straits on every side. Pray let me fall into the hands of the Lord; for very many and great are his mercies. But let me 15 not fall into the hands of men. Now when David chose for himself the pestilence, it was the time of the wheat harvest. And the Lord sent a pestilence through Israel, from the morning till the hour of dining. And the slaughter began among the people, and there died of the people from Dan to Bersa16 bee, seventy thousand men. But when the angel of God stretched forth his hand against Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord was moved with compassion at the calamity, and said to the angel who was making havock among the people, It is enough. Stay thy hand. Now the angel of the Lord was by 17 the threshing floor of Orna the Jebusite. And when David saw the angel who was smiting the people, he addressed the Lord, and said, Behold here am I who have transgressed! But as for this flock, what have they done? Let thy hand, I 18 pray thee, be upon me, and upon my father's house. Then Gad came to David that day, and said to him, Go up and erect an altar for the Lord; on the threshing floor of Orna the Jebu19 site. So David went up according to the word of Gad, as the 20 Lord had commanded him. And when Orna looked out, and

saw the king and his servants coming up to him, he went out and bowed down to the king, with his face to the ground, and 21 said, Why is my lord the king come to his servant? And Da

vid said, To purchase of thee this threshing floor to build an altar to the Lord, that the slaughter among the people may be 22 stayed. Then Orna said to David, Let my lord the king take, and offer to the Lord what is agreeable to him. Behold here are cattle for a whole burnt 'offering, and the carts and the 23 yokes of the cattle for fuel. All these Orna hath given to the king. And may the Lord thy God, said Orna addressing the 24 king, bless thee. But the king said to Orna, No. Let me only purchase them of thee for their full value; for I cannot offer to the Lord my God a whole burnt offering which costeth me nothing. So David purchased the threshing floor, and the 25 cattle, for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered whole burnt offerings and peace offerings. Now Solomon afterwards enlarged this altar; for at first it was small. Thus the Lord was entreated for the land, and the slaughter was stopped from Israel.

When king David was old-far advanced in years, they 2 covered him with clothes, but he was not warmed; therefore his servants said, Let a young virgin be sought out for the king, that she may attend him, and chafe him, and lie in his 3 bosom, that my lord the king may be warmed. So they sought for a beautiful virgin, through all the borders of Israel, and having found Abisag, the Somanite, they brought her to the 4 king. The young woman was indeed very beautiful, and she chafed the king, and waited on him, but the king knew her not. Then Adonias, son of Aggith, took upon him state, saying, I shall be king; and provided himself with chariots, and 6 horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father did not in the least restrain him nor say, Why hast thou done so? Now in person he was very comely, and by birth next 7 after Abessalom. And his plans were concerted with Joab,

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son of Saruia, and with Abiathar, the priest, and they abetted 8 him. But Sadok the priest, and Banaias, son of Jodae, and

Nathan the prophet, and Semei, and Resi, and the worthies of 9 David, were not of his party. So having slain sheep, and oxen, and lambs, at the fires of Zaelethi, which is near Rogel, Adonias invited all his brothers, and all the nobles of Juda, 10 the king's servants; but did not invite Nathan the prophet, nor 11 Banaias, nor the worthies, nor Solomon his brother. There

upon Nathan spoke to Bersabe, the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonias, son of Aggith, doth 12 reign, and David our lord knoweth it not? Now therefore come, I pray thee, let me advise thee. Save thine own life, and 13 the life of thy son Solomon. Go immediately to king David, and say to him, Didst thou not, O my lord the king, swear to thy servant saying, Thy son Solomon shall reign after me, and 14 he shall sit on my throne? Why then doth Adonias reign? And behold whilst thou art speaking with the king, I will 15 come in after thee, and confirm thy words. So Bersabe went

to the king, into the inner chamber. Now the king was very 16 old, and Abisag, the Somanite was waiting on him. And when Bersabe had bowed down, and made obeisance to the king, 17 the king said to her, What is thy will? And she said, My

lord, Thou didst swear to thy servant, by the Lord thy God, saying, Thy son Solomon shall reign after me, and sit on my

18 throne. But now behold Adonias reigneth, and thou my lord 19 the king dost not know it. He hath sacrificed oxen, and lambs,

and sheep for the multitude, and invited all the king's sons, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain general of the 20 army, but hath not invited thy servant Solomon. Now therefore my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after 21 him; otherwise when my lord the king shall sleep with his fa22 thers, I, and Solomon my son, shall be deemed offenders. And

behold while she was yet speaking to the king, Nathan the prophet came, and was announced to the king, Here is Nathan 23 the prophet. And when he came into the king's presence, and

had made obeisance to the king, with his face to the ground, 24 Nathan said, My lord the king, hast thou said, Adonias shall 25 reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? For he is gone down to-day, and hath sacrificed bullocks, and lambs, and sheep, for the multitude, and invited all the king's sons, and the chiefs 26 of the army, and Abiathar the priest, and behold they are eating and drinking in his presence, and have said, Long live king Adonias. But me thy servant, and Sadok the priest, and Banaias, son of Jodae, and Solomon thy servant, he hath not 27 invited. If this is done by order of my lord the king, why hast thou not made known to thy servant who shall sit on the throne 28 of my lord the king after him? And king David in reply said,

