1King Solomon loved many women besides Pharaoh’s daughter. They were from other lands. They were Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites.2The LORD had warned Israel about women from other nations. He had said, ‘You must not marry them. If you do, you can be sure they will turn your hearts towards their gods.’ But Solomon continued to love them anyway. He wouldn’t give them up.3He had 700 wives who came from royal families. And he had 300 concubines. His wives led him astray.4As Solomon grew older, his wives turned his heart towards other gods. He didn’t follow the LORD his God with all his heart. So he wasn’t like his father David.5Solomon worshipped Ashtoreth. Ashtoreth was the female god of the Sidonians. He also worshipped Molek. Molek was the god of the Ammonites. The LORD hated that god.6Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. He didn’t completely obey the LORD. He didn’t do what his father David had done.7There is a hill east of Jerusalem. Solomon built a high place for worshipping Chemosh there. He built a high place for worshipping Molek there too. Chemosh was the god of Moab. Molek was the god of Ammon. The LORD hated both of those gods.8Solomon also built high places so that all his wives from other nations could worship their gods. Those women burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.9The LORD became angry with Solomon. That’s because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel. He had appeared to Solomon twice.10He had commanded Solomon not to worship other gods. But Solomon didn’t obey the LORD.11So the LORD said to Solomon, ‘You have chosen not to keep my covenant. You have decided not to obey my rules. I commanded you to do what I told you. But you did not do it. So you can be absolutely sure I will tear the kingdom away from you. I will give it to one of your officials.12But I will not do that while you are still living. Because of your father David I will wait. I will tear the kingdom out of your son’s hand.13But I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. I will give him one of the tribes because of my servant David. I will also do it because of Jerusalem. That is the city I have chosen.’
Solomon’s enemies
14Then the LORD brought an enemy against Solomon. The enemy’s name was Hadad. He was from Edom. In fact, he belonged to the royal family of Edom.15David had fought against Edom. Joab had been the commander of the army. He had gone up to bury the dead bodies of the Israelites who had been killed in battle. At that time he had struck down all the men in Edom.16In fact, Joab and all the men of Israel stayed there for six months. During that time they destroyed all the men in Edom.17But when Hadad was only a boy, he ran away to Egypt. Some officials from Edom went with him. They had served Hadad’s father.18They started out from Midian and went to Paran. They took some people from Paran with them. Then they went to Egypt. They went to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. He gave Hadad a house and some land. He also supplied him with food.19Pharaoh was very pleased with Hadad. Pharaoh’s wife was Queen Tahpenes. He gave Hadad her sister to be his wife.20The sister of Tahpenes had a son by Hadad. The baby was named Genubath. Tahpenes brought him up in the royal palace. Genubath lived there with Pharaoh’s own children.21Hadad heard that David had joined the members of his family who had already died. He also heard that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. Hadad heard those things while he was in Egypt. He said to Pharaoh, ‘Let me go. I want to return to my own country.’22‘Why do you want to go back to your own country?’ Pharaoh asked. ‘Don’t you have everything you need right here?’ ‘Yes’, Hadad replied. ‘But I want you to let me go anyway!’23God brought another enemy against Solomon. The enemy’s name was Rezon. He was the son of Eliada. Rezon had run away from his master Hadadezer, the king of Zobah.24David had destroyed Zobah’s army. Then Rezon gathered together some men to follow him. He became their leader. They went to Damascus where they made their homes. They also took control of Damascus.25Rezon was Israel’s enemy as long as Solomon was living. Rezon added to the trouble Hadad had caused. So Rezon ruled in Aram. He was Israel’s enemy.
