King James Version
1 ¶ Now king David was old and stricken in years; and
they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
2 Wherefore his
servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young
virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her
lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.
3 So they sought
for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
4 And the damsel
was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew
her not.
5 ¶ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself,
saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty
men to run before him.
6
And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast
thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after
Absalom.
7 And he conferred
with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following
Adonijah helped him.
8 But Zadok the
priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to
David, were not with Adonijah.
9 And Adonijah
slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by
Enrogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah
the king's servants:
10
But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his
brother, he called not.
11 ¶ Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of
Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth
reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?
12
Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou
mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.
13 Go and get
thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king,
swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after
me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?
14
Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in
after thee, and confirm thy words.
15 And Bathsheba
went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag
the Shunammite ministered unto the king.
16 And Bathsheba
bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What
wouldest thou?
17 And she said
unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the LORD thy God unto thine handmaid,
saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon
my throne.
18 And now,
behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:
19 And he hath slain
oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, 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 called.
20 And thou, my
lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest
tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
21 Otherwise it
shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I
and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.
22 And, lo, while
she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
23 And they told
the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come
in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the
ground.
24 And Nathan
said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he
shall sit upon my throne?
25 For he is gone
down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance,
and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar
the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king
Adonijah.
26 But me, even
me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy
servant Solomon, hath he not called.
27
Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto
thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
28 Then king
David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king's
presence, and stood before the king.
29 And the king
sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
30 Even as I
sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son
shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will
I certainly do this day.
31 Then Bathsheba
bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
32 ¶ And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and
Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the
king.
33 The king also
said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my
son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:
34
And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king
over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.
35 Then ye shall
come up after him, 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.
36
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the
LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
37 As the LORD
hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his
throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.
38 So Zadok the
priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused
Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.
39 And Zadok the
priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And
they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.
40
And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes,
and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.
41 ¶ And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him
heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of
the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?
42
And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest
came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and
bringest good tidings.
43 And Jonathan
answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon
king.
44
And the king hath 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 caused him to ride upon the king's mule:
45 And Zadok the
priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are
come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.
46 And also
Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.
47 And moreover the
king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of
Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And
the king bowed himself upon the bed.
48
And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which
hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.
49 And all the
guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his
way.
50 And Adonijah
feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
51 And it was
told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath
caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me
to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
52 And Solomon
said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in
him, he shall die.
53 So king
Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed
himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.
1 ¶ Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die;
and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
2 I go the way of
all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;
3 And keep the
charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his
commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the
law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself:
4 That the LORD
may continue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, If thy children
take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with all their heart and
with all their soul, there shall not fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of
Israel.
5
Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and
what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of
Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war
in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins,
and in his shoes that were on his feet.
6
Do therefore according to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down
to the grave in peace.
7 But shew
kindness unto the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those
that eat at thy table: for so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom
thy brother.
8
And, behold, thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of
Bahurim, which cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to
Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I sware to him by the
LORD, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword.
9 Now therefore
hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou
down to the grave with blood.
10 So David slept
with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
11 And the days
that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in
Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
12 ¶ Then sat Solomon upon the throne
of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly.
13 And Adonijah
the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said,
Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
14 He said
moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on.
15
And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel
set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned
about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the LORD.
16 And now I ask
one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
17 And 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.
18 And Bathsheba
said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
19 Bathsheba
therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king
rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne,
and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.
20 Then she said,
I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king
said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.
21 And she said,
Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
22
And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou
ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he
is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab
the son of Zeruiah.
23 Then king
Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore,
as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of
David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall
be put to death this day.
25 And king
Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
26 ¶ 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 put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord GOD
before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my
father was afflicted.
27
So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he
might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli
in Shiloh.
28 Then tidings
came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after
Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught
hold on the horns of the altar.
29 And it was
told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and,
behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,
saying, Go, fall upon him.
30 And Benaiah
came to the tabernacle of the LORD, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here.
And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he
answered me.
31 And the king
said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou
mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the
house of my father.
32
And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two
men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father
David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of
Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.
33 Their blood
shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon
his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the LORD.
34 So Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in
his own house in the wilderness.
35 ¶ And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his
room over the host: and Zadok the priest did the king put
in the room of Abiathar.
36 And the king
sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in
Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither.
37 For it shall
be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou
shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.
38 And Shimei
said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will
thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days.
39 And it came to
pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away
unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath.
40 And Shimei
arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants:
and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath.
41 And it was
told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.
42
And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not
make thee to swear by the LORD, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a
certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou
shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good.
43 Why then hast
thou not kept the oath of the LORD, and the commandment that I
have charged thee with?
