1 Kings 11
11
Solomon’s Many Wives
1Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. 2The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their gods.” Yet Solomon insisted on loving them anyway. 3He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.
4In Solomon’s old age, they turned his heart to worship other gods instead of being completely faithful to the Lord his God, as his father, David, had been. 5Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech,#11:5 Hebrew Milcom, a variant spelling of Molech; also in 11:33. the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6In this way, Solomon did what was evil in the Lord’s sight; he refused to follow the Lord completely, as his father, David, had done.
7On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem,#11:7 Hebrew On the mountain east of Jerusalem. he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
9The Lord was very angry with Solomon, for his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command. 11So now the Lord said to him, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. 12But for the sake of your father, David, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. 13And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, my chosen city.”
Solomon’s Adversaries
14Then the Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite, a member of Edom’s royal family, to be Solomon’s adversary. 15Years before, David had defeated Edom. Joab, his army commander, had stayed to bury some of the Israelite soldiers who had died in battle. While there, they killed every male in Edom. 16Joab and the army of Israel had stayed there for six months, killing them.
17But Hadad and a few of his father’s royal officials escaped and headed for Egypt. (Hadad was just a boy at the time.) 18They set out from Midian and went to Paran, where others joined them. Then they traveled to Egypt and went to Pharaoh, who gave them a home, food, and some land. 19Pharaoh grew very fond of Hadad, and he gave him his wife’s sister in marriage—the sister of Queen Tahpenes. 20She bore him a son named Genubath. Tahpenes raised him#11:20 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads weaned him. in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s own sons.
21When the news reached Hadad in Egypt that David and his commander Joab were both dead, he said to Pharaoh, “Let me return to my own country.”
22“Why?” Pharaoh asked him. “What do you lack here that makes you want to go home?”
“Nothing,” he replied. “But even so, please let me return home.”
23God also raised up Rezon son of Eliada as Solomon’s adversary. Rezon had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah, 24and had become the leader of a gang of rebels. After David conquered Hadadezer, Rezon and his men fled to Damascus, where he became king. 25Rezon was Israel’s bitter adversary for the rest of Solomon’s reign, and he made trouble, just as Hadad did. Rezon hated Israel intensely and continued to reign in Aram.
Jeroboam Rebels against Solomon
26Another rebel leader was Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s own officials. He came from the town of Zeredah in Ephraim, and his mother was Zeruah, a widow.
27This is the story behind his rebellion. Solomon was rebuilding the supporting terraces#11:27 Hebrew the millo. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. and repairing the walls of the city of his father, David. 28Jeroboam was a very capable young man, and when Solomon saw how industrious he was, he put him in charge of the labor force from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph.
29One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him along the way. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone in a field, 30and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten of these pieces, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give ten of the tribes to you! 32But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 33For Solomon has#11:33 As in Greek, Syriac, and Latin Vulgate; Hebrew reads For they have. abandoned me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of the Ammonites. He has not followed my ways and done what is pleasing in my sight. He has not obeyed my decrees and regulations as David his father did.
34“‘But I will not take the entire kingdom from Solomon at this time. For the sake of my servant David, the one whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees, I will keep Solomon as leader for the rest of his life. 35But I will take the kingdom away from his son and give ten of the tribes to you. 36His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name. 37And I will place you on the throne of Israel, and you will rule over all that your heart desires. 38If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey my decrees and commands, as my servant David did, then I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39Because of Solomon’s sin I will punish the descendants of David—though not forever.’”
40Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he fled to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon died.
Summary of Solomon’s Reign
41The rest of the events in Solomon’s reign, including all his deeds and his wisdom, are recorded in The Book of the Acts of Solomon. 42Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 43When he died, he was buried in the City of David, named for his father. Then his son Rehoboam became the next king.
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Melaḵim Aleph (1 Kings) 11
11
1And Sovereign Shelomoh loved many foreign women in addition to the daughter of Pharaoh: Mo’aḇite, Ammonite, Eḏomite, Tsiḏonian, and Ḥittite women;
2from the nations of whom יהוה had said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, “You do not go into them, and they do not go into you, for they shall certainly turn away your hearts after their mighty ones.” Shelomoh clung to these in love.
3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.
4And it came to be, when Shelomoh was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other mighty ones. And his heart was not perfect with יהוה his Elohim, as was the heart of his father Dawiḏ.
5And Shelomoh went after Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Tsiḏonians, and after Milkom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6Thus Shelomoh did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and did not follow יהוה completely, like his father Dawiḏ.
7Then Shelomoh built a high place for Kemosh the abomination of Mo’aḇ, on the hill that is east of Yerushalayim, and for Moleḵ the abomination of the children of Ammon.
8And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and slaughtered to their mighty ones.
9Therefore יהוה was enraged with Shelomoh, because his heart had turned away from יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, who had appeared to him twice,
10and had commanded him concerning this word, not to go after other mighty ones. But he did not guard what יהוה had commanded.
