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"Otherwise it will come about when my lord the king lies down [in death] with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered political enemies."

The king was told, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came before the king, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

"Because he has gone down today [to En-Rogel] 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 [to this feast]; and [right now] 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 taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom.

"Moreover, the king's servants came to bless (congratulate) our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon better (more famous) than your name and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king bowed himself [before God] upon the bed.

Then all Adonijah's guests were terrified [of being branded as traitors] and stood up and left the feast, and each one went on his way.

Now Solomon was told, "Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and behold, he has grasped the horns of the altar [seeking God's protection], saying, 'King Solomon must swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.'"

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

When David's time to die approached, he gave instructions to Solomon his son, saying,

"Keep the charge of the LORD your God, [that is, fulfill your obligation to] walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may succeed in everything that you do and wherever you turn,

so that the LORD may fulfill His promise concerning me, saying, 'If your sons are careful regarding their way [of life], to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and mind and with all their soul, you shall not fail to have a man (descendant) on the throne of Israel.'

"Now you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah [my sister] did to me, and 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, [both of] whom he murdered; avenging the blood of war in [a time of] peace. And he put the [innocent] blood of war [of Abner and Amasa] on his belt that was around his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.

"So act in accordance with your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol (the place of the dead) in peace.

"But now do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what to do to him, and you will bring his gray head down to Sheol [covered] with blood."

So David lay down with his fathers [in death] and was buried in the City of David.

Then Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

So he said, "You know that the kingdom belonged to me [as the eldest living son] and all Israel looked to me and expected me to be king. However, the kingdom has passed [from me] and became my brother's, for it was his from the LORD.

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat down on his throne; then he had a throne set for her, the king's mother, and she sat on his right.

King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "And why are you asking for Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask the kingdom for him also—since he is my older brother—[ask it] for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah [his supporters]!"