1 Kings 11

1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, beside the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, 'Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites.

Now a number of strange women were loved by Solomon, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:

2 From the nations concerning which the Lord had said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in among them, nor shall they come in among you; surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: unto these Solomon did cleave to love them.

The nations of which the Lord had said to the children of Israel, You are not to take wives from them and they are not to take wives from you; or they will certainly make you go after their gods: to these Solomon was united in love.

3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.

He had seven hundred wives, daughters of kings, and three hundred other wives; and through his wives his heart was turned away.

4 And it came to pass, at the time that Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not undivided with the Lord his God, like the heart of David his father.

For it came about that when Solomon was old, his heart was turned away to other gods by his wives; and his heart was no longer true to the Lord his God as the heart of his father David had been.

5 And Solomon went after 'Ashtoreth the divinity of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the 'Ammonites.

For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and Milcom, the disgusting god of the Ammonites.

6 And Solomon did what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, like David his father.

And Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord, not walking in the Lord's ways with all his heart as David his father did.

7 Then did Solomon build a high-place for Kemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mount that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of 'Ammon.

Then Solomon put up a high place for Chemosh, the disgusting god of Moab, in the mountain before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the disgusting god worshipped by the children of Ammon.

8 And so did he for all his strange wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

And so he did for all his strange wives, who made offerings with burning of perfumes to their gods.

9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon; because his heart was turned away from the Lord the God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice;

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had twice come to him in a vision;

10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep that which the Lord had commanded.

And had given him orders about this very thing, that he was not to go after other gods; but he did not keep the orders of the Lord.

11 And the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is in thy mind, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded concerning thee: I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.

So the Lord said to Solomon, Because you have done this, and have not kept my agreement and my laws, which I gave you, I will take the kingdom away from you by force and will give it to your servant.

12 Nevertheless in thy days will I not do it, for the sake of David thy father; [but] out of the hand of thy son will I rend it.

I will not do it in your life-time, because of your father David, but I will take it from your son.

13 Still all the kingdom will I not rend away: one tribe will I give to thy son on account of David my servant, and on account of Jerusalem which I have chosen.

Still I will not take all the kingdom from him; but I will give one tribe to your son, because of my servant David, and because of Jerusalem, the town of my selection.

14 And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom.

So the Lord sent Hadad the Edomite to make trouble for Solomon: he was of the king's seed in Edom.

15 It came to pass, namely, when David was in Edom, when Joab the captain of the army was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom;

And when David had sent destruction on Edom, and Joab, the captain of the army, had gone to put the dead into the earth, and had put to death every male in Edom;

16 (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom: )

(For Joab and all Israel were there six months till every male in Edom had been cut off; )

17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; but Hadad was then yet a young lad.

Hadad, being still a young boy, went in flight to Egypt, with certain Edomites, servants of his father;

18 And they arose from Midian, and came to Paran; and they took [some] men with them from Paran, and came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt; who gave him a house, and decreed him a support, and gave him land.

And they went on from Midian and came to Paran; and, taking men from Paran with them, they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who gave him a house and gave orders for his food and gave him land.

19 And Hadad found great favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, so that he gave him for wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Thachpeness the queen.

Now Hadad was very pleasing to Pharaoh, so that he gave him the sister of his wife, Tahpenes the queen, for his wife.

20 And the sister of Thachpeness bore him Genubath his son, whom Thachpeness brought up in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath remained in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh.

And the sister of Tahpenes had a son by him, Genubath, whom Tahpenes took care of in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath was living in Pharaoh's house among Pharaoh's sons.

21 And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead: Hadad said to Pharaoh, Dismiss me, that I may go to my own country.

Now when Hadad had news in Egypt that David had been put to rest with his fathers, and that Joab, the captain of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, Send me back to my country.

22 Then said Pharaoh unto him, But what dost thou lack with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thy own country? And he answered, Nothing: nevertheless thou must let me go away.

But Pharaoh said to him, What have you been short of while you have been with me, that you are desiring to go back to your country? And he said, Nothing; but even so, send me back.

