24 *aAnd bagain the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and ||he moved David against them to say, cGo, number Israel and Judah. 2 For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, ||Go now through all the tribes of Israel, dfrom Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. 3 And Joab said unto the king, Now ethe Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? 4 Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel. 5 And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in fAroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the ||river of Gad, and toward gJazer: 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to the ||land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to hDan-jaan, and about to iZidon, 7 And came to the jstrong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of kthe Hivites, and of kthe Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beer-sheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: land there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men mthat drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 And nDavid’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, oI have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have pdone very foolishly. 11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet qGad, David’s rseer, saying, 12 Go and say unto David, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall sseven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. 14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are ||great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. 15 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people tfrom Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.

16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, uthe Lord repented him of the evil, and said to wthe angel that xdestroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingplace of †Araunah the Jebusite. 17 And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I yhave done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house. 18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of †Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. 21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, zTo buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that athe plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what bseemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and cthreshing instruments and other dinstruments of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God eaccept thee. 24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for ffifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and goffered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So hthe Lord was intreated for the land, and ithe plague was stayed from Israel.

The

First Book of the Kings

commonly called

The Third Book of the Kings

1 *Now king David was old and †stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. 2 Wherefore his servants said unto him, †Let there be sought for my lord the king †a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her †cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. 3 So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a aShunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.

5 Then bAdonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will †be king: and che prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 6 And his father had not displeased him †at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; dand his mother bare him after Absalom. 7 And †he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with eAbiathar the priest: and fthey †following Adonijah helped him. 8 But eZadok the priest, and gBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, and hNathan the prophet, and iShimei, and Rei, and jthe mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah. 9 And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by ||En-rogel, and called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah the king’s servants: 10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and kSolomon his brother, he called not.

11 Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? 12 Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. 13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, lAssuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign? 14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and †confirm thy words. 15 And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and mAbishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king. 16 And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, †What wouldest thou? 17 And she said unto him, My lord, nthou swarest by the Lord thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. 18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not: 19 oAnd he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon thy servant hath he not called. 20 And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall psleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted †offenders. 22 And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. 23 And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? 25 qFor he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, †God save king Adonijah. 26 rBut me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called. 27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? 28 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came †into the king’s presence, and stood before the king. 29 And the king sware, and said, sAs the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress, 30 tEven as I sware unto thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day. 31 Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, uLet my lord king David live for ever.

32 And king David said, wCall me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. 33 The king also said unto them, Take with you xthe servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon †mine own mule, and bring him down to yGihon: 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet zanoint him there king over Israel: and ablow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon. 35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the Lord God of my lord the king say so too. 37 bAs the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and cmake his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. 38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the dCherethites, and the ePelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon. 39 And Zadok the priest took an horn of foil out of the tabernacle, and ganointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and hall the people said, God save king Solomon. 40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with ||pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

41 And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar? 42 And while he yet spake, behold, iJonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for jthou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings. 43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king. 44 And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the kCherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule: 45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city lrang again. This is the noise that ye have heard. 46 And also Solomon msitteth on the throne of the kingdom. 47 And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and nmake his throne greater than thy throne. And the king obowed himself upon the bed. 48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which phath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it. 49 And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.

50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and qcaught hold on the horns of the altar. 51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword. 52 And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, rthere shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die. 53 So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.

2 Now athe days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 bI go the way of all the earth: cbe thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; 3 And keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest d||prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: 4 That the Lord may econtinue his word which he spake concerning me, saying, fIf thy children take heed to their way, to gwalk before me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, hthere shall not †fail thee (said he) a man on the throne of Israel. 5 Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah idid to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto kAbner the son of Ner, and unto lAmasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and †shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet. 6 Do therefore maccording to thy wisdom, and let not his hoar head go down to the grave in peace. 7 But shew kindness unto the sons of nBarzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that oeat at thy table: for so pthey came to me when I fled because of Absalom thy brother. 8 And, behold, thou hast with thee qShimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, which cursed me with a †grievous curse in the day when I went to rMahanaim: but she came down to meet me at Jordan, and tI sware to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. 9 Now therefore uhold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head wbring thou down to the grave with blood. 10 So xDavid slept with his fathers, and was buried in ythe city of David. 11 And the days that David zreigned over Israel were forty years: seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.

12 aThen sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. 13 *And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, bComest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. 14 He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. 15 And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was cmine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: for dit was his from the Lord. 16 And now I ask one petition of thee, †deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. 17 And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me eAbishag the fShunammite to wife. 18 And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king. 19 Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; gand she sat on his right hand. 20 Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. 21 And she said, Let eAbishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. 22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask eAbishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; hfor he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for iAbiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 23 Then king Solomon sware by the Lord, saying, jGod do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore, kas the Lord liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, las he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. 25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of mBenaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.

26 And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to nAnathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art †worthy of death: but I will not at this time put thee to death, because othou barest the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because pthou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. 27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord; that he might qfulfil the word of the Lord, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in rShiloh.

28 Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab shad turned after Adonijah, though the turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled uunto the tabernacle of the Lord, and vcaught hold on the horns of the altar. 29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the Lord; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him. 30 And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay; but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. 31 And the king said unto him, wDo as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; xthat thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father. 32 And the Lord yshall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and zbetter than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, aAbner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and bAmasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. 33 Their blood shall therefore return cupon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the Lord. 34 So dBenaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried ein his own house in the wilderness. 35 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host: and fZadok the priest did the king put in the room of gAbiathar.

36 And the king sent and called for hShimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. 37 For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over ithe brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: jthy blood shall be upon thine own head. 38 And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. 39 *And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto kAchish son of Maachah king of lGath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath. 40 And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. 41 And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again. 42 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the Lord, and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die? and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good. 43 Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord, and the commandment that I have charged thee with? 44 The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest mall the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father: therefore the Lord shall nreturn thy wickedness upon thine own head; 45 And king Solomon shall be blessed, and othe throne of David shall be established before the Lord for ever. 46 So the king commanded dBenaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the pkingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.