Bible Verses About Civil Service

She answered him, "My lord, you swore by ADONAI your God to your servant, 'Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne.'

But now, here is Adoniyah ruling as king; and you, my lord the king, don't know anything about it.

He has killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the sons of the king, Evyatar the cohen and Yo'av the commander of the army; but he didn't summon Shlomo your servant.

As for you, my lord the king, all Isra'el is watching you; they are waiting for you to tell them who is to sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

If you don't, then, when my lord the king sleeps with his ancestors, I and my son Shlomo will be considered criminals."

Right then, while she was still talking with the king, Natan the prophet entered.

They told the king, "Natan the prophet is here." After coming into the king's presence, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground.

Natan said, "My lord king, did you say, 'Adoniyah is to be king after me; he will sit on my throne'?

For he has gone down today and killed oxen, fattened calves and sheep in great numbers; and he has summoned all the king's sons, the commanders of the army and Evyatar the cohen; right now they are eating and drinking in his presence and proclaiming, 'Long live King Adoniyah!'

But he didn't summon me your servant, or Tzadok the cohen, or B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada or your servant Shlomo.

Is this authorized by my lord the king without your having told your servant who would sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

King David answered by saying, "Summon Bat-Sheva to me." She entered the king's presence and stood before the king.

Then the king swore an oath: "As ADONAI lives, who has delivered me from all adversity,

as I swore to you by ADONAI the God of Isra'el, 'Your son Shlomo will be king after me; he will sit on my throne in my place,' so will I do today."

Bat-Sheva bowed with her face to the ground, prostrating herself to the king, and said, "Let my lord King David live forever."

King David said, "Summon Tzadok the cohen, Natan the prophet and B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada." They came before the king.

The king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, have Shlomo my son ride on my own mule and bring him down to Gichon.

There Tzadok the cohen and Natan the prophet are to anoint him king over Isra'el. Sound the shofar and say, "Long live King Shlomo!"

Then escort him back; he is to come and sit on my throne; for he is to take my place as king. I have appointed him to rule over Isra'el and Y'hudah."

B'nayah responded to the king by saying, "Amen! May ADONAI, the God of my lord the king, confirm it!

Just as ADONAI has been with my lord the king, so may he be with Shlomo and make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!"

So Tzadok the cohen, Natan the prophet, B'nayah the son of Y'hoyada and the K'reti and P'leti went down, had Shlomo ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gichon.

Tzadok the cohen took the horn of olive oil out of the tent and anointed Shlomo. They sounded the shofar, and all the people shouted, "Long live King Shlomo!"

All the people escorted him back, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the earth shook with the sound.

Besides that, from the time I was appointed their governor in the land of Y'hudah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artach'shashta the king - that is, for twelve years - neither I nor my colleagues drew on the governor's living allowance.