Jeroboam refuses to follow Solomon
26Jeroboam refused to follow King Solomon. He was one of Solomon’s officials. He was from Zeredah in the territory of Ephraim. His father was Nebat. His mother was a widow named Zeruah.27Here is the story of how Jeroboam refused to follow the king. Solomon had filled in the low places near the palace. He had also repaired the wall of the city of his father David.28Jeroboam was a very important young man. Solomon saw how well he did his work. So he put him in charge of all the workers in northern Israel.29About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem. Ahijah the prophet met him on the road. Ahijah was from Shiloh. He was wearing a new coat. The two of them were all alone out in the country.30Ahijah grabbed the new coat he had on. He tore it up into 12 pieces.31Then he said to Jeroboam, ‘Take ten pieces for yourself. The LORD is the God of Israel. He says, “I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand. I will give you ten of its tribes.32Solomon will have one of its tribes. I will let him keep it because of my servant David and because of Jerusalem. I have chosen that city out of all the cities in the tribes of Israel.33I will do these things because the tribes have deserted me. They have worshipped Ashtoreth, the female god of the people of Sidon. They have worshipped Chemosh, the god of the people of Moab. And they have worshipped Molek, the god of the people of Ammon. They have not lived the way I wanted them to. They have not done what is right in my eyes. They have not obeyed my rules and laws as Solomon’s father David did.34‘ “But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand. I have made him ruler all the days of his life. I have done it because of my servant David. I chose him, and he obeyed my commands and rules.35I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hands. And I will give you ten of the tribes.36I will give one of the tribes to David’s son. Then my servant David will always have a son on his throne in Jerusalem. The lamp of David’s kingdom will always burn brightly in my sight. Jerusalem is the city I chose for my Name.37But I will make you king over Israel. You will rule over everything your heart desires. So you will be the king of Israel.38Do everything I command you to do. Live the way I want you to. Do what is right in my eyes. Obey my rules and commands. That is what my servant David did. If you do those things, I will be with you. I will build you a kingdom. It will last as long as the one I built for David. I will give Israel to you.39I will punish David’s family because of what Solomon has done. But I will not punish them for ever.” ’40Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam ran away to Egypt. He went to Shishak, the king of Egypt. He stayed there until Solomon died.
Solomon dies
41The other events of Solomon’s rule are written down. Everything he did and the wisdom he showed are written down. They are written in the official records of Solomon.42Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over the whole nation of Israel for 40 years.43Then he joined the members of his family who had already died. He was buried in the city of his father David. Solomon’s son Rehoboam became the next king after him.
1 Kings 11
English Standard Version
Solomon Turns from the Lord
1Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, (De 17:17; Ne 13:26)2from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. (Ex 34:16)3He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.4For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. (1Ki 8:61; 1Ki 9:4)5For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. (Jud 2:13; 1Ki 11:7; 1Ki 11:33; 2Ki 23:13)6So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done.7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. (Le 18:21; Le 20:2; Nu 21:29; 1Ki 11:5; 2Ki 23:10; 2Ki 23:13; Ac 7:43)8And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.
The Lord Raises Adversaries
9And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice (1Ki 3:5; 1Ki 9:2; 1Ki 11:2; 1Ki 11:4)10and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. (1Ki 6:12; 1Ki 9:6)11Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. (1Ki 11:31; 1Ki 12:15)12Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.13However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.” (De 12:5; De 12:11; 2Sa 7:15; 1Ki 11:32; 1Ki 11:36; 1Ki 12:20; Ps 89:33)14And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the royal house in Edom.15For when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he struck down every male in Edom (2Sa 8:14; 1Ch 18:12)16(for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom).17But Hadad fled to Egypt, together with certain Edomites of his father’s servants, Hadad still being a little child.18They set out from Midian and came to Paran and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him an allowance of food and gave him land. (Nu 10:12; De 33:2)19And 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 bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh.21But 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.” (1Ki 2:10)22But Pharaoh said to him, “What have you lacked with me that you are now seeking to go to your own country?” And he said to him, “Only let me depart.”23God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah. (2Sa 10:16)24And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band, after the killing by David. And they went to Damascus and lived there and made him king in Damascus. (2Sa 8:3; 2Sa 10:8; 2Sa 10:18)25He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing harm as Hadad did. And he loathed Israel and reigned over Syria.26Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. (1Sa 1:1; 2Sa 20:21; 1Ki 12:2; 2Ch 13:6)27And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of David his father. (2Sa 5:9; 1Ki 9:24)28The man Jeroboam was very able, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious he gave him charge over all the forced labor of the house of Joseph.29And at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now Ahijah had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the open country. (1Ki 12:15; 1Ki 14:2; 1Ki 15:29; 2Ch 9:29)30Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces. (1Sa 15:27)31And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you ten tribes (1Ki 11:11)32(but he shall have one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), (De 12:5; 1Ki 11:13; 1Ki 12:21; 1Ki 14:21)33because they have[1] forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did. (1Ki 11:5; 1Ki 11:7)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 David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes.35But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. (1Ki 11:12; 1Ki 12:16)36Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name. (2Sa 21:17; 1Ki 11:32; 1Ki 15:4; 2Ki 8:19; 2Ch 21:7)37And I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel.38And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. (Jos 1:5; 1Sa 2:35; 2Sa 7:11; 2Sa 7:27)39And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.’”40Solomon 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. (1Ki 14:25; 2Ch 12:2; 2Ch 12:5; 2Ch 12:7; 2Ch 12:9)41Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? (2Ch 9:29)42And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.43And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his place. (1Ki 2:10; 1Ki 14:20; Mt 1:7)