When king David was waxen old and stricken in years, though they covered him with clothes, yet he caught no heat.

Wherefore his servants said unto him, "Let there be sought for my lord the king a young maiden to wait upon him and to cherish him. And let her lie in his bosom, that my lord the king may get heat."

And so they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel and found one Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

And the damsel was exceeding fair, and cherished the king and ministered to him: But the king knew her not.

But Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." And he gat him a chariot and horsemen and fifty men to run before him.

And his father rebuked him not at any time, nor said so much to him as "Why dost thou so?" And he was thereto a goodly man and his mother bare him next, after Absalom.

And he communed with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they helped Adonijah.

But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and the men of might which were with David, favored not Adonijah.

And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings at the stone of Zoheleth which is fast by the well of Rogel, and bade all his brethren, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants.

But Nathan the prophet and Benaiah and the mighty men and Solomon his brother he bade not.

Whereupon Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Hast thou not heard how that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, unwitting unto our master David?

Now therefore come, that I may give thee counsel how to save thine own life and the life of thy son Solomon.

Go and get thee unto king David, and say unto him, 'Didst thou not, my lord king, sware unto thy handmaid saying: Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my seat? Why, then, is Adonijah made king?'

And see, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I will come in after thee and will end thy words."

And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber. And the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto him.

And Bathsheba stooped and made obeisance unto the king. And the king said, "What is thy matter?"

And she answered and said, "My lord, thou hast sworn by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid, 'Solomon thy son shall reign after me and he shall sit upon my seat.'

But now see, Adonijah is king and thou my lord king knowest it not.

And he hath offered oxen, fatlings and sheep abundantly, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the Host. But Solomon thy servant hath he not bidden.

And now, my lord king, the eyes of all Israel wait on thee, to tell them who shall sit on the seat of my lord the king after him.

For else when my lord the king is laid to rest with his fathers, I and my son Solomon shall be sinners."

And behold, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet was come.

And they told the king, saying, "Here cometh Nathan the prophet." And when he was come before the king, he made obeisance unto the king upon his face unto the ground,

and said, "My lord king, hast thou said, 'Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my seat?'

For he is gone down this day and hath offered oxen, fatlings and sheep abundantly, and hath called all the king's sons and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest. And see, they eat and drink before him and say, 'God save king Adonijah.'

But me, thy servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon he hath not called.

Is this thing done of my lord the king and yet wouldest not show me thy servant, who should sit on the seat of my lord the king after him?"

Then king David answered, and said, "Call me Bathsheba." And she came in and stood before him.

And the king sware, saying, "As sure as the LORD, that hath rid my soul out of all adversity, liveth:

even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying 'Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my seat for me,' so will I do this day."

And Bathsheba bowed on her face to the earth and did obeisance unto the king, and said, "I pray God my lord king David may live ever."

Then said king David, "Call me Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." And when they came before the king,

the king said unto them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and set Solomon my son upon mine own mule and carry him down to Gihon.

And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there, to be king over Israel. And then blow ye with a trumpet and say, 'God save king Solomon.'

And then come up after him, and let him come and sit upon my seat. For he shall be king in my stead. And him I have commanded to be captain over Israel and Judah."

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen, and so I pray God that the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.

And as the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so I pray God he may be with Solomon, and that he make his seat greater than the seat of my lord king David."

And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and the Cherethites and Pelethites went down, and set Solomon upon king David's mule and led him to Gihon.

And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew a trumpet, and they all said, "God save king Solomon!"

And all the people came up after him piping with pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the earth rang with the sound of them.

And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him, heard it even as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "How happeneth it there is such a noise in the city?"

And as he yet spake, see, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, "Come, for thou art a lusty blood and bringest good tidings."

And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, "Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.

And the king sent with him, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have set him upon the king's mule.

And Zadok the priest and Nathan the Prophet have anointed him king in Gihon. And as they came up again they rejoiced that the city did sound again. And that is the noise that ye have heard.

And thereto Solomon sitteth on the seat of the kingdom.

And moreover, the king's servants went in to bless our lord king David saying, 'Thy God make the name of Solomon more favoured than thine, and his seat more glorious than thine.' And the king bowed himself upon the bed.

And last of all thus said the king, 'Blessed be the LORD God of Israel which hath made one to sit on my seat this day, even mine eyes seeing it.'"

And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid and rose up and went every man his way.

And Adonijah, fearing Solomon, arose and went and caught hold on the horns of the altar.

And it was told Solomon, how that Adonijah for fear of king Solomon hath caught handfast by the horns of the altar, saying, "Let king Solomon swear unto me this day, that he will not slay his servant with the sword."

And Solomon said, "If he will be a child of virtue, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth. But and if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die for it."

And thereupon king Solomon sent and fetched him down from the altar. And he came and did obeisance unto king Solomon. And Solomon said to him, "Get thee to thine house."

When the days of David were drawn nigh, and he should die; he charged Solomon his son, saying,

"I must walk by the way of the world. Neverthelater, be thou strong and quite thyself manfully.

