1 Adonijah Tries to Seize the Throne
King David was very old; even when they covered him with blankets, he could not get warm. 2 His servants advised him, "A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, to take care of the king's needs and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you and keep our master, the king, warm." 3 So they looked through all Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very beautiful; she became the king's nurse and served him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her.
5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, was promoting himself, boasting, "I will be king!" He managed to acquire chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. 6 (Now his father had never corrected him by saying, "Why do you do such things?" He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom. ) 7 He collaborated with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported him. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's elite warriors did not ally themselves with Adonijah. 9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened steers at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's sons, as well as all the men of Judah, the king's servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the elite warriors, or his brother Solomon.
11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, "Has it been reported to you that Haggith's son Adonijah has become king behind our master David's back? 12 Now let me give you some advice as to how you can save your life and your son Solomon's life. 13 Visit King David and say to him, 'My master, O king, did you not solemnly promise your servant, "Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne"? So why has Adonijah become king?' 14 While you are still there speaking to the king, I will arrive and verify your report."
15 So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters. (The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) 16 Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before the king. The king said, "What do you want?" 17 She replied to him, "My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the LORD your God, 'Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.' 18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you, my master the king, are not even aware of it! 19 He has sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army, but he has not invited your servant Solomon. 20 Now, my master, O king, all Israel is watching anxiously to see who is named to succeed my master the king on the throne. 21 If a decision is not made, when my master the king is buried with his ancestors, my son Solomon and I will be considered state criminals."
22 Just then, while she was still speaking to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 23 The king was told, "Nathan the prophet is here." Nathan entered and bowed before the king with his face to the floor. 24 Nathan said, "My master, O king, did you announce, 'Adonijah will be king after me; he will sit on my throne'? 25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king's sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. At this moment they are having a feast in his presence, and they have declared, 'Long live King Adonijah!' 26 But he did not invite me - your servant - or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon. 27 Has my master the king authorized this without informing your servants who should succeed my master the king on his throne?"
28 David Picks Solomon as His Successor
King David responded, "Summon Bathsheba!" She came and stood before the king. 29 The king swore an oath: "As certainly as the LORD lives (he who has rescued me from every danger), 30 I will keep today the oath I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel: 'Surely Solomon your son will be king after me; he will sit in my place on my throne.'" 31 Bathsheba bowed down to the king with her face to the floor and said, "May my master, King David, live forever!"
32 King David said, "Summon Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada." They came before the king, 33 and he told them, "Take your master's servants with you, put my son Solomon on my mule, and lead him down to Gihon. 34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint him king over Israel; then blow the trumpet and declare, 'Long live King Solomon!' 35 Then follow him up as he comes and sits on my throne. He will be king in my place; I have decreed that he will be ruler over Israel and Judah." 36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada responded to the king: "So be it! May the LORD God of my master the king confirm it! 37 As the LORD is with my master the king, so may he be with Solomon, and may he make him an even greater king than my master King David!"
38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites went down, put Solomon on King David's mule, and led him to Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest took a horn filled with olive oil from the tent and poured it on Solomon; the trumpet was blown and all the people declared, "Long live King Solomon!" 40 All the people followed him up, playing flutes and celebrating so loudly they made the ground shake.
41 Now Adonijah and all his guests heard the commotion just as they had finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he asked, "Why is there such a noisy commotion in the city?" 42 As he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, "Come in, for an important man like you must be bringing good news." 43 Jonathan replied to Adonijah: "No! Our master King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites and they put him on the king's mule. 45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king in Gihon. They went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the sound you hear. 46 Furthermore, Solomon has assumed the royal throne. 47 The king's servants have even come to congratulate our master King David, saying, 'May your God make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even greater king than you!' Then the king leaned on the bed 48 and said this: 'The LORD God of Israel is worthy of praise because today he has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.'"
49 All of Adonijah's guests panicked; they jumped up and rushed off their separate ways. 50 Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Solomon was told, "Look, Adonijah fears you; see, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'May King Solomon solemnly promise me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.'" 52 Solomon said, "If he is a loyal subject, not a hair of his head will be harmed, but if he is found to be a traitor, he will die." 53 King Solomon sent men to bring him down from the altar. He came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon told him, "Go home."
