1 Kings 1:17-27

1:17 She replied to him, “My master, you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God, ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne.’ 1:18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you, ¹  my master the king, are not even aware of it! ²  1:19 He has sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab, the commander of the army, but he has not invited your servant Solomon. 1:20 Now, ³  my master, O king, all Israel is watching anxiously to see who is named to succeed my master the king on the throne. ⁴  1:21 If a decision is not made, ⁵  when my master the king is buried with his ancestors, ⁶  my son Solomon and I ⁷  will be considered state criminals.” ⁸ 

1:22 Just then, ⁹  while she was still speaking to the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. 1:23 The king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” Nathan entered and bowed before the king with his face to the floor. ¹⁰  1:24 Nathan said, “My master, O king, did you announce, ‘Adonijah will be king after me; he will sit on my throne’? 1:25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle, steers, and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons, the army commanders, and Abiathar the priest. At this moment ¹¹  they are having a feast ¹²  in his presence, and they have declared, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ ¹³  1:26 But he did not invite me – your servant – or Zadok the priest, or Benaiah son of Jehoiada, or your servant Solomon. 1:27 Has my master the king authorized this without informing your servants ¹⁴  who should succeed my master the king on his throne?” ¹⁵ 

[1:18]  ¹ tc Instead of עַתָּה (’attah, “now”) many Hebrew mss, along with the Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, have the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (’attah, “you”). This reading is followed in the present translation.

[1:18]  ² tn Heb “you do not know [about it].”

[1:20]  ³ tc Many Hebrew mss have עַתָּה (’attah, “now”) rather than the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (’attah, “you”).

[1:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “the eyes of all Israel are upon you to declare to them who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him.”

[1:21]  ⁵ tn The words “if a decision is not made” are added for clarification.

[1:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “lies down with his fathers.”

[1:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “I and my son Solomon.” The order has been reversed in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “will be guilty”; NASB “considered offenders”; TEV “treated as traitors.”

[1:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “look.” The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) here draws attention to Nathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.

[1:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “ground.” Since this was indoors, “floor” is more appropriate than “ground.”

[1:25]  ¹¹ tn Heb “look.”

[1:25]  ¹² tn Heb “eating and drinking.”

[1:25]  ¹³ tn Heb “let the king, Adonijah, live!”

[1:27]  ¹⁴ tc Many Hebrew mss and ancient textual witnesses agree with the Qere in reading this as singular, “your servant.”

[1:27]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “From my master the king is this thing done, and you did not make known to your servants who will sit on the throne of my master the king after him?”