1 Kings 11

Solomon Turns from God

1Now 1King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2from the nations of which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “2You shall not 3associate with them, nor shall they 4associate with you; they will certainly turn your heart away 5to follow their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 36He had seven hundred wives, who were 7princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned his heart away. 4For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away 8to follow other gods; and 9his heart was not 10wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father David had been. 5For Solomon became a follower of 11Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and of 1213Milcom the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. 6So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as his father David had done. 7Then Solomon built a high place for 14Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab, on the mountain that is 15east of Jerusalem, and for 16Molech, the abhorrent idol of the sons of Ammon. 8He also did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

9Now 17the Lord was angry with Solomon 18because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, 19who had appeared to him twice, 10and 20had commanded him regarding this thing, that he was not to follow other gods; but he did not comply with what the Lord had commanded. 11So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since 21you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, 22I will certainly tear the kingdom away from you, and will give it to your servant. 12However, I will not do it in your days, only for the sake of your father David; but I will tear it away from the hand of your son. 13Yet 23I will not tear away all the kingdom, but 24I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David, and 25for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

God Raises Adversaries

14Then the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the 26royal line in Edom. 15For it came about, 27when David was in Edom and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury those killed in battle, and had 28struck and killed every male in Edom 16(for Joab and all Israel stayed there for six months, until he had eliminated every male in Edom), 17that Hadad fled 29to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy. 18They set out from Midian and came to 30Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land. 19Now Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20And the sister of Tahpenes gave birth to his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21But 31when Hadad heard in Egypt that David 32lay down with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, so that I may go to my own country.” 22However, Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me that you are here, requesting to go to your own country?” And he answered, “Nothing; nevertheless you must let me go.”

2333God also raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master 34Hadadezer, king of Zobah. 24And he gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, 35after David killed those of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed 36there, and reigned in Damascus. 25So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the harm that Hadad inflicted; and he felt disgust for Israel and reigned over Aram.

26Then 37Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, 38also 39rebelled against the king. 27Now this was the reason why he 40rebelled against the king: 41Solomon built the 42Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. 28Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when 43Solomon saw that the young man was 44industrious, he appointed him over all the 45forced labor of the house of Joseph. 29And it came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that 46the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now 47Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 30Then 48Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘Behold, 49I am going to tear the kingdom away from the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 32(50but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, 51the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 33because they have abandoned Me, and 52have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, 53Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and keeping My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 34Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes; 35but 54I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you; that is, ten tribes. 36But 55to his son I will give one tribe, 56so that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, 57the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 37However I will take you, and you shall reign over all that 58you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. 38Then it shall be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by keeping My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then 59I will be with you and 60build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39So I will oppress the 61descendants of David for this, but not always.’” 40Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam set out and fled to Egypt to 62Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

4163Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? 42So 64the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43Then Solomon 6566lay down with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son 67Rehoboam reigned in his place.