Call Bersabe to me. And when she came in before the king, 29 and stood in his presence, the king swore, saying, As the

Lord liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all affliction, 30 as I have sworn to thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying,

Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my 31 throne in my stead, even so will I do this very day. Thereupon Bersabe bowed down, with her face to the ground, and made obeisance to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for32 ever. Then king David said, Call to me Sadok the priest, and 33 Nathan the prophet, and Banaias, son of Jodae. And when they

came in before the king, he said to them, Take the servants of your lord the king with you, and mount my son Solomon on 34 my mule, and conduct him down to Gion, and let Sadok the

priest, and Nathan the prophet, anoint him to be king over Is35 rael. Then sound the trumpet, and say, God save king Solo

mon. And let him sit on my throne, and reign in my stead, as 36 I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Juda. Thereupon Banaias, son of Jodae, answered the king and said, Be it so! May the Lord the God of my lord the king confirm it! 37 As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, so may he be

with Solomon, and magnify his throne above the throne of my 38, lord king David! Then Sadok the priest, and Nathan the pro

phet, and Banaias, son of Jodae, went down with the Cherethites, and the Phelethites, and having mounted Solomon on 39 king David's mule, they conducted him to Gion. And Sadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and having anointed Solomon, he blew the trumpet, and all the people 40 shouted, Live king Solomon! Then all the people followed

him up, and danced in choirs, and made great rejoicings, so 41 that the earth was rent with their shouting. And Adonias, and

all his guests, heard it just as they had done eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, What is this 42 sound of the city in an uproar? And while he was speaking, be

hold Jonathan, son of Abiathar the priest, entered. And Adonias said, Come in, for thou art a man of valour, and must have 43 brought good news. To which Jonathan replied, saying, Quite 44 the reverse. Our lord king David hath made Solomon king.

The king sent with him Sadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banaias son of Jodae, and the Cherethites and the 45 Phelethites, and they mounted him on the king's mule. And Sadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, anointed him at Gion, and all the people went up thence rejoicing, so that the city 46 resounded. This is the noise which you have heard. And while 47 Solomon sat on the throne of the kingdom, the king's ser

vants went in to congratulate our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and magnify his throne above thy throne! And the king bowed on his bed, 48 And the king said to this effect. Blessed be the Lord God of

Israel, who hath this day set one of my seed on my throne, and my 49 eyes see it. Upon this all the guests of Adonias, were struck with 50 consternation, and went every man his way. And Adonias, being

afraid of Solomon, arose and went, and took hold of the horns 51 of the altar. And when they told Solomon, saying, Behold Adonias is afraid of king Solomon, and hath hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let Solomon this day swear to me that he

52 will not slay his servant with the sword, Solomon said, If he shew himself a virtuous man, there shall not a hair of him fall to the ground; but if wickedness be found in him he shall be 53 put to death. Then king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar; and when he came, and had done homage to king Solomon, Solomon said to him, Go to thy house. II. Now when David's days drew near that he should die, he 2 spoke to his son Solomon, and said, I am going the way of all 3 the earth, be thou therefore strong, and shew thyself a man, and keep the watch of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his judgments, which are written in the law of Moses; that thou mayst know 4 what thou art to do, according to all that I command thee

that the Lord may establish his word which he hath spoken, saying, If thy children take heed to their ways, to walk before. me in truth, with their whole heart, thou shalt not, said he, 5 have a man cut off from the throne of Israel. Now thou thyself knowest what Joab son of Saruia hath done to me-what he did to the two chiefs of the armies of Israel, to Abenner son of Ner, and to Amessai son of Jether. He indeed slew them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and stained, with guiltless 6 blood, the girdle on his loins, and the shoes on his feet. Do thou therefore according to thy wisdom, so as not to let his 7 grey hairs go down to the grave in peace. But shew kindness

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to the sons of Berzelli, the Galaadite, and let them eat at thy table; for so they were near me, when I fled from the face of thy brother Abessalom.

Behold also thou hast with thee Semei, son of Gera, the Jeminite of Baurim. Though he cursed me with a bitter curse on the day when I was marching to Camps, yet he came down to the Jordan to meet me, and I swore to him by the Lord, 9 saying, I will not put thee to death with the sword. Now thou art not to hold him guiltless. As thou art a wise man, thou thyself therefore wilt know what to do to him, and wilt bring down his grey hairs to the grave with blood.

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Then David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the 11 city of David. Now all the days which David reigned over Israel were forty years. He reigned seven years at Chebron, and thirty three years at Jerusalem.