Do everything the Lord your God requires. Live the way he wants you to. Obey his orders and commands. Keep his laws and rules. Do everything written in the Law of Moses. Then you will have success in everything you do. You will succeed everywhere you go. ⁴ The Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He said, ‘Your sons must be careful about how they live. They must be faithful to me with all their heart and soul. Then you will always have a son from your family line to sit on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “You yourself know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me. You know that he killed Abner, the son of Ner, and Amasa, the son of Jether. They were the two commanders of Israel’s armies. He killed them in a time of peace. It wasn’t a time of war. Joab spilled the blood of Abner and Amasa. With that blood he stained the belt around his waist. He also stained the sandals on his feet. ⁶ You are wise. So I leave him in your hands. Just don’t let him live to become an old man. Don’t let him die peacefully.

⁷ “But be kind to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead. Provide what they need. They were faithful to me when I had to run away from your brother Absalom.

⁸ “Don’t forget that Shimei, the son of Gera, is still around. He’s from Bahurim in the territory of Benjamin. Shimei cursed me bitterly. He did it on the day I went to Mahanaim. Later, he came down to welcome me at the Jordan River. At that time I made a promise in the name of the Lord. I promised Shimei, ‘I won’t put you to death with my sword.’ ⁹ But now I want you to think of him as guilty. You are wise. You will know what to do to him. Don’t let him live to become an old man. Put him to death.”

¹⁰ David joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the City of David. ¹¹ He had ruled over Israel for 40 years. He ruled for seven years in Hebron. Then he ruled for 33 years in Jerusalem. ¹² So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David. His position as king was made secure.

Solomon’s Kingdom Is Made Secure

¹³ Adonijah was the son of David’s wife Haggith. He went to Bathsheba. She was Solomon’s mother. She asked Adonijah, “Have you come in peace?”

He answered, “Yes. I’ve come in peace.” ¹⁴ He continued, “I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” she replied.

¹⁵ He said, “As you know, the kingdom belonged to me. The whole nation of Israel thought of me as their king. But now things have changed. The kingdom belongs to my brother. The Lord has given it to him. ¹⁶ But I have a favor to ask of you. Don’t say no to me.”

“Go ahead,” she said.

¹⁷ So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon for a favor. He won’t say no to you. Ask him to give me Abishag from Shunem to be my wife.”

¹⁸ “All right,” Bathsheba replied. “I’ll speak to the king for you.”

¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon. She went to him to speak for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her. He bowed down to her. Then he sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for his mother. She sat down at his right side.

²⁰ “I have one small favor to ask of you,” she said. “Don’t say no to me.”

The king replied, “Mother, go ahead and ask. I won’t say no to you.”

²¹ She said, “Let your brother Adonijah marry Abishag, the Shunammite.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why are you asking me to give Abishag, the Shunammite, to Adonijah? You might as well ask me to give him the whole kingdom! After all, he’s my older brother. And he doesn’t want the kingdom only for himself. He also wants it for Abiathar the priest and for Joab, the son of Zeruiah.”

²³ Then King Solomon made a promise in the name of the Lord. He said, “Adonijah will pay with his life because of what he has asked for. If he doesn’t, may God punish me greatly. ²⁴ The Lord has made my position as king secure. I’m sitting on the throne of my father David. The Lord has built a royal house for me, just as he promised. You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that Adonijah will be put to death today.” ²⁵ So King Solomon gave the order to Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. Benaiah struck down Adonijah, and he died.

²⁶ The king spoke to Abiathar the priest. He said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You should really be put to death. But I won’t have it done now. That’s because you carried the ark of the Lord and King. You did it for my father David. You shared all of his hard times.” ²⁷ So Solomon wouldn’t let Abiathar serve as a priest of the Lord anymore. That’s how the message the Lord had spoken at Shiloh came true. He had spoken it about the family of Eli.

²⁸ News of what Solomon had done reached Joab. Joab had never made evil plans along with Absalom. But he had joined Adonijah. So he ran to the tent of the Lord. He grabbed the horns that stuck out from the upper corners of the altar for burnt offerings. ²⁹ King Solomon was told that Joab had run to the tent. He was also told that Joab was by the altar. Then Solomon gave the order to Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. He told him, “Go! Strike him down!”

