1 Kings 11

1 King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh's daughter, there were women from the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites.

And king Solomon loved many strange women besides the daughter of Pharao, and women of Moab, and of Ammon, and of Edom, and of Sidon, and of the Hethites:

2 They were from the nations that the Lord had warned the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for they will undoubtedly convince you to worship their gods.” Yet Solomon because of his love for women held on to them.

Of the nations concerning which the Lord said to the children of Israel: You shall not go in unto them, neither shall any of them come in to yours: for they will most certainly turn away your heart to follow their gods. And to these was Solomon joined with a most ardent love.

3 He had seven hundred wives of noble birth and three hundred concubines. His wives did convince him to turn away from the Lord.

And he had seven hundred wives as queens, and three hundred concubines: and the women turned away his heart.

4 As Solomon grew old, his wives led him to follow other gods, and he did not commit himself wholeheartedly to the Lord as his father David had done.

And when he was now old, his heart was turned away by women to follow strange gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.

5 Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, vile god of the Ammonites.

But Solomon worshipped Astarthe the goddess of the Sidonians, and Moloch the idol of the ammonites.

6 This was how Solomon did evil in the Lord's sight, and was not completely dedicated to the Lord as his father David was.

And Solomon did that which was net pleasing before the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as David his father.

7 It was then that Solomon built a high place of worship for Chemosh, the vile god of the people of Moab, and for Molech, the vile god of the Ammonites, on a hill east of Jerusalem.

Then Solomon built a temple for Chamos the idol of Moab, on the hill that is over against Jerusalem, and for Moloch the idol of the children of Ammon.

8 He built places of worship for all his foreign wives where they burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

And he did in this manner for all his wives that were strangers, who burnt incense, and offered sacrifice to their gods.

9 The Lord became angry with Solomon because he had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his mind was turned away from the Lord the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,

10 The Lord had warned Solomon about this—that he should not worship other gods. But Solomon did not listen to the Lord's warning.

And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not follow strange gods: but he kept not the things which the Lord commanded him.

11 So the Lord told him, “Since this is what you have done, and since you have not kept my agreement and my laws that I commanded, I will definitely take the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

The Lord therefore said to Solomon: Because thou hast done this, and hast not kept my covenant, and my precepts, which I have commanded thee, I will divide and rend thy kingdom, and will give it to thy servant.

12 However, for the sake of your father David, I will not do this in your lifetime—I will take it away from your son.

Nevertheless in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

13 Even then I will not take away the whole kingdom. I will leave your son with one tribe for the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem.”

Neither will I take away the whole kingdom, but I will give one tribe to thy son for the sake of David my servant, and Jerusalem which I have chosen.

14 Then the Lord encouraged Hadad the Edomite of Edom's royal family to oppose Solomon.

And the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon, Adad the Edomite of the king’s seed, in Edom.

15 Previously, when David was in Edom, Joab the commander of the Israelite army had gone to bury some of his soldiers who had been killed, and had slaughtered every male in Edom.

For when David was in Edom, and Joab the general of the army was gone up to bury them that were slain, and had killed every male in Edom,

16 Joab and the whole Israelite army had spent six months there destroying them all.

(For Joab remained there six months with all Israel, till he had slain every male in Edom, )

17 But Hadad and some Edomites who had been his father's officials had run away to Egypt—Hadad was just a boy at the time.

Then Adad fled, he and certain Edomites, of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt: and Adad was then a little boy.

18 They left Midian and went to Paran. Then, along with some people from Paran, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. He provided Hadad with a house and food, and also assigned him land as a gift.

And they arose out of Madian, and came into Pharan, and they took men with them from Pharan, and went into Egypt to Pharao the king of Egypt: who gave him a house, and appointed him victuals, and assigned him land.

19 Pharaoh became very friendly with Hadad, and he gave him the sister of his own wife to marry, Queen Tahpenes' sister.

And Adad found great favour before Pharao, insomuch that he gave him to wife, the own sister of his wife Taphnes the queen.

20 She gave birth to his son called Genubath. Tahpenes brought him up in Pharaoh's palace with Pharaoh's own children.

And the sister of Taphnes bore him his son Genubath, and Taphnes brought him up in the house of Pharao: and Genubath dwelt with Pharao among his children.

21 However, when news reached Hadad in Egypt that both David and Joab, the commander of the army, had died, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me leave and return to my own country.”

And when Adad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the general of the army was dead, he said to Pharao: Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.

22 Pharaoh asked him, “Is there anything that you have lacked here with me that now you want to go back to your own country?” “No, there's nothing,” Hadad replied, “but please just let me go home.”

