5Then Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, promoted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he got chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6And his father, David, had never restrained him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” And he was also very handsome; and his mother had born him after Absalom. 7And he conferred with Joab, son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, the priest; and they followed and supported Adonijah. 8But Zadok, the priest, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, Nathan, the prophet, Shimei and Rei, and the men of David’s personal bodyguard, refused to join with Adonijah. 9And Adonijah slaughtered sheep, oxen and fat cattle by the Stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants: 10But he did not invite Nathan, the prophet, Benaiah, the king's bodyguards, or his brother, Solomon.

11Therefore Nathan asked Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, son of Haggith, now reigns, and David, our lord, does not know it? 12Now, then, let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of your son, Solomon. 13Go to King David, and say to him, “My lord, the king, did you not swear to me, your handmaid, that, ‘Assuredly Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne’? Why, then, has Adonijah become king?” 14And while you are yet talking with the king, I will come in, and confirm your words.”

15And so Bathsheba went in to the king in his chamber. And the king was now very old; and Abishag, the Shunammite, was caring for him. 16And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king. And the king said, “What is it that you want?” 17And she said to him, “My lord, you did swear by the LORD your God, to me, your handmaid, that, ‘Assuredly, Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne’. 18And now, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord, the king, do not you know it. 19And he has slaughtered oxen, fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the other sons of the king, Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army; but Solomon, your servant and son, he has not invited. 20And the eyes of all Israel are upon you, my lord, O king, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord, the king, after him. 21Otherwise, as soon as my lord, the king, is laid to rest with his fathers, I and my son Solomon shall be treated as criminals.”

22And while she still talking with the king, Nathan, the prophet, came in. 23And they announced to the king, “Behold, Nathan, the prophet”. And when he had come in before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 24And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and shall sit upon my throne’? 25For he has gone down this day, and slaughtered oxen, fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commander and leaders of the army, and Abiathar, the priest; and they are all eating and drinking with him, and say, ‘God save King Adonijah’. 26But me, your servant, Zadok, the priest, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and your son Solomon, Adonijah has not invited. 27Is this something my lord, the king, has done, and you have not told me, your servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord, the king, after him?”

28Then King David responded, “Call me Bathsheba”. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before him. 29And the king took an oath, and said, “As the LORD lives, Who has redeemed my soul out of all distress, 30Even as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, that ‘Assuredly Solomon, your son, shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead’; even so will I certainly do this day.” 31Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, “Let my lord, King David, live forever”.

32And King David said, “Summon Zadok, the priest, Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada”. And they came before the king. 33Then the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon, my son, ride upon my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34And let Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, anoint him king over Israel there; and blow the trumpet, and say, “God save King Solomon”. 35Then you shall come up with him, so that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead; and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah”. 36And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, answered the king, and said, “Amen! May the LORD God of my lord, the king, say so too. 37As the LORD has been with my lord, the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord, King David”.

38So Zadok, the priest, Nathan, the prophet, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites (both the Cherethites and the Pelethites served as bodyguards for David, known for their loyalty to him, especially during times of crisis), went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39And Zadok, the priest, took a horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, “God save King Solomon.” 40And all the people followed Solomon, and played pipes, and rejoiced grealy, so that the earth split with the sound of them.

41And Adonijah, and all his guests heard it as they were finished eating. And when Joab heard the trumpet, he said, “Why this tumult in the city in?” 42And while he yet spoke, Jonathan, son of Abiathar, the priest, came; and Adonijah said to him, “Come in; you are a valiant man, and will bring good news”. 43And Jonathan replied, “Not at all! King David has just made Solomon king. 44And the king has sent Zadok, the priest, Nathan, the prophet, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites (the king’s bodyguards) with Solomon, and they have had him ride upon the king's mule: 45And Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet, have anointed him king in Gihon; and they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city resonates with it. That is what you have heard. 46And now Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47And, furthermore, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord, King David, saying, “God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne”. And the king bowed himself upon the bed. 48And the king David said, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, Who has provided someone to sit on my throne today, and I have lived to see it”.

49And all the guests who were with Adonijah rose, and scattered in fear. 50And Adonijah was in fear of Solomon, and went, and grabbed the horns of the altar. 51And Solomon was told, “Adonijah fears King Solomon; and he has grabbed ahold of the horns of the altar, saying, “Let king Solomon swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword”. 52And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die”. 53So King Solomon sent, and they brought Adonijah down from the altar. And he came and bowed to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”