1 Kings 1-3

New Catholic Bible

The Reign of Solomon

Chapter 1

Help for King David. ¹ Now King David was old, well on in years. They would cover him up, but he could not get warm. ² So his servants said to him, “My lord, the king, let a young virgin be found for you to attend to you and to care for you. She can lie alongside of you so that my lord, the king, can keep warm.” ³ And so they searched for a beautiful young woman all throughout the territory of Israel, and they found Abishag the Shunamite, and they brought her to the king. ⁴ The young woman was very beautiful, and she cared for the king. She served the king, but he did not have intimate relations with her.

Adonijah’s Plan. ⁵ Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exulted himself saying, “I will be king.” He had his own chariots and horsemen, and he had fifty men to run in front of him.^{[a] 6} His father never rebuked him by saying, “Why have you done this?” He was very handsome, and he had been born after Absalom.

⁷ Adonijah conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest, and they helped Adonijah and followed after him. ⁸ But Zadok the priest, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, and Shimei and Rei, David’s brave warriors, did not side with Adonijah.

^9 [b]Adonijah sacrificed some sheep, oxen, and fatted calves at the stone of Zoheleth in En-rogel. He invited all of his brethren, the king’s sons, and all of the men of Judah, the king’s servants, ¹⁰ but he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the king’s brave men, or Solomon, his brother.

¹¹ Solomon Becomes King. Nathan, therefore, spoke to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, is reigning, and our lord David does not know about it. ¹² Come and let me give you counsel, so that I may save my own life and the life of your son Solomon.

¹³ “Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘Did not my lord, the king, make an oath to your handmaid, saying, “Solomon, your son, will reign after me and will sit upon my throne? Why, then, is Adonijah reigning?” ¹⁴ While you are still speaking with the king, I will arrive and confirm your words.’ ”

¹⁵ So Bathsheba went into the king’s chamber. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunamite served the king.^{[c] 16} Bathsheba bowed down, paying obeisance to the king, and the king said, “What do you want?” ¹⁷ She said to him, “My lord, you made an oath to your handmaid by the Lord, your God, saying, ‘Solomon, your son, will reign after me, and he will sit upon my throne.’ ¹⁸ But now Adonijah is reigning, and my king does not know about it. ¹⁹ He has sacrificed many oxen, fatted calves, and sheep, and he has invited all of the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon.

²⁰ “Now, my lord, the king, the eyes of all of Israel are upon you. They want you to tell them who will sit upon your throne, my lord, the king.^{[d] 21} Otherwise when my lord, the king, sleeps with his fathers, I and Solomon, my son, will be condemned.”

²² While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet entered. ²³ They announced to the king, “Nathan the prophet.” He came before the king and bowed down with his face to the ground before the king. ²⁴ Nathan said, “Has my lord, the king, said, ‘Adonijah will rule after me and he will sit upon my throne?’ ²⁵ Today he went down and sacrificed many oxen, fatted calves, and sheep, and he invited all of the king’s sons, the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest. They are eating and drinking with him, and they are saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ²⁶ But he did not invite myself, your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, nor Solomon, your servant. ²⁷ Has my lord, the king, done this thing without informing your servant about who is to sit upon your throne after you, O lord, my king?”

²⁸ Then King David said, “Summon Bathsheba.” She came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. ²⁹ The king then swore an oath, saying, “As the Lord lives who has delivered me from all of my adversities, ³⁰ and as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel saying, ‘Solomon, your son, will reign after me, and he will sit upon my throne in my place,’ I will fulfill it today.” ³¹ Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground and did obeisance saying, “May my lord, King David, live forever.”

³² King David said, “Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, to me.” They came before the king. ³³ The king said to them, “Take your lord’s servants and put Solomon, my son, on my own donkey and bring him to Gihon. ³⁴ There, have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him as king over Israel. Sound your trumpet and proclaim, ‘Long live, King Solomon.’ ³⁵ Then follow him back up so that he might come and sit upon my throne, for he will take my place as king. I have chosen him to be the king over Israel and Judah.”

³⁶ Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answered the king saying, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord, the king, confirm it. ³⁷ May the Lord be with Solomon just as he has been with my lord, the king. May he make his throne greater than the throne of my lord, king David.”

³⁸ So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down. They had Solomon ride upon King David’s donkey, and they brought him to Gihon. ³⁹ Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out from the tabernacle and he anointed Solomon. They sounded the trumpet and all of the people proclaimed, “Long live, King Solomon.” ⁴⁰ All of the people went up and joined his following, and they played upon flutes and so greatly rejoiced that the ground shook from the noise.

