I Kings 11
11
Solomon’s Heart Turns from the Lord
1But #(Neh. 13:26)King Solomon loved #(Deut. 17:17); 1 Kin. 3:1many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites— 2from the nations of whom the Lord had said to the children of Israel, #Ex. 34:16; (Deut. 7:3, 4)“You shall not intermarry with them, nor they with you. Surely they will turn away your hearts after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. 4For it was so, when Solomon was old, #(Deut. 17:17; Neh. 13:26)that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his #1 Kin. 8:61heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, #1 Kin. 9:4as was the heart of his father David. 5For Solomon went after #Judg. 2:13; 1 Kin. 11:33Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after #(Lev. 20:2–5)Milcom the abomination of the #2 Kin. 23:13Ammonites. 6Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David. 7#Num. 33:52Then Solomon built a high place for #Num. 21:29; Judg. 11:24Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on #2 Kin. 23:13the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. 8And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9So the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, #1 Kin. 3:5; 9:2who had appeared to him twice, 10and #1 Kin. 6:12; 9:6, 7had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord had commanded. 11Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, #1 Kin. 11:31; 12:15, 16I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your #1 Kin. 11:31, 37servant. 12Nevertheless I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13#2 Sam. 7:15; 1 Chr. 17:13; Ps. 89:33However I will not tear away the whole kingdom; I will give #1 Kin. 12:20one tribe to your son #2 Sam. 7:15, 16for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem #Deut. 12:11; 1 Kin. 9:3; 14:21which I have chosen.”
Adversaries of Solomon
14Now the Lord #1 Chr. 5:26raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was a descendant of the king in Edom. 15#2 Sam. 8:14; 1 Chr. 18:12, 13For it happened, when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, #Num. 24:18, 19; (Deut. 20:13)after he had killed every male in Edom 16(because for six months Joab remained there with all Israel, until he had cut down every male in Edom), 17that Hadad fled to go to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him. Hadad was still a little child. 18Then they arose from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, apportioned food for him, and gave him land. 19And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, that is, the sister of Queen Tahpenes. 20Then the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh’s household among the sons of Pharaoh.
21#1 Kin. 2:10, 34So when Hadad heard in Egypt that David rested 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.”
22Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that suddenly you seek to go to your own country?”
So he answered, “Nothing, but do let me go anyway.”
23And God raised up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord, #2 Sam. 8:3; 10:16Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24So he gathered men to him and became captain over a band of raiders, #2 Sam. 8:3; 10:8, 18when David killed those of Zobah. And they went to Damascus and dwelt there, and reigned in Damascus. 25He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the trouble that Hadad caused); and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.
Jeroboam’s Rebellion
26Then Solomon’s servant, #1 Kin. 12:2Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zereda, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, #1 Kin. 11:11; 2 Chr. 13:6also #2 Sam. 20:21rebelled against the king.
27And this is what caused him to rebel against the king: #1 Kin. 9:15, 24Solomon had built the Millo and repaired the damages to the City of David his father. 28The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was #(Prov. 22:29)industrious, made him the officer over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.
29Now it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet #1 Kin. 12:15; 14:2; 2 Chr. 9:29Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; and he had clothed himself with a new garment, and the two were alone in the field. 30Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and #1 Sam. 15:27, 28; 24:5tore it into twelve pieces. 31And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for #1 Kin. 11:11, 13thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you 32(but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33#1 Sam. 7:3; 1 Kin. 11:5–8because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David. 34However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant David, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and My statutes. 35But #1 Kin. 12:16, 17I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and give it to you—ten tribes. 36And to his son I will give one tribe, that #(1 Kin. 15:4; 2 Kin. 8:19)My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there. 37So I will take you, and you shall reign over all your heart desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, 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 #Deut. 31:8; Josh. 1:5I will be with you and #2 Sam. 7:11, 27build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39And I will afflict the descendants of David because of this, but not forever.’ ”
40Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to #1 Kin. 11:17; 14:25; 2 Chr. 12:2–9Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
Death of Solomon
41Now #2 Chr. 9:29the rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42#2 Chr. 9:30And the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43#1 Kin. 2:10; 2 Chr. 9:31Then Solomon rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son reigned in his #1 Kin. 14:21; 2 Chr. 10:1place.
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I Kings 11: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.