23 And God stirred him up [another] adversary, Rezon the son of Elyada', who had fled from Hadad'ezer the king of Zobah his lord;

And God sent another trouble-maker, Rezon, the son of Eliada, who had gone in flight from his lord, Hadadezer, king of Zobah:

24 And he gathered around him some men, and became captain over a band, when David slew those [of Zobah]; and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus.

He got some men together and made himself captain of a band of outlaws; and went to Damascus and became king there.

25 And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

He was a trouble to Israel all through the days of Solomon. And this is the damage Hadad did: he was cruel to Israel while he was ruler over Edom.

26 Also Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zeredah, the name of whose mother was Zeru'ah, a widow woman, was a servant of Solomon, and he lifted up his hand against the king.

And there was Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother was Zeruah, a widow; and his hand was lifted up against the king.

27 And this was the occasion that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built up the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of David his father.

The way in which his hand came to be lifted up against the king was this: Solomon was building the Millo and making good the damaged parts of the town of his father David;

28 And the man Jerobo'am was a mighty man of valor: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was [also] an industrious worker, he appointed him over all the charge of the house of Joseph.

And Jeroboam was an able and responsible man; and Solomon saw that he was a good worker and made him overseer of all the work given to the sons of Joseph.

29 And it came to pass at that time when Jerobo'am went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Achiyah the Shilonite found him on the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and these two were alone by themselves in the field;

Now at that time, when Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite came across him on the road; now Ahijah had put on a new robe; and the two of them were by themselves in the open country.

30 And Achiyah caught hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces;

And Ahijah took his new robe in his hands, parting it violently into twelve.

31 And he said to Jerobo'am, Take thee ten pieces; for thus hath said the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give to thee the ten tribes;

And he said to Jeroboam, Take ten of the parts, for this is what the Lord has said: See, I will take the kingdom away from Solomon by force, and will give ten tribes to you;

32 But the one tribe shall remain for him, on account of my servant David, and on account of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel;

(But one tribe will be his, because of my servant David, and because of Jerusalem, the town which, out of all the tribes of Israel, I have made mine, )

33 For the cause that they have forsaken me, and have bowed down to 'Ashtoreth the divinity of the Zidonians, to Kemosh the god of Moab, and to Milcom the god of the children of 'Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and my statutes and my ordinances, like David his father.

Because they are turned away from me to the worship of Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and Chemosh, the god of Moab, and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites; they have not been walking in my ways or doing what is right in my eyes or keeping my laws and my decisions as his father David did.

34 Nevertheless will I not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will let him remain prince all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes;

But I will not take the kingdom from him; I will let him be king all the days of his life, because of David my servant, in whom I took delight because he kept my orders and my laws.

35 But I will take the kingdom out of the hand of his son, and I will give it unto thee, even the ten tribes.

But I will take the kingdom from his son, and give it to you.

36 And unto his son will I give one tribe; so that there may remain a government for David my servant at all times before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for me, to put my name there.

And one tribe I will give to his son, so that David my servant may have a light for ever burning before me in Jerusalem, the town which I have made mine to put my name there.

37 But thee will I take, and thou shalt reign over all that thy soul may long for; and thou shalt be king over Israel.

And you I will take, and you will be king over Israel, ruling over whatever is the desire of your soul.

38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I shall command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did: that I will be with thee, and build thee a permanent house, as I have built for David, and I will give Israel unto thee.

And if you give attention to the orders I give you, walking in my ways and doing what is right in my eyes and keeping my laws and my orders as David my servant did; then I will be with you, building up for you a safe house, as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you.

39 And I will afflict the seed of David for this; but not for all times.

(So that I may send trouble for this on the seed of David, but not for ever.)

40 Solomon thereupon sought to put Jerobo'am to death; but Jerobo'am arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak the king of Egypt, and remained in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

And Solomon was looking for a chance to put Jeroboam to death; but he went in flight to Egypt, to Shishak, king of Egypt, and was in Egypt till the death of Solomon.

41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did and his wisdom, behold, they are written in the book of the history of Solomon.

Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all he did, and his wisdom, are they not recorded in the book of the acts of Solomon?

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

And the time Solomon was king in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father; and Rehobo'am his son became king in his stead.

And Solomon went to rest with his fathers, and was put into the earth in the town of David his father: and Solomon went to rest with his fathers and Rehoboam his son became king in his place.