³⁰ So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord. He said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come on out!’ ”

But Joab answered, “No. I’d rather die here.”

Benaiah told the king what Joab had said to him.

³¹ Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do what he says. Strike him down and bury him. Then I and my family line won’t be held accountable for the blood Joab spilled. He killed people who weren’t guilty of doing anything wrong. ³² The Lord will pay him back for the blood he spilled. Joab attacked two men. He killed them with his sword. And my father David didn’t even know anything about it. Joab killed Abner, the son of Ner. Abner was the commander of Israel’s army. Joab also killed Amasa, the son of Jether. Amasa was the commander of Judah’s army. Abner and Amasa were better men than Joab is. They were more honest than he is. ³³ May Joab and his children after him be held forever accountable for spilling the blood of Abner and Amasa. But may David and his children after him enjoy the Lord’s peace and rest forever. May the Lord also give his peace to David’s royal house and kingdom forever.”

³⁴ So Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went up to the Lord’s tent. There he struck down Joab. And he killed him. Joab was buried at his home out in the country. ³⁵ The king put Benaiah in charge of the army. Benaiah took Joab’s place. The king also put Zadok the priest in Abiathar’s place.

³⁶ Then the king sent for Shimei. He said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem. Live there. Don’t go anywhere else. ³⁷ You must not leave the city and go across the Kidron Valley. If you do, you can be sure you will die. And it will be your own fault.”

³⁸ Shimei replied to the king, “You are my king and master. What you say is good. I’ll do it.” Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

³⁹ Three years after Solomon had talked with Shimei, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off. They went to Achish, the king of Gath. He was the son of Maakah. Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” ⁴⁰ When Shimei heard that, he put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went to Achish at Gath to look for his slaves. Shimei found them and brought them back from Gath.

⁴¹ Solomon was told that Shimei had left Jerusalem. He was told he had gone to Gath and had returned. ⁴² So the king sent for Shimei. He said to him, “Didn’t I force you to make a promise in the name of the Lord? Didn’t I warn you? I said, ‘You must not leave the city and go somewhere else. If you do, you can be sure you will die.’ At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I’ll obey your command.’ ⁴³ So why didn’t you keep your promise to the Lord? Why didn’t you obey the command I gave you?”

⁴⁴ The king continued, “You know all the wrong things you did to my father David. In your heart you know them. Now the Lord will pay you back for what you did. ⁴⁵ But I will be blessed. The Lord will make David’s kingdom secure forever.”

⁴⁶ Then the king gave the order to Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. Benaiah left the palace and struck down Shimei. And he died.

So the kingdom was now made secure in Solomon’s hands.

Solomon Asks God for Wisdom

3 Solomon and Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, agreed to help each other. So Solomon married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her to the City of David. She stayed there until he finished building his palace, the Lord’s temple, and the wall around Jerusalem. ² But the people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places where they worshiped. That’s because a temple hadn’t been built yet where the Lord would put his Name. ³ Solomon showed his love for the Lord. He did it by obeying the laws his father David had taught him. But Solomon offered sacrifices at the high places. He also burned incense there.

⁴ King Solomon went to the city of Gibeon to offer sacrifices. That’s where the most important high place was. There he offered 1,000 burnt offerings on the altar. ⁵ The Lord appeared to Solomon at Gibeon. He spoke to him in a dream during the night. God said, “Ask for anything you want me to give you.”

⁶ Solomon answered, “You have been very kind to my father David, your servant. That’s because he was faithful to you. He did what was right. His heart was honest. And you have continued to be very kind to him. You have given him a son to sit on his throne this day.

⁷ “Lord my God, you have now made me king. You have put me in the place of my father David. But I’m only a little child. I don’t know how to carry out my duties. ⁸ I’m here among the people you have chosen. They are a great nation. They are more than anyone can count. ⁹ So give me a heart that understands. Then I can rule over your people. I can tell the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Who can possibly rule over this great nation of yours?”

