Study Desk

That same day the prophet Gad came and told David, "Go to the threshing place that belongs to Araunah and build an altar there for the Lord ." So David went.

and said, "Your Majesty! Why have you come to see me?" David answered, "I've come to buy your threshing place. I have to build the Lord an altar here, so this disease will stop killing the people."

But David answered, "No! I have to pay you what they're worth. I can't offer the Lord my God a sacrifice that I got for nothing." So David bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.

Adonijah was the son of David and Haggith. He was Absalom's younger brother and was very handsome. One day, Adonijah started bragging, "I'm going to make myself king!" So he got some chariots and horses, and he hired fifty men as bodyguards. David did not want to hurt his feelings, so he never asked Adonijah why he was doing these things.

Go say to David, "You promised me that Solomon would be the next king. So why is Adonijah now king?"

Meanwhile, David was in his bedroom where Abishag was taking care of him because he was so old. Bathsheba went in

Then he said, "The living Lord God of Israel has kept me safe. And so today, I will keep the promise I made to you in his name: Solomon will be the next king!"

Then they played flutes and celebrated as they followed Solomon back to Jerusalem. They made so much noise that the ground shook.

Adonijah himself was afraid of what Solomon might do to him, so he ran to the sacred tent and grabbed hold of the corners of the altar for protection.

"You know that I was king for a little while," Adonijah replied. "And everyone in Israel accepted me as their ruler. But the Lord wanted my brother to be king, so now things have changed.

When Bathsheba went to see Solomon, he stood up to meet her, then bowed low. He sat back down and had another throne brought in, so his mother could sit at his right side.

"Benaiah," Solomon shouted, "go kill Adonijah." So Adonijah died.

But I won't let you be a priest of the Lord anymore. And so the promise that the Lord had made at Shiloh about the family of Eli came true.

Joab had not helped Absalom try to become king, but he had helped Adonijah. So when Joab learned that Adonijah had been killed, he ran to the sacred tent and grabbed hold of the corners of the altar for protection.

"That's fair, Your Majesty," Shimei answered. "I'll do that." So Shimei lived in Jerusalem from then on.

"Benaiah," Solomon shouted, "kill Shimei." So Shimei died. Solomon was now in complete control of his kingdom.

Lord God, I'm your servant, and you've made me king in my father's place. But I'm very young and know so little about being a leader.

So I'll make you wiser than anyone who has ever lived or ever will live.

There were so many people living in Judah and Israel while Solomon was king that they seemed like grains of sand on a beach. Everyone had enough to eat and drink, and they were happy.

The Lord God promised my father that when his son became king, he would build a temple for worshiping the Lord . So I've decided to do that.