1 Raja-raja 1:3-15

1:3 So they looked through all Israel ¹  for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 1:4 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. ² 

1:5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, ³  was promoting himself, ⁴  boasting, ⁵  “I will be king!” He managed to acquire ⁶  chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. ⁷  1:6 (Now his father had never corrected ⁸  him ⁹  by saying, “Why do you do such things?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom. ¹⁰ ) 1:7 He collaborated ¹¹  with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they supported ¹²  him. ¹³  1:8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s elite warriors ¹⁴  did not ally themselves ¹⁵  with Adonijah. 1:9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened steers at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, ¹⁶  as well as all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 1:10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the elite warriors, ¹⁷  or his brother Solomon.

1:11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Has it been reported to you ¹⁸  that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back? ¹⁹  1:12 Now ²⁰  let me give you some advice as to how ²¹  you can save your life and your son Solomon’s life. 1:13 Visit ²²  King David and say to him, ‘My master, O king, did you not solemnly promise ²³  your servant, “Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne”? So why has Adonijah become king?’ 1:14 While ²⁴  you are still there speaking to the king, I will arrive ²⁵  and verify your report.” ²⁶ 

1:15 So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters. ²⁷  (The king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.)

[1:3]  ¹ tn Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”

[1:4]  ² tn Heb “did not know her.”

[1:5]  ³ tn Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father.

[1:5]  sn Haggith was one of David’s wives (2 Sam 3:4; 2 Chr 3:2).

[1:5]  ⁴ tn Heb “lifting himself up.”

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “saying.”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Or “he acquired for himself.”

[1:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”

[1:6]  ⁸ tn Or “disciplined.”

[1:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See GKC 382 §119.w, n. 2.

[1:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).

[1:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “his words were.”

[1:7]  ¹² tn Heb “helped after” (i.e., stood by).

[1:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “Adonijah.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:8]  ¹⁴ tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).

[1:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “were not.”

[1:9]  ¹⁶ tc The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.

[1:10]  ¹⁷ tn Or “bodyguard” (Heb “mighty men”).

[1:11]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Have you not heard?”

[1:11]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and our master David does not know.”

[1:12]  ²⁰ tn Heb “now, come.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ.

[1:12]  ²¹ tn Or “so that.”

[1:13]  ²² tn Heb “come, go to.” The imperative of הָלַךְ (halakh) is here used as an introductory interjection. See BDB 234 s.v. חָלַךְ.

[1:13]  ²³ tn Or “swear an oath to.”

[1:14]  ²⁴ tn In the Hebrew text the sentence is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”), which here draws attention to Nathan’s concluding word of assurance and support. For this use of the word, see HALOT 252 s.v. הִנֵּה.

[1:14]  ²⁵ tc The Hebrew text reads, “I will come after you.”

[1:14]  ²⁶ tn Heb “fill up [i.e., confirm] your words.”

[1:15]  ²⁷ tn Or “bedroom.”