⁴¹ Adonijah Acknowledges Solomon. Adonijah and all of those whom he had invited to be with him finished eating and heard it. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, “What is this uproar coming from the city?” ⁴² While he was still speaking, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for a brave man like you must bring good news.” ⁴³ Jonathan answered Adonijah saying, “It is not so! Our Lord, king David, has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴ The king sent him with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, ⁴⁵ and Zadok, the priest, and Nathan the prophet anointed him in Gihon. They are coming up from there rejoicing so that the city resounds with it. This is the noise that you heard. ⁴⁶ Moreover, Solomon is sitting upon the royal throne.

⁴⁷ “The king’s servants have come to bless our lord, King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon greater than your name, and his throne than your throne.’ The king then worshiped in his bed ⁴⁸ and the king said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has allowed me to see with my own eyes the one who will sit upon my throne.’ ”

⁴⁹ All of those whom Adonijah had invited became frightened, and they rose up and they each went his own way. ⁵⁰ But Adonijah, because he feared Solomon, got up and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.^[e]

⁵¹ Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for he has taken hold of the horns of the altar saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear an oath to me today that he will not harm his servant.’ ” ⁵² Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be a man of virtue, then not one of his hairs will fall to the ground. But if he proves to be wicked, he will die!”

⁵³ So King Solomon sent and had him brought down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go home.”

Chapter 2

David’s Parting Words before Death. ¹ As David’s death drew near, he instructed Solomon, his son, saying, ² “I am going the way of all upon the earth. Be strong, and show yourself to be a man. ^3 [f]Observe the ordinances of the Lord, your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and what he witnessed in writing in the law of Moses. In this way you will prosper in whatever you do and wherever you go. ⁴ The Lord will keep the promise he made about me saying, ‘If your descendants heed their way and they walk before me faithfully with all of their heart and all of their soul, there will always be one of yours upon the throne of Israel.’

^5 [g]“Now, you know what Joab, the son of Zeruiah, did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the army of Israel, to Abner, the son of Ner, and Amasa, the son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood during peacetime as if it were a time of war. The blood of battle is upon the belt around his waist and the sandals upon his feet. ⁶ Deal with him as you think wise, but do not let his gray head go down into Sheol in peace. ⁷ Show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite. Let them be among those who eat at your table, for they came to me when I fled from Absalom, your brother.

⁸ “Now, you also have Shimei, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim. He cursed me terribly on the day I traveled to Mahanaim, yet he also came down to meet me at the Jordan. I swore an oath to him by the Lord saying, ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ ⁹ You should not let him go unpunished. You are a wise man; you will know what to do with him. Bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”

¹⁰ David slept with his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. ¹¹ David had reigned over Israel for forty years. He reigned in Hebron for seven years, and he reigned in Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

¹² Solomon Affirms His Power. Then Solomon sat on the throne of David, his father, and his reign was firmly established.

¹³ Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. She asked him, “Do you come in peace?” He answered, “In peace.” ¹⁴ Then he added, “I have something to say to you.” She said, “Speak.” ¹⁵ He said, “You know that the kingdom was mine. All of Israel looked to me to reign. But things changed, and the kingdom is my brother’s, for it is his from the Lord. ¹⁶ Now I beg one thing from you; do not deny me.” She said, “Speak.” ¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, and ask him to give me Abishag as a wife.” ¹⁸ Bathsheba answered, “Very well, I will speak to the king for you.”

¹⁹ Bathsheba, therefore, went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king rose up to meet her and bowed down to her. He sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s mother, so that she sat on his right hand.^{[h] 20} She said, “I desire to make one small request of you. Please do not deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not deny you.” ²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunamite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother saying, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunamite for Adonijah? Why not ask for the kingdom for him, for he is my older brother? Ask it for him and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab, the son of Zeruiah.” ²³ Then King Solomon swore an oath by the Lord saying, “May God do this to me and more if Adonijah has not spoken this thing at the cost of his life. ²⁴ Now, therefore, as the Lord lives, who has confirmed me and has set me upon the throne of David, my father, and who has built a house for me as he promised, this very day Adonijah will be put to death.” ²⁵ So King Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and he fell upon him, so that he died.

²⁶ The king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go to Anathoth, to your own fields, for you really deserve to die now. I will not put you to death, however, because you have carried the Ark of the Lord, the God, before David, my father, and because you suffered whatever my father suffered.” ²⁷ So Solomon removed Abiathar as priest of the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord which he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

²⁸ The news came to Joab (for Joab had followed Adonijah although he had not followed Absalom), and Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord and took hold of the horns on the altar. ²⁹ King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and he is by the altar.” So Solomon sent Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, fall upon him.”

³⁰ Benaiah arrived at the tabernacle of the Lord and said to him, “Thus says the king, ‘Come out.’ ” He answered, “No, I will die here!” Benaiah brought a report back to the king saying, “This is what Joab said; this is how he answered me.” ³¹ So the king said to him, “Do what he said, fall upon him and bury him, so that you may remove the innocent blood that Joab shed from me and the house of my father.^{[i] 32} Thus the Lord will bring the blood back upon his own head. He struck down two men who were more righteous and better than he: Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah. He slew them with the sword, even though my father did not know about it. ³³ Their blood shall come back upon the head of Joab and upon the heads of his descendants forever. But there will be peace forever from the Lord upon David, upon his house, and upon his throne.”

