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Araunah then said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, here are the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.

So his servants said to him, "Have them search for a young virgin for my lord the king, and have her attend the king and become his nurse; and have her lie on your chest, so that my lord the king may keep warm."

And his father had never rebuked him at any time by asking, "Why have you done so?" And he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom.

Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened steers by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants.

But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.

"Otherwise it will come about, as soon as my lord the king lies down with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered offenders."

They informed the king, saying, "Nathan the prophet is here." And when he came into the king's presence, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground.

"For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fattened steers and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking in his presence; and they say, 'Long live King Adonijah!'

"Just as the LORD has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!"

"Besides, Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom.

"Moreover, the king's servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and his throne greater than your throne!' And the king bowed himself on the bed.

Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and got up, and each went on his way.

Now it was reported to Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'May King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'"

And Solomon said, "If he is a worthy man, not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die."

As David's time to die drew near, he commanded his son Solomon, saying,

"Do your duty to the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn,

so that the LORD may fulfill His promise which He spoke regarding me, saying, 'If your sons are careful about their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and all their soul, you shall not be deprived of a man to occupy the throne of Israel.'

"Now you yourself also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed; he also shed the blood of war in peace. And he put the blood of war on his belt that was on his waist, and on his sandals that were on his feet.

"So act as your wisdom dictates, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.

"But now do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood."