1 Kings 11

1 Now king Solomon loved women, and he took many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites;

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

2 of the nations concerning which YHWH said to the children of Israel, "You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.

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.

3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred secondary wives; and his wives turned away his heart.

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

4 For it happened, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with YHWH his God, as was the heart of David his father.

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.

5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

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

6 Solomon did that which was evil in the sight of YHWH, and did not completely follow after YHWH, as did David his father.

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

7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon.

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.

8 So he did for all his foreign wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed to their gods.

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

9 YHWH was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from YHWH, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,

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

10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not obey that which YHWH commanded.

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

11 Therefore YHWH said to Solomon, "Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.

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.

12 Notwithstanding I will not do it in your days, for David your father's sake; but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

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

13 However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen."

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.”

14 YHWH raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal line in Edom.

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

15 For it happened, when David had conquered Edom, and Joab the commander of the army was gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom

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.

16 (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom);

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

17 that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little child.

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.

18 They arose out of Midian, and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land.

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.

19 Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.

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

20 The sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes raised in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh.

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

21 When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me depart, that I may go to my own country."

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.”

22 Then Pharaoh said to him, "But what have you lacked with me, that look, you seek to go to your own country?" He answered, "Nothing, however only let me depart."

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.”

23 God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah.

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,

24 He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band when David killed them. And they went to Damascus, and lived there, and reigned in Damascus.

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

25 He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the evil Hadad did. And he loathed Israel, and reigned over Aram.

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.

26 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, he also lifted up his hand against the king.

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.

27 This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of the City of David his father.

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.

28 The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph.

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.

29 And it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way and caused him to turn aside out of the way. Now he had dressed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the countryside.

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

30 And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.

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.

31 He said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces; for thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, 'Look, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you

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.

32 (but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel);

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.

33 because he has forsaken me, and has worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon. And he has not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.

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.

34 "'However I will not take the whole 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 statutes;

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.

35 but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes.

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

36 To his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.

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.

37 I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel.

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

38 It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.

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.

39 I will for this afflict the offspring of David, but not forever.'"

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

40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

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

41 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren't they written in the book of the acts of Solomon?

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.

42 The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

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

43 Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.

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