³⁴ So Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, went up and fell upon him and slew him and buried him in his house in the desert. ³⁵ The king assigned Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, as his replacement to command the army, and the king replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.^[j]

³⁶ The king then sent for and summoned Shimei and he said to him, “Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, but do not leave it to go anywhere. ³⁷ On the same day that you cross over the Kidron Brook, know that you will surely die, and your blood will be upon your own head.” ³⁸ Shimei said to the king, “What you have said is good. Your servant will do what my lord, the king, has said.” Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem for a long time.

³⁹ Three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish, the son of Maacah, the king of Gath. Shimei was informed, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” ⁴⁰ Shimei rose up, and saddled his donkey, and went to Achish in Gath to search for his slaves. Shimei went and brought his slaves back from Gath. ⁴¹ Solomon was told that Shimei had traveled from Jerusalem to Gath and had come back again. ⁴² The king sent for and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make an oath by the Lord and warn you, saying, ‘The day that you go forth and travel anywhere, know that you will surely die?’ You answered me, ‘The word that I have heard is good.’ ⁴³ Why have you not observed the oath of the Lord and the commandment that I gave you?”

⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart about all of the evil that you did to my father; therefore, the Lord will requite your wickedness upon your own head. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon will be blessed, and the throne of David will be secure before the Lord forever.” ⁴⁶ So the king gave a command to Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. Thus the reign was firmly established in the hands of Solomon.^[k]

Chapter 3

Solomon Asks for Wisdom. ¹ Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he married Pharaoh’s daughter. He brought her into the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the Lord and the walls surrounding Jerusalem.

^2 [l]In the meantime, the people sacrificed upon the high places,^[m] for a temple to the name of the Lord had not yet been built. ³ Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father, except that he sacrificed and burned incense upon the high places.

⁴ The king went to Gibeon to perform a sacrifice there, for that was an important high place. Solomon offered up one thousand burnt offerings upon that altar.

⁵ The Lord appeared to Solomon that night in a dream at Gibeon. God said, “Ask me for whatever you want.” ⁶ Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, David, my father, because he walked before you in fidelity and righteousness. His heart was upright before you. You have even continued to show him this great kindness by having given him a son to sit upon his throne up to this very day. ⁷ Now, O Lord, my God, you have established your servant as king in the place of David, my father, but I am only a small child and do not know how to go out and come in. ⁸ Your servant is among the people you have chosen, a great people. There are so many of them that they cannot be numbered or counted. ⁹ Therefore, give your servant a discerning heart to judge your people and to distinguish between what is good and what is bad, for who would be able to judge this, your great people?”

¹⁰ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked for this. ¹¹ God said to him, “Because you have asked for this thing, and you have not asked for a long life for yourself, or that you be rich, or for the life of your enemies, but you asked for understanding to discern what is just, ¹² behold, I am fulfilling your request. I will give you such a wise and understanding heart that there was never anyone like you before your times, nor will anyone like you rise up afterwards.^[n]

¹³ “I will also give you those things for which you did not ask, both riches and honor, so that no other king will be like you as long as you live. ¹⁴ If you walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and commandments, just as David, your father, walked, then I will prolong your life.”

¹⁵ Solomon woke up, and it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. He offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he celebrated a feast with all his servants.

¹⁶ Solomon’s Wisdom. Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷ One of the women said, “O my lord, I and this woman live in the same house. I had a child while this woman was in the house.

¹⁸ “Three days after I had my child, this woman also had a child. We were there together, and there was no one else with us in the house, only the two of us. ¹⁹ This woman’s child died during the night because she rolled over upon it. ²⁰ She got up in the middle of the night, and she took my son from my side while your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast, and she put her dead son by my breast. ²¹ When I got up the next morning to nurse my son, he was dead. I examined him carefully in the morning, and behold, it was not the son whom I had borne.”

²² The other woman said, “No! My son is the living one; your son is the dead one!” The first woman said, “No! Your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one!” They argued this way before the king.

²³ The king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son, the living one, and that is your son, the dead one,’ while the other one says, ‘No! Your son is dead, my son is alive.’ ” ²⁴ The king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword to the king. ²⁵ The king said, “Divide the living child in two. Give one-half to one of them, and one-half to the other.”

²⁶ The woman whose child was alive was moved to compassion for her son and she said to the king, “O my lord, give her the living child. Do not kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you will have him. Cut him in two!”

²⁷ The king then said, “Give her the living child. Do not kill him. She is his mother.” ²⁸ When all of Israel heard about how the king had judged the case, they were filled with awe toward the king. They realized that he had the wisdom of God by the way he was able to judge properly.