1 Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple
Then Solomon convened in Jerusalem Israel's elders, all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the LORD's covenant from the city of David (that is, Zion). 2 All the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon during the festival in the month Ethanim (the seventh month). 3 When all Israel's elders had arrived, the priests lifted the ark. 4 The priests and Levites carried the ark of the LORD, the tent of meeting, and all the holy items in the tent. 5 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered.
6 The priests brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place, under the wings of the cherubs. 7 The cherubs' wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles were so long their ends were visible from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. They have remained there to this very day. 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. It was there that the LORD made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt. 10 Once the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the LORD's temple. 11 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud; the LORD's glory filled his temple.
12 Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he lives in thick darkness. 13 O LORD, truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently." 14 Then the king turned around and pronounced a blessing over the whole Israelite assembly as they stood there. 15 He said, "The LORD God of Israel is worthy of praise because he has fulfilled what he promised my father David. 16 He told David, 'Since the day I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I have not chosen a city from all the tribes of Israel to build a temple in which to live. But I have chosen David to lead my people Israel.' 17 Now my father David had a strong desire to build a temple to honor the LORD God of Israel. 18 The LORD told my father David, 'It is right for you to have a strong desire to build a temple to honor me. 19 But you will not build the temple; your very own son will build the temple for my honor.' 20 The LORD has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David's place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised. I have built this temple for the honor of the LORD God of Israel 21 and set up in it a place for the ark containing the covenant the LORD made with our ancestors when he brought them out of the land of Egypt."
22 Solomon Prays for Israel
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in front of the entire assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward the sky. 23 He prayed: "O Lord, God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You maintain covenantal loyalty to your servants who obey you with sincerity. 24 You have kept your word to your servant, my father David; this very day you have fulfilled what you promised. 25 Now, O Lord, God of Israel, keep the promise you made to your servant, my father David, when you said, 'You will never fail to have a successor ruling before me on the throne of Israel, provided that your descendants watch their step and serve me as you have done.' 26 Now, O God of Israel, may the promise you made to your servant, my father David, be realized.
27 "God does not really live on the earth! Look, if the sky and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this temple I have built! 28 But respond favorably to your servant's prayer and his request for help, O LORD my God. Answer the desperate prayer your servant is presenting to you today. 29 Night and day may you watch over this temple, the place where you promised you would live. May you answer your servant's prayer for this place. 30 Respond to the request of your servant and your people Israel for this place. Hear from inside your heavenly dwelling place and respond favorably.
31 "When someone is accused of sinning against his neighbor and the latter pronounces a curse on the alleged offender before your altar in this temple, be willing to forgive the accused if the accusation is false. 32 Listen from heaven and make a just decision about your servants' claims. Condemn the guilty party, declare the other innocent, and give both of them what they deserve.
33 "The time will come when your people Israel are defeated by an enemy because they sinned against you. If they come back to you, renew their allegiance to you, and pray for your help in this temple, 34 then listen from heaven, forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land you gave to their ancestors.
35 "The time will come when the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you, and turn away from their sin because you punish them, 36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel. Certainly you will then teach them the right way to live and send rain on your land that you have given your people to possess.
37 "The time will come when the land suffers from a famine, a plague, blight and disease, or a locust invasion, or when their enemy lays siege to the cities of the land, or when some other type of plague or epidemic occurs. 38 When all your people Israel pray and ask for help, as they acknowledge their pain and spread out their hands toward this temple, 39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place, forgive their sin, and act favorably toward each one based on your evaluation of his motives. (Indeed you are the only one who can correctly evaluate the motives of all people.) 40 Then they will obey you throughout their lifetimes as they live on the land you gave to our ancestors.
41 "Foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. 42 When they hear about your great reputation and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, obey you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you.
44 "When you direct your people to march out and fight their enemies, and they direct their prayers to the LORD toward his chosen city and this temple I built for your honor, 45 then listen from heaven to their prayers for help and vindicate them.
