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Solomon Turns from Yahweh

¹ Now ^(C1)King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,² from the nations concerning which Yahweh had said to the sons of Israel, "^(C1)You shall not ^(F1)go along with them, nor shall they ^(F1)go along with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon clung to these in love.^3 (C1)And he had 700 wives—princesses—and 300 concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.⁴ Now it happened at the time that Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and ^(C1)his heart was not ^(F1)wholly devoted to Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father had been.⁵ For Solomon went after ^(C1)Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after ^(F1)(C2)Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.⁶ And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and did not follow Yahweh fully, as David his father had done.⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for ^(C1)Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is ^(F1)east of Jerusalem, and for ^(C2)Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon.⁸ Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

⁹ Now ^(C1)Yahweh was angry with Solomon ^(C2)because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^(C3)who had appeared to him twice,¹⁰ and ^(C1)had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not walk after other gods; but he did not keep what Yahweh had commanded.¹¹ So Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because this has happened with you: you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, so ^(C1)I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.¹² "Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.¹³ "However, ^(C1)I will not tear away all the kingdom, but ^(C2)I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and ^(C3)for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."

Yahweh Raises Up Adversaries

¹⁴ Then Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the seed of the king in Edom.

¹⁵ Now it happened that ^(C1)when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had ^(C2)struck down every male in Edom¹⁶ (for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom),¹⁷ that Hadad fled ^(F1)to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy.¹⁸ Then they arose from Midian and came to ^(C1)Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land.¹⁹ And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh. So he gave him as a wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.²⁰ And the sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath. And Tahpenes weaned him in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh.

²¹ But ^(C1)Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army had died. So Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Send me away, that I may go to my own country."²² Then Pharaoh said to him, "But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?" And he answered, "Nothing; nevertheless you must surely ^(F1)let me go."

^23 (C1)And God raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord ^(C2)Hadadezer king of Zobah.²⁴ And he gathered men to himself and became commander of a marauding band, ^(C1)after David killed some of ^(F1)them; and they went to Damascus and stayed ^(F2)there, and reigned in Damascus.²⁵ So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

²⁶ Now ^(C1)Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, ^(C2)also ^(F1)raised his hand against the king.²⁷ Now this was the reason why he ^(F1)raised his hand against the king: ^(C1)Solomon built the ^(F2)Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David.²⁸ Now the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. And ^(C1)Solomon saw that the young man was ^(F1)industrious and appointed him over all the load-bearers of the house of Joseph.²⁹ Now it happened at that time, that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, and ^(C1)that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now ^(F1)he had covered himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field.³⁰ Then ^(C1)Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.³¹ And he said to Jeroboam, "Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, 'Behold, ^(C1)I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes,^32 (C1)but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, ^(C2)the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel,³³ because they have forsaken Me, and ^(C1)have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, ^(C2)Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My sight and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as his father David did.³⁴ 'Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ^(F1)ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes;³⁵ but ^(C1)I will take the kingdom from his son's hand and give it to you—the ten tribes.³⁶ 'But ^(C1)to his son I will give one tribe, ^(C2)that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, ^(C1)the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.³⁷ 'And I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel.³⁸ 'Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then ^(C1)I will be with you and ^(C2)build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.³⁹ 'Thus I will afflict the seed of David for this, but not always.'"⁴⁰ Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to ^(C1)Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

^41 (C1)Now 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?⁴² Thus ^(C1)the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.⁴³ And Solomon ^(C1)slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son ^(C2)Rehoboam became king in his place.