44 The king said
moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy
to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the LORD shall return thy
wickedness upon thine own head;
45 And king
Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the LORD for ever.
46 So the king
commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that
he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
1 ¶ And Solomon made 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 wall of Jerusalem round about.
2 Only the people
sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of
the LORD, until those days.
3
And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father:
only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
4 And the king went
to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand
burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.
5 ¶ In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by
night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.
6 And Solomon
said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according
as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of
heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast
given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
7
And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David
my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And thy servant
is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that
cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give therefore
thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this
thy so great a people?
10 And the speech
pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said
unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself
long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of
thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise
and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee,
neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
13 And I have
also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so
that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
14
And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my
commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.
15 And Solomon
awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before
the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt offerings, and
offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.
16 ¶ Then came there two women, that
were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him.
17 And the one
woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered
of a child with her in the house.
18 And it came to
pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger
with us in the house, save we two in the house.
19 And this
woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
20 And she arose
at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and
laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
21
And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead:
but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I
did bear.
22 And the other
woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this
said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.
23 Then said the
king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and
the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
24 And the king
said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.
25 And the king
said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
26 Then spake the
woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her
son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay
it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.
27 Then the king
answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.
28 And all Israel
heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for
they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.
1 ¶ So king Solomon was king over all Israel.
2
And these were the princes which he had; Azariah the son of Zadok the
priest,
3 Elihoreph and
Ahiah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the
recorder.
4 And Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada was over the host: and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests:
5
And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers: and Zabud the son
of Nathan was principal officer, and the king's friend:
6 And Ahishar was
over the household: and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the tribute.
7 And Solomon had
twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made
provision.
8 And these are
their names: The son of Hur, in mount Ephraim:
9 The son of
Dekar, in Makaz, and in Shaalbim, and Bethshemesh, and Elonbethhanan:
10 The son of
Hesed, in Aruboth; to him pertained Sochoh, and all the land of Hepher:
11 The son of
Abinadab, in all the region of Dor; which had Taphath the daughter of Solomon
to wife:
12 Baana the son
of Ahilud; to him pertained Taanach and Megiddo, and all Bethshean, which is by
Zartanah beneath Jezreel, from Bethshean to Abelmeholah, even
unto the place that is beyond Jokneam:
13 The son of
Geber, in Ramothgilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh,
which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in
Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars:
14 Ahinadab the
son of Iddo had Mahanaim:
15
Ahimaaz was in Naphtali; he also took Basmath the daughter of Solomon to
wife:
16 Baanah the son
of Hushai was in Asher and in Aloth:
17 Jehoshaphat
the son of Paruah, in Issachar:
18 Shimei the son
of Elah, in Benjamin:
19
Geber the son of Uri was in the country of Gilead, in the country of
Sihon king of the Amorites, and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only
officer which was in the land.
20 ¶ Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by
the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.
21
And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of
the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and
served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 And Solomon's
provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore
measures of meal,
23
Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep,
beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl.
24 For he had
dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to
Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides
round about him.
25
And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under
his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.
26 And Solomon
had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand
horsemen.
27 And those
officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked
nothing.
28 Barley also
and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the
officers were, every man according to his charge.
29 ¶ And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding
exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea
shore.
30
And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east
country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.
31 For he was
wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda,
the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.
32 And he spake
three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.
33
And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto
the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of
fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.
34 And there came
of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which
had heard of his wisdom.
1 ¶ And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto
Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his
father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David.
2 And Solomon
sent to Hiram, saying,
3
Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name
of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the
LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
4 But now the
LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither
adversary nor evil occurrent.
5
And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my
God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set
upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.
6 Now therefore
command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall
be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest
that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the
Sidonians.
7 And it came to
pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and
said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over
this great people.
8
And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, I have considered the things which
thou sentest to me for: and I will do all thy desire concerning timber of
cedar, and concerning timber of fir.
9 My servants
shall bring them down from Lebanon unto the sea: and I will convey them by sea
in floats unto the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be discharged there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou
shalt accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household.
10 ¶ So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees
according to all his desire.
11 And Solomon gave
Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty
measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
12 And the LORD
gave Solomon wisdom, as he promised him: and there was peace between Hiram and
Solomon; and they two made a league together.
13 And king
Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was thirty thousand men.
14
And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month by courses: a month
they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and Adoniram was over the levy.
15 And Solomon
had threescore and ten thousand that bare burdens, and fourscore thousand
hewers in the mountains;
16 Beside the
chief of Solomon's officers which were over the work, three thousand and three hundred, which ruled over the people that wrought in
the work.
17 And the king
commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to
lay the foundation of the house.
18 And Solomon's
builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they
prepared timber and stones to build the house.