46 "The time will come when your people will sin against you (for there is no one who is sinless!) and you will be angry with them and deliver them over to their enemies, who will take them as prisoners to their own land, whether far away or close by. 47 When your people come to their senses in the land where they are held prisoner, they will repent and beg for your mercy in the land of their imprisonment, admitting, 'We have sinned and gone astray; we have done evil.' 48 When they return to you with all their heart and being in the land where they are held prisoner, and direct their prayers to you toward the land you gave to their ancestors, your chosen city, and the temple I built for your honor, 49 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place to their prayers for help and vindicate them. 50 Forgive all the rebellious acts of your sinful people and cause their captors to have mercy on them. 51 After all, they are your people and your special possession whom you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron-smelting furnace.
52 "May you be attentive to your servant's and your people Israel's requests for help and may you respond to all their prayers to you. 53 After all, you picked them out of all the nations of the earth to be your special possession, just as you, O sovereign LORD, announced through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt."
54 When Solomon finished presenting all these prayers and requests to the LORD, he got up from before the altar of the LORD where he had kneeled and spread out his hands toward the sky. 55 When he stood up, he pronounced a blessing over the entire assembly of Israel, saying in a loud voice: 56 "The LORD is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled! 57 May the LORD our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us. 58 May he make us submissive, so we can follow all his instructions and obey the commandments, rules, and regulations he commanded our ancestors. 59 May the LORD our God be constantly aware of these requests of mine I have presented to him, so that he might vindicate his servant and his people Israel as the need arises. 60 Then all the nations of the earth will recognize that the LORD is the only genuine God. 61 May you demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the LORD our God by following his rules and obeying his commandments, as you are presently doing."
62 Solomon Dedicates the Temple
The king and all Israel with him were presenting sacrifices to the LORD. 63 Solomon offered as peace offerings to the LORD 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep. Then the king and all the Israelites dedicated the LORD's temple. 64 That day the king consecrated the middle of the courtyard that is in front of the LORD's temple. He offered there burnt sacrifices, grain offerings, and the fat from the peace offerings, because the bronze altar that stood before the LORD was too small to hold all these offerings. 65 At that time Solomon and all Israel with him celebrated a festival before the LORD our God for two entire weeks. This great assembly included people from all over the land, from Lebo Hamath in the north to the Brook of Egypt in the south. 66 On the fifteenth day after the festival started, he dismissed the people. They asked God to empower the king and then went to their homes, happy and content because of all the good the LORD had done for his servant David and his people Israel.
1 When Solomon had finished constructing the LORD's temple, he put the holy items that belonged to his father David (the silver, gold, and all the other articles) in the treasuries of God's temple.
2 Solomon Moves the Ark into the Temple
Then Solomon convened Israel's elders - all the leaders of the Israelite tribes and families - in Jerusalem, so they could witness the transferal of the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David (that is, Zion). 3 All the men of Israel assembled before the king during the festival in the seventh month. 4 When all Israel's elders had arrived, the Levites lifted the ark. 5 The priests and Levites carried the ark, the tent where God appeared to his people, and all the holy items in the tent. 6 Now King Solomon and all the Israelites who had assembled with him went on ahead of the ark and sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted or numbered.
7 The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its assigned place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, in the most holy place under the wings of the cherubs. 8 The cherubs' wings extended over the place where the ark sat; the cherubs overshadowed the ark and its poles. 9 The poles were so long their ends extending out from the ark were visible from in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen from beyond that point. They have remained there to this very day. 10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets Moses had placed there in Horeb. (It was there that the LORD made an agreement with the Israelites after he brought them out of the land of Egypt.)
11 The priests left the holy place. All the priests who participated had consecrated themselves, no matter which division they represented. 12 All the Levites who were musicians, including Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and relatives, wore linen. They played cymbals and stringed instruments as they stood east of the altar. They were accompanied by 120 priests who blew trumpets. 13 The trumpeters and musicians played together, praising and giving thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they loudly praised the LORD, singing: "Certainly he is good; certainly his loyal love endures!" Then a cloud filled the LORD's temple. 14 The priests could not carry out their duties because of the cloud; the LORD's splendor filled God's temple.

Translation: New English TranslationKing James VersionAmerican Standard VersionDouay RheimsWorld English BibleYoung's Literal Translation