And see that thou keep the appointment of the LORD thy God, that thou walk in his ways and keep his commandments, ordinances, laws and testimonies, even as it is written in the law of Moses: that thou mayest understand all that thou oughtest to do, and all that thou shouldest meddle with.

That the LORD may make good his promise which he hath promised me, saying, 'If thy children shall take heed to their ways, that they walk before me in truth, with all their hearts and with all their souls; then thou shalt never be without one sitting on the seat of Israel.'

Moreover thou knowest how Joab the son of Zeruiah hath served me, and what he hath done to the two captains of the hosts of Israel - unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether - how he slew them and shed the blood of war in time of peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins and in his shoes that were on his feet.

Deal with him therefore according to thy wisdom and see that thou bring not his hoar head down to the grave in peace.

And show kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among them that eat at thine own table, because they so clave to me when I fled from Absalom thy brother.

And see, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin of Bahurim, which cursed me with a bitter curse what time I went to Mahanaim. But he came against me to Jordan, and I sware to him by the LORD, saying, "I will not slay thee with the sword."

But pardon thou him not. Thou art a man of wisdom and shalt know what to do to him, see therefore that thou bring his hoar head to the grave with blood."

And so David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

And the days which David reigned upon Israel were forty years: seven years in Hebron, and thirty and three years in Jerusalem.

And Solomon sat upon the seat of David his father and his kingdom was established mightily.

After that, Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, "Betokeneth thy coming peace?"

And he said, "It betokeneth peace." Then said he, "I have a matter to show thee." And she said, "Say on."

And he said, "Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel put their eyes on me, that I should reign. Howbeit, the kingdom was turned away and given to my brother, for it was appointed him of the LORD: and now I ask a petition of thee, whereof deny me not."

And she said unto him, "Tell what it is."

Then he said, "Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king - for he will not say thee nay - that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife."

And Bathsheba said, "Well, I will speak for thee unto the king."

And thereupon Bathsheba went unto king Solomon to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up against her and bowed himself unto her, and sat him down on his seat. And there was a seat set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right side.

Then she said, "I must desire a little petition of thee: say me not nay." And the king said unto her, "Ask on my mother: for I will not say thee nay."

And she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife."

And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, "Why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? But rather ask for him the kingdom, seeing he is mine elder brother! Even for him ask it; and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah."

Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, "God do so to me and so thereto if Adonijah have not spoken this word against himself.

Now therefore as surely as the LORD liveth which hath established me and set me on the seat of David my father, and which hath made me a house as he promised me, Adonijah shall die this day."

And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and smote him that he died.

And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, "Get thee to Anathoth unto thine own fields, for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time kill thee, because thou hast borne the Ark of the Lord Jehovah before David my father, and because thou sufferest with my father in all his afflictions."

And so Solomon put away Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD: to fulfill the words of the LORD which he spake over the house of Eli in Shiloh.

Then tidings came to Joab - for Joab had turned after Adonijah, but not after Absalom - whereupon he fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD and caught handfast on the horns of the altar.

And it was told king Solomon how that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD and stood by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada saying, "Go and smite him."

And when Benaiah was come to the tabernacle of the LORD he said unto him, "Thus sayeth the king: 'Come out.'" And he said, "Nay: But I will die even here." And Benaiah brought the king word, saying, "Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me."

And the king said, "Do even as he hath said: smite him and bury him, and take away the blood which Joab shed, causeless, from me and from the house of my father.

And the LORD bring his blood upon his own head, for he smote two men righteouser and better than he, and slew them with the sword; my father unwitting: even Abner the son of Ner captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether captain of the host of Judah.

And their blood return upon the head of Joab and on the head of his seed forever. And prosperity be unto David, and unto his seed, and unto his house, and unto his seat, of the LORD forever."

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and smote him and slew him and buried him in his own house in the wilderness.

And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host, and put Zadok the priest in the room of Abiathar.

Then the king sent and called Shimei, and said to him, "Build thee a house in Jerusalem and dwell there and see that thou go not once thence any whither.

For be thou sure of it: the day thou goest out and passest over the river of Kidron, thou shalt die for it, and thy blood shall be on thine own head."

And Shimei said unto the king, "It is well said: as my lord the king hath said, so will his servant do." And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many a day.

And it chanced, at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And one told Shimei, saying, "See, thy servants be in Gath."

And Shimei stood up and saddled his ass and gat him to Gath to Achish, to seek his servants, and came and brought them again from Gath.

But it was told Solomon how that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and was come again.

And the king sent and called Shimei and said unto him, "Did I not adjure thee by the LORD, and testified unto thee saying, 'Be sure whensoever thou goest out and walkest abroad any whither, thou shalt die for it?' And thou answeredst me, 'It is good tidings that I have heard.'

Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I commanded thee?"

And then the king said to Shimei, "Thou rememberest all the wickedness which thine heart knoweth that thou didst to David my father. The LORD therefore render again thy wickedness upon thine own head:

and king Solomon be blessed, and the fear of the LORD be established before the LORD forever."

And the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada: which went out and smote him that he died. And so was the kingdom settled in the hand of Solomon.

Then Solomon drew affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David until he had made an end of building his own house and the house of the LORD and the walls of Jerusalem round about.