And Pharao said to him: Why, what is wanting to thee with me, that thou seekest to go to thy own country? But he answered: Nothing: yet I beseech thee to let me go.

23 God also encouraged Rezon, son of Eliada, to oppose Solomon. He had run away from his master Hadadezer, king of Zobah. After David had destroyed Zobah's army,

God also raised up against him an adversary, Razon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Adarezer the king of Soba:

24 Rezon gathered around him a rebel band, and became their leader. They went and settled in Damascus, where they took over.

And he gathered men against him, and he became a captain of robbers, when David slew them of Soba: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt there, and they made him king in Damascus.

25 Rezon was Israel's enemy throughout Solomon's lifetime which added to the trouble Hadad caused. Rezon really hated Israel, and was the ruler of Aram.

And he was an adversary to Israel, all the days of Solomon: and this is the evil of Adad, and his hatred against Israel, and he reigned in Syria.

26 In addition, Jeroboam, son of Nebat, rebelled against the king. One of Solomon's officials, he was an Ephraimite from Zeredah. His mother was a widow called Zeruah.

Jeroboam also the son of Nabat an Ephrathite of Sareda, a servant of Solomon, whose mother was named Sarua, a widow woman, lifted up his hand against the king.

27 This is why he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the terraces and had closed the gap in the wall of the city of his father David.

And this is the cause of his rebellion against him, for Solomon built Mello, and filled up the breach of the city of David his father.

28 Jeroboam was a man of ability, and when Solomon realized how successful he was in what he did, he placed him command of all the forced labor of the tribes of Joseph.

And Jeroboam was a valiant and mighty man: and Solomon seeing him a young man ingenious and industrious, made him chief over the tributes of all the house of Joseph.

29 Around that time the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was leaving Jerusalem.

So it came to paste at that time, that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahias the Silonite, clad with a new garment, found him in the way: and they two were alone in the held.

30 Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were by themselves in the countryside. Ahijah took the new cloak he was wearing and ripped it up into twelve pieces.

And Ahias taking his new garment, wherewith he was clad, divided it into twelve parts:

31 He said, “Jeroboam, take ten pieces. This is what the Lord God of Israel says. ‘Jeroboam, I am the Lord, the God of Israel, and I am going to take Solomon's kingdom from him and give you ten of the tribes.

And he said to Jeroboam: Take to thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Behold I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give thee ten tribes.

32 One tribe will be left for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I chose from among all the tribes of Israel.

But one tribe shall remain to him for the sake of my servant David, and Jerusalem the city, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:

33 This is because they have abandoned me and bowed down in worship of Ashtoreth, goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, god of the Moabites, and Molech, god of the Ammonites. They have not followed my ways; they have not done what is right in my sight; they have not kept my commandments and laws as David, Solomon's father, did.

Because he hath forsaken me, and hath adored Astarthe the goddess of the Sidonians, and Chamos the god of Moab, and Moloch the god of the children of Ammon: and hath not walked in my ways, to do justice before me, and to keep my precepts, and judgments as did David his father.

34 Even so, I'm not going to take the whole kingdom from Solomon, because I made him ruler for his lifetime for the sake of my servant David. I chose him because he kept my commandments and laws.

Yet I will not take away all the kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my precepts.

35 But I will take from his son's kingdom ten tribes and give them to you.

But I will take away the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give thee ten tribes:

36 I will give his son one tribe, so that my servant David will always have a descendant like a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to be honored.

And to his son I will give one tribe, that there may remain a lamp for my servant David before me always in Jerusalem the city which I have chosen, that my name might be there.

37 I will take you, and you shall reign over everything that you want. You will be king over Israel.

And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign over all that thy soul desireth, and thou shalt be king over Israel.

38 If you accept everything that I command you, if you follow my ways, if you do what is right in my sight, keeping my laws and commandments as my servant David did, then I will be with you. I will set up for you a dynasty that lasts, just as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you.

If then thou wilt hearken to all that I shall command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do what is right before me, keeping my commandments and my precepts, as David my servant did: I will be with thee, and will build thee up a faithful house, as I built a house for David, and I will deliver Israel to thee:

39 I will punish David's descendants because of this, but not forever.”

And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but yet not for ever.

40 So Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam ran away to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt. He remained there until Solomon's death.

Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam: but he arose, and fled into Egypt to Sesac the king of Egypt, and was in Egypt till the death of Solomon.

41 The record of the rest of the acts of Solomon, including everything he did, and his wisdom, are written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon.

And the rest of the words of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom: behold they are all written in the book of the words of the days of Solomon.

42 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel for a total of forty years.

And the days that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel, were forty years.

43 Solomon died and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.

And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father, and Roboam his son reigned in his stead.