11
1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, beside the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, 'Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites. 2 From the nations concerning which the Lord had said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in among them, nor shall they come in among you; surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: unto these Solomon did cleave to love them. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4 And it came to pass, at the time that Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not undivided with the Lord his God, like the heart of David his father. 5 And Solomon went after 'Ashtoreth the divinity of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the 'Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did what is evil in the eyes of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, like David his father. 7 Then did Solomon build a high-place for Kemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mount that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of 'Ammon. 8 And so did he for all his strange wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. 9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon; because his heart was turned away from the Lord the God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice; 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep that which the Lord had commanded. 11 And the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is in thy mind, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded concerning thee: I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12 Nevertheless in thy days will I not do it, for the sake of David thy father; [but] out of the hand of thy son will I rend it. 13 Still all the kingdom will I not rend away: one tribe will I give to thy son on account of David my servant, and on account of Jerusalem which I have chosen. 14 And the Lord stirred up an adversary unto Solomon, Hadad the Edomite: he was of the king's seed in Edom. 15 It came to pass, namely, when David was in Edom, when Joab the captain of the army was gone up to bury the slain, after he had smitten every male in Edom; 16 (For six months did Joab remain there with all Israel, until he had cut off every male in Edom:) 17 That Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt; but Hadad was then yet a young lad. 18 And they arose from Midian, and came to Paran; and they took [some] men with them from Paran, and came to Egypt, unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt; who gave him a house, and decreed him a support, and gave him land. 19 And Hadad found great favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, so that he gave him for wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Thachpeness the queen. 20 And the sister of Thachpeness bore him Genubath his son, whom Thachpeness brought up in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath remained in Pharaoh's house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21 And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead: Hadad said to Pharaoh, Dismiss me, that I may go to my own country. 22 Then said Pharaoh unto him, But what dost thou lack with me, that, behold, thou seekest to go to thy own country? And he answered, Nothing: nevertheless thou must let me go away. 23 And God stirred him up [another] adversary, Rezon the son of Elyada', who had fled from Hadad'ezer the king of Zobah his lord; 24 And he gathered around him some men, and became captain over a band, when David slew those [of Zobah]; and they went to Damascus, and dwelt therein, and reigned in Damascus. 25 And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria. 26 Also Jerobo'am the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zeredah, the name of whose mother was Zeru'ah, a widow woman, was a servant of Solomon, and he lifted up his hand against the king. 27 And this was the occasion that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built up the Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of David his father. 28 And the man Jerobo'am was a mighty man of valor: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was [also] an industrious worker, he appointed him over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 29 And it came to pass at that time when Jerobo'am went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Achiyah the Shilonite found him on the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and these two were alone by themselves in the field; 30 And Achiyah caught hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces; 31 And he said to Jerobo'am, Take thee ten pieces; for thus hath said the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give to thee the ten tribes; 32 But the one tribe shall remain for him, on account of my servant David, and on account of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel; 33 For the cause that they have forsaken me, and have bowed down to 'Ashtoreth the divinity of the Zidonians, to Kemosh the god of Moab, and to Milcom the god of the children of 'Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and my statutes and my ordinances, like David his father. 34 Nevertheless will I not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will let him remain prince all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes; 35 But I will take the kingdom out of the hand of his son, and I will give it unto thee, even the ten tribes. 36 And unto his son will I give one tribe; so that there may remain a government for David my servant at all times before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for me, to put my name there. 37 But thee will I take, and thou shalt reign over all that thy soul may long for; and thou shalt be king over Israel. 38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I shall command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did: that I will be with thee, and build thee a permanent house, as I have built for David, and I will give Israel unto thee. 39 And I will afflict the seed of David for this; but not for all times. 40 Solomon thereupon sought to put Jerobo'am to death; but Jerobo'am arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak the king of Egypt, and remained in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 41 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did and his wisdom, behold, they are written in the book of the history of Solomon. 42 And the days that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel were forty years. 43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father; and Rehobo'am his son became king in his stead.