Bible Verses About Civil Service

She said to him, “My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your handmaid, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’

Now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and you, my lord the king, don’t know it.

He has slain cattle and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the army; but he hasn’t called Solomon your servant.

You, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

Otherwise it will happen, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.”

Behold, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.

They told the king, saying, “Behold, Nathan the prophet!” When he had come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

Nathan said, “My lord, king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?’

For he is gone down this day, and has slain cattle and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the army, and Abiathar the priest. Behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and say, ‘Long live king Adonijah!’

But he hasn’t called me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon.

Is this thing done by my lord the king, and you haven’t shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

Then king David answered, “Call to me Bathsheba.” She came into the king’s presence, and stood before the king.

The king swore, and said, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

most certainly as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place;’ most certainly so will I do this day.”

Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and showed respect to the king, and said, “Let my lord king David live forever!”

King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” They came before the king.

The king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.

Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel. Blow the shofar, and say, ‘Long live king Solomon!’

Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne; for he shall be king in my place. I have appointed him to be prince over Israel and over Judah.”

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, “Amen. May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so.

As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.”

So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride on king David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.

Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the Tent, and anointed Solomon. They blew the shofar; and all the people said, “Long live king Solomon!”

All the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth shook with their sound.

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.