Study Desk

Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard this as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "Why is the ^(F1)city making such an uproar?"

While he was still speaking, behold, ^(C1)Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, "Come in, for ^(C2)you are a valiant man and you bring good news."

But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, "On the contrary! Our lord King David has made Solomon king!

"The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have mounted him on the king's mule.

"Furthermore, Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, ^(C1)so that the city is going wild. This is the noise which you have heard.

"Besides, ^(C1)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 ^(C1)your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and his throne greater than your throne!' And ^(C2)the king bowed himself on the bed.

"The king has also said this: 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who ^(C1)has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.'"

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

Adonijah also was afraid of Solomon, and he got up, and went, and ^(C1)took hold of the horns of the altar.

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, ^(C1)not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die."

So King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."