¹⁰ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for that. ¹¹ So God said to him, “You have not asked to live for a long time. You have not asked to be wealthy. You have not even asked to have your enemies killed. Instead, you have asked for wisdom. You want to do what is right and fair when you judge people. Because that is what you have asked for, ¹² I will give it to you. I will give you a wise and understanding heart. So here is what will be true of you. There has never been anyone like you. And there never will be. ¹³ And that is not all. I will give you what you have not asked for. I will give you wealth and honor. As long as you live, no other king will be as great as you are. ¹⁴ Live the way I want you to. Obey my laws and commands, just as your father David did. Then I will let you live for a long time.” ¹⁵ Solomon woke up. He realized he had been dreaming.

He returned to Jerusalem. He stood in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant. He sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his officials.

A Wise Ruling

¹⁶ Two prostitutes came to the king. They stood in front of him. ¹⁷ One of them said, “Pardon me, my master, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. ¹⁸ Three days after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone. There wasn’t anyone in the house but the two of us.

¹⁹ “During the night this woman’s baby died. It happened because she was lying on top of him. ²⁰ So she got up in the middle of the night. She took my son from my side while I was asleep. She put him by her breast. Then she put her dead son by my breast. ²¹ The next morning, I got up to nurse my son. But he was dead! I looked at him closely in the morning light. And I saw that it wasn’t my baby.”

²² The other woman said, “No! The living baby is my son. The dead one belongs to you.”

But the first woman said, “No! The dead baby is yours. The living one belongs to me.” So they argued in front of the king.

²³ The king said, “One of you says, ‘My son is alive. Your son is dead.’ The other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead. Mine is alive.’ ”

²⁴ He continued, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought to him. ²⁵ Then he gave an order. He said, “Cut the living child in two. Give half to one woman and half to the other.”

²⁶ The woman whose son was alive was filled with deep love for her son. She said to the king, “My master, please give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”

But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him. Cut him in two!”

²⁷ Then the king made his decision. He said, “Give the living baby to the first woman. Don’t kill him. She’s his mother.”

²⁸ All the Israelites heard about the decision the king had given. That gave them great respect for him. They saw that God had given him wisdom. They knew that Solomon would do what was right and fair when he judged people.

Solomon’s Officials and Governors

4 So King Solomon ruled over the whole nation of Israel.

² Here are the names of his chief officials.

⁷ Solomon had 12 local governors over the whole land of Israel. They provided supplies for the king and the royal family. Each governor had to provide supplies for one month out of each year.

⁸ Here are their names and areas.

Solomon’s Daily Supplies

²⁰ There were many people in Judah and Israel. In fact, they were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They ate, drank and were happy. ²¹ Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines. He ruled as far as the border of Egypt. All those countries brought the gifts he required them to bring him. And Solomon ruled over those countries for his whole life.

²² Here are the supplies Solomon required every day.

²⁴ Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms that were west of the Euphrates River. He ruled from Tiphsah all the way to Gaza. And he had peace and rest on every side. ²⁵ While Solomon was king, Judah and Israel lived in safety. They were secure from Dan all the way to Beersheba. Everyone had their own vine and their own fig tree.

²⁶ Solomon had 4,000 spaces where he kept his chariot horses. He had a total of 12,000 horses.

²⁷ The local governors provided supplies for King Solomon. They provided them for all who ate at the king’s table. Each governor provided supplies for one month every year. The governors made sure the king had everything he needed. ²⁸ They also brought barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses. Each of the governors brought the amounts required of them. They brought them to the proper places.

God Makes Solomon Very Wise

²⁹ God made Solomon very wise. His understanding couldn’t even be measured. It was like the sand on the seashore. People can’t measure that either. ³⁰ Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the people of the east. It was greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. ³¹ Solomon was wiser than anyone else. He was wiser than Ethan, the Ezrahite. He was wiser than Heman, Kalkol and Darda. They were the sons of Mahol. Solomon became famous in all the nations around him. ³² He spoke 3,000 proverbs. He wrote 1,005 songs. ³³ He spoke about plants. He knew everything about them, from the cedar trees in Lebanon to the hyssop plants that grow out of walls. He spoke about animals and birds. He also spoke about reptiles and fish. ³⁴ The kings of all the world’s nations heard about how wise Solomon was. So they sent their people to listen to him.