1. King David was now an old man, and he always felt cold, even under a lot of blankets.
2. His officials said, “Your Majesty, we will look for a young woman to take care of you. She can lie down beside you and keep you warm.”
3-4. They looked everywhere in Israel until they found a very beautiful young woman named Abishag, who lived in the town of Shunem. They brought her to David, and she took care of him. But David did not have sex with her.
5-6. Adonijah was the son of David and Haggith. He was Absalom's younger brother and was very handsome. One day, Adonijah started boasting, “I'm going to make myself king!” So he got some chariots and horses, and he hired fifty men as bodyguards. David did not want to hurt his feelings, so he never asked Adonijah why he was doing these things.
7. Adonijah met with Joab the son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest and asked them if they would help him become king. Both of them agreed to help.
8. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's bodyguards all refused.
9. Adonijah invited his brothers and David's officials from Judah to go with him to Crawling Rock near Rogel Spring, where he sacrificed some sheep, cattle, and fat calves.
10. But he did not invite Nathan, Benaiah, David's bodyguards, or his own brother Solomon.
11. When Nathan heard what had happened, he asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother:Have you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has made himself king? But David doesn't know a thing about it.
12. You and your son Solomon will be killed, unless you do what I tell you.
13. Go and say to David, “You promised me that Solomon would be the next king. So why is Adonijah now king?”