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.
Now King Solomon loved many foreign women including the daughter of Pharaoh—women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites.
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.
They were from the nations about which Yahweh said to the people of Israel, “You will not go among them to marry, neither will they come among you, for they will certainly turn your heart to their gods.” In spite of this command, Solomon was affectionate toward these women in 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.
Solomon had seven hundred royal wives and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away.
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.
For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; his heart was not fully surrendered to Yahweh 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.
For Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and he followed Molech, the disgusting 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.
Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh; he did not fully follow Yahweh as David his father had done.
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 high place for Chemosh, the disgusting idol of Moab, on a hill east of Jerusalem, and also for Molech, the disgusting idol of the people of Ammon.
8 He built places of worship for all his foreign wives where they burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
He also built high places for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods at them.
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.
Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from him, the God of Israel, even though he 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 commanded him about this very thing, that he should not go after other gods. But Solomon did not obey what Yahweh commanded.
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.
Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept the covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and give it to your 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.
However, for David your father's sake, I will not do it in your lifetime, but I will tear it out of the hand of your 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.”
Yet I will not tear away all the kingdom; I will give one tribe to your son for David my servant's sake, and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
14 Then the Lord encouraged Hadad the Edomite of Edom's royal family to oppose Solomon.
Then Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was from the royal family of 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.
When David was in Edom, Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the dead, every man who had been killed in Edom.
16 Joab and the whole Israelite army had spent six months there destroying them all.
Joab and all Israel remained there six months until he had killed 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.
But Hadad was taken with other Edomites by his father's servants into Egypt, since Hadad was still a little child.
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.
They left Midian and came to Paran, from where they took men with them to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and land and food.
19 Pharaoh became very friendly with Hadad, and he gave him the sister of his own wife to marry, Queen Tahpenes' sister.
Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that Pharaoh gave him a wife, his own wife's sister, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.
20 She gave birth to his son called Genubath. Tahpenes brought him up in Pharaoh's palace with Pharaoh's own children.
The sister of Tahpenes gave birth to Hadad's son. They named him Genubath. Tahpenes raised him in Pharaoh's palace. So Genubath lived in Pharaoh's palace among the children of Pharaoh.
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.”
While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David had lain down with his ancestors and that Joab the captain of the host was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, so 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.”
Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that you now seek to go to your own country?” Hadad answered, “Nothing. Please 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 another adversary to Solomon, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah.
24 Rezon gathered around him a rebel band, and became their leader. They went and settled in Damascus, where they took over.
Rezon gathered men to himself and became captain over a small force, when David defeated the men of Zobah. Rezon's men went to Damascus and lived there, and Rezon controlled 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.
He was an enemy of Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the trouble that Hadad caused. Rezon abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.
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.
Then Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, an official of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also 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.
He lifted up his hand against the king because Solomon had built up the place located at Millo and repaired the opening in the city wall 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.
Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, so he gave him command over all the labor of the house of Joseph.
29 Around that time the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was leaving Jerusalem.
At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed in a new garment and the two men were alone in the field.
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.
Then Ahijah grabbed hold of the new garment that was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.
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.
He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Look, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and I will give ten tribes to you
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 Solomon will have one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake—the city that 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 they have forsaken me and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of the people of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my decrees, 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.
However, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand. Instead, I have made him ruler all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake whom I chose, the one who kept my commandments and my statutes.
35 But I will take from his son's kingdom ten tribes and give them to you.
But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and I will give it to you, 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.
I will give one tribe to Solomon's son, so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city in which I have chosen to put my name.
37 I will take you, and you shall reign over everything that you want. You will be king over Israel.
I will take you, and you will rule to fulfill all that you desire, and you will 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 you listen to all that I command you, and if you walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, then I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.
39 I will punish David's descendants because of this, but not forever.”
I will punish the descendants of David, but not forever.'”
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.
So Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam got up and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and he remained in Egypt until 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.
As for the other matters concerning Solomon, all that he did and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the events of Solomon?
42 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel for a total of forty years.
Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
43 Solomon died and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.
He slept with his ancestors and he was buried in the city of David his father. Rehoboam his son became king in his place.