11And יהוה said to Shelomoh, “Because you have done this, and have not guarded My covenant and My laws, which I have commanded you, I shall certainly tear the reign away from you and give it to your servant.
12“Only, I do not do it in your days, for the sake of your father Dawiḏ. Out of the hand of your son I shall tear it.
13“Only, I shall not tear away all the reign but give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant Dawiḏ, and for the sake of Yerushalayim which I have chosen.”
14And יהוה raised up an adversary against Shelomoh, Haḏaḏ the Eḏomite. He was of the seed of the sovereign in Eḏom.
15And it came to be, when Dawiḏ was in Eḏom, and Yo’aḇ the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, after he had struck every male in Eḏom –
16Yo’aḇ remained there with all Yisra’ĕl for six new moons, until every male in Eḏom was cut off –
17that Haḏaḏ fled to go to Mitsrayim, he and certain Eḏomites of his father’s servants with him, while Haḏaḏ was still a little child.
18And they arose from Miḏyan and came to Paran, and took men with them from Paran and came to Mitsrayim, to Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, who gave him a house, and ordered food for him, and gave him land.
19And Haḏaḏ found much favour in the eyes of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Sovereigness Taḥpenĕs.
20And the sister of Taḥpenĕs bore him Genuḇath his son, whom Taḥpenĕs weaned in Pharaoh’s house. And Genuḇath was in the house of Pharaoh among the sons of Pharaoh.
21And Haḏaḏ heard in Mitsrayim that Dawiḏ slept with his fathers, and that Yo’aḇ the commander of the army was dead, and Haḏaḏ said to Pharaoh, “Let me go to my land.”
22And Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that you are now seeking to go to your own land?” And he answered, “No, but please let me go.”
23And Elohim raised up another adversary against him, Rezon son of Elyaḏa who had fled from his master, Haḏaḏezer sovereign of Tsoḇah,
24and gathered men to him and became commander over a raiding band, when Dawiḏ killed those of Tsoḇah. And they went to Dammeseq and dwelt there, and reigned in Dammeseq.
25And he was an adversary of Yisra’ĕl all the days of Shelomoh – besides the trouble that Haḏaḏ caused – and he was hostile to Yisra’ĕl and reigned over Aram.
26And a servant of Shelomoh, Yaroḇ‛am son of Neḇat, an Ephrayimite from Tserĕḏah, whose mother’s name was Tseru‛ah, a widow, also lifted up a hand against the sovereign.
27And this is what caused him to lift up a hand against the sovereign: Shelomoh had built Millo, repairing the breaks in the City of Dawiḏ his father.
28And the man Yaroḇ‛am was a brave man. And Shelomoh, seeing that the young man was doing his work well, made him the officer over all the compulsory labour of the house of Yosĕph.
29And it came to be at that time, when Yaroḇ‛am went out of Yerushalayim, that the prophet Aḥiyah the Shilonite met him on the way. And he was wearing a new garment, and the two were alone in the field.
30And Aḥiyah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces,
31and said to Yaroḇ‛am, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus said יהוה, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘See, I am tearing the reign out of the hand of Shelomoh and shall give ten tribes to you,
32but he shall have one tribe for the sake of My servant Dawiḏ, and for the sake of Yerushalayim, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl.
33Because they have forsaken Me, and bow themselves to Ashtoreth the mighty one of the Tsiḏonians, to Kemosh the mighty one of the Mo’aḇites, and to Milkom the mighty one of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways – to do what is right in My eyes, and My laws and My right-rulings, as did his father Dawiḏ.
34But I do not take all the reign out of his hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of My servant Dawiḏ, whom I chose because he guarded My commands and My laws.
35And I shall take the reign out of his son’s hand and give it to you, the ten tribes.
36And to his son I give one tribe, so that My servant Dawiḏ shall always have a lamp before Me in Yerushalayim, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My Name there.
37So I take you, and you shall reign over all that your being desires, and you shall be sovereign over Yisra’ĕl.
38And it shall be, if you obey all that I command you, and shall walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes, to guard My laws and My commands, as My servant Dawiḏ did, then I shall be with you and build for you a steadfast house, as I built for Dawiḏ, and shall give Yisra’ĕl to you.
39And because of this I humble the seed of Dawiḏ, but not forever.’ ”
40And Shelomoh sought to kill Yaroḇ‛am, but Yaroḇ‛am rose up and fled to Mitsrayim, to Shishaq sovereign of Mitsrayim, and was in Mitsrayim until the death of Shelomoh.
41And the rest of the acts of Shelomoh, all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Shelomoh?
42And the days that Shelomoh reigned in Yerushalayim over all Yisra’ĕl was forty years.
43So Shelomoh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of Dawiḏ his father, and Reḥaḇ‛am his son reigned in his place.
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