1 Kings 11

1King Solomon loved many foreign women along with Pharaoh’s daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,

2from the nations about which Yahweh had said to the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, for they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these women in love.

3He had seven hundred wives who were princesses and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.

4When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly devoted to Yahweh his God, as the heart of his father David had been.

5Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.

6So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh and did not follow Yahweh completely, as his father David had done.

7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the hill east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the Ammonites.

8He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.

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

10and had commanded him about this very thing, that he must not follow other gods. But he did not keep what Yahweh had commanded.

11So Yahweh said to Solomon, “Since this is what you have done, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

12Yet for the sake of your father David I will not do it in your lifetime. I will tear it out of your son’s hand.

13Even so, I will not tear away the whole kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

14Then Yahweh raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, who was of the royal family in Edom.

15Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and he struck down every male in Edom.

16For Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom.

17But Hadad fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites who were servants of his father. Hadad was only a young boy at the time.

18They set out from Midian and came to Paran. They took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house, assigned him food, and gave him land.

19Hadad found great favor with Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Queen Tahpenes.

20The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house. Genubath lived in Pharaoh’s house among Pharaoh’s sons.

21While Hadad was in Egypt, he heard that David had rested with his ancestors and that Joab the commander of the army was dead. So Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, so that I may return to my own country.”

22Pharaoh said to him, “What have you lacked with me that you now want to go to your own country?” He answered, “Nothing, but you must let me go.”

23God also raised up an adversary against Solomon, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

24He gathered men around him and became leader of a raiding band when David slaughtered them. They went to Damascus, settled there, and ruled in Damascus.

25He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, adding to the harm that Hadad did. He loathed Israel and reigned over Aram.

26Jeroboam son of Nebat also rebelled against the king. He was an Ephraimite from Zeredah, one of Solomon’s servants, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

27This is how he came to rebel against the king: Solomon had built the Millo and closed up the gap in the wall of the City of David his father.

28Jeroboam was a capable man, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.

29About that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. Ahijah had put on a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open country.

30Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

31Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand, and I will give you ten tribes.

32But he will have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

33For they have forsaken me and bowed down to Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my eyes and keeping my statutes and my ordinances, as his father David did.

34Yet I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand. I will keep him as ruler all the days of his life for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose and who kept my commandments and my statutes.

35But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you—ten tribes.

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

37As for you, I will take you, and you will reign over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel.

38If you listen to all that I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as my servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you an enduring dynasty, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

39I will humble the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.’”

40Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam got up and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and he stayed in Egypt until Solomon’s death.

41As for the rest of the deeds of Solomon, all that he did and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the deeds of Solomon?

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

43Then Solomon rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David his father. And his son Rehoboam became king in his place.