3 Kings 11
11
1And king Solomon loved many strange women besides the daughter of Pharao. And women of Moab, and of Ammon, and of Edom, and of Sidon, and of the Hethites:
2Of the nations concerning which the Lord said to the children of Israel: You shall not go in unto them, neither shall any of them come in to yours; for they will most certainly turn away your heart to follow their gods. And to these was Solomon joined with a most ardent love.
3And he had seven hundred wives as queens, and three hundred concubines. And the women turned away his heart.
4And when he was now old, his heart was turned away by women to follow strange gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5But Solomon worshipped Astarthe, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Moloch, the idol of the Ammonites.
6And Solomon did that which was net pleasing before the Lord: and did not fully follow the Lord, as David his father.
7Then Solomon built a temple for Chamos, the idol of Moab, on the hill that is over against Jerusalem: and for Moloch, the idol of the children of Ammon.
8And he did in this manner for all his wives that were strangers, who burnt incense, and offered sacrifice to their gods.
9And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his mind was turned away from the Lord the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
10And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not follow strange gods. But he kept not the things which the Lord commanded him.
11The Lord therefore said to Solomon: Because thou hast done this, and hast not kept my covenant, and my precepts, which I have commanded thee, I will divide and rend thy kingdom, and will give it to thy servant.
12Nevertheless in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
13Neither will I take away the whole kingdom, but I will give one tribe to thy son for the sake of David my servant, and Jerusalem which I have chosen.
14And the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon, Adad the Edomite of the king's seed, in Edom.
15For when David was in Edom, and Joab the general of the army was gone up to bury them that were slain, and had killed every male in Edom
16(For Joab remained there six months with all Israel, till he had slain every male in Edom)
17Then Adad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt: and Adad was then a little boy.
18And they arose out of Madian, and came into Pharan. And they took men with them from Pharan, and went into Egypt to Pharao the king of Egypt: who gave him a house, and appointed him victuals, and assigned him land.
19And Adad found great favour before Pharao, insomuch that he gave him to wife the own sister of his wife Taphnes the queen.
20And the sister of Taphnes bore him his son Genubath: and Taphnes brought him up in the house of Pharao. And Genubath dwelt with Pharao among his children.
21And when Adad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the general of the army was dead, he add to Pharao: Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.
22And Pharao said to him: Why, what is wanting to thee with me, that thou seekest to go to thy own country? But he answered: Nothing: yet I beseech thee to let me go.
23God also raised up against him an adversary, Razon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Adarezer the king of Soba.
24And he gathered men against him, and he became a captain of robbers, when David slew them of Soba. And they went to Damascus, and dwelt there: and they made him king in Damascus.
25And he was an adversary to Israel, all the days of Solomon. And this is the evil of Adad, and his hatred against Israel, and he reigned in Syria.
26Jeroboam also the son of Nabat, an Ephrathite of Sareda, a servant of Solomon, whose mother was named Sarua, a widow woman, lifted up his hand against the king.
27And this is the cause of his rebellion against him, for Solomon built Mello, and filled up the breach of the city of David his father.
28And Jeroboam was a valiant and mighty man: and Solomon seeing him a young man ingenious and industrious made him chief over the tributes of all the house of Joseph.
29So it came to pass at that time, that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahias the Silonite, clad with a new garment, found him in the way: and they two were alone in the field.
30And Ahias taking his new garment, wherewith he was clad, divided it into twelve parts.
31And he said to Jeroboam: Take to thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give thee ten tribes.
32But one tribe shall remain to him for the sake of my servant David, and Jerusalem the city; which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:
33Because he hath forsaken me, and hath adored Astarthe the goddess of the Sidonians, and Chamos the god of Moab, and Moloch the god of the children of Ammon: and hath not walked in my ways, to do justice before me, and to keep my precepts, and judgments as did David his father.
34Yet I will not take away all the kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant's sake, whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my precepts.
35But I will take away the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give thee ten tribes.
36And to his son I will give one tribe: that there may remain a lamp for my servant David before me always in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen, that my name might be there.
37And I will take thee: and thou shalt reign over all that thy soul desireth, and thou shalt be king over Israel.
38If then thou wilt hearken to all that I shall command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do what is right before me, keeping my commandments and my precepts, as David my servant did: I will be with thee, and will build thee up a faithful house, as I built a house for David; and I will deliver Israel to thee.
39And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but yet not for ever.
40Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam: but he arose, and fled into Egypt to Sesac the king of Egypt, and was in Egypt till the death of Solomon.
41And the rest of the words of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom: behold they are all written in the book of the words of the days of Solomon.
42And the days that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel were forty years.
43And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father. And Roboam his son reigned in his stead.
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3 Kings 11: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
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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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.