The First Book of the Kings

⭑ Literal Standard Version :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 11 -

And King Solomon has loved many strange women, and the daughter of Pharaoh, females of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, [and] of the Hittites,

of the nations of which YHWH said to the sons of Israel, “You do not go in to them, and they do not go in to you; surely they turn aside your heart after their gods”; Solomon has cleaved to them for love.

And he has seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turn aside his heart.

And it comes to pass, at the time of Solomon’s old age, his wives have turned aside his heart after other gods, and his heart has not been perfect with his God YHWH, like the heart of his father David.

And Solomon goes after Ashtoreth goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites;

and Solomon does evil in the eyes of YHWH, and has not been fully after YHWH, like his father David.

Then Solomon builds a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, in the hill that [is] on the front of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the sons of Ammon;

and so he has done for all his strange women, who are perfuming and sacrificing to their gods.

God’s Anger against Solomon

And YHWH shows Himself angry with Solomon, for his heart has turned aside from YHWH, God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,

and given a charge to him concerning this thing, not to go after other gods; and he has not kept that which YHWH commanded,

and YHWH says to Solomon, “Because that this has been with you, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes that I charged on you, I surely tear the kingdom from you, and have given it to your servant.

Only, I do not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David; I tear it out of the hand of your son;

only, I do not tear away all of the kingdom; I give one tribe to your son, for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”

Hadad’s Return

And YHWH raises up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he [is] of the seed of the king in Edom;

and it comes to pass, in David’s being with Edom, in the going up of Joab head of the host to bury the slain, that he strikes every male in Edom—

for six months Joab abided there, and all Israel, until the cutting off of every male in Edom—

and Hadad flees, he and certain Edomites, of the servants of his father, with him, to go to Egypt, and Hadad [is] a little youth,

and they rise out of Midian, and come into Paran, and take men with them out of Paran, and come into Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he gives a house to him, and has commanded bread for him, and has given land to him.

And Hadad finds grace in the eyes of Pharaoh exceedingly, and he gives to him a wife, the sister of his own wife, sister of Tahpenes the mistress;

and the sister of Tahpenes bears to him his son Genubath, and Tahpenes weans him within the house of Pharaoh, and Genubath is in the house of Pharaoh in the midst of the sons of Pharaoh.

And Hadad has heard in Egypt that David has lain with his fathers, and that Joab head of the host is dead, and Hadad says to Pharaoh, “Send me away, and I go to my land.”

And Pharaoh says to him, “But what are you lacking with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own land?” And he says, “Nothing, but you certainly send me away.”

Rezon’s Hostility

And God raises an adversary against him, Rezon son of Eliadah, who has fled from Hadadezer king of Zobah, his lord,

and gathers men to himself, and is head of a troop in David’s slaying them, and they go to Damascus, and dwell in it, and reign in Damascus;

and he is an adversary against Israel all the days of Solomon (besides the evil that Hadad [did]), and he cuts off in Israel, and reigns over Aram.

Jeroboam’s Rebellion

And Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zereda—the name of whose mother [is] Zeruah, a widow woman—servant to Solomon, he also lifts up a hand against the king;

and this [is] the thing [for] which he lifted up a hand against the king: Solomon built Millo—he shut up the breach of the city of his father David,

and the man Jeroboam [is] mighty in valor, and Solomon sees that the young man is doing business, and appoints him over all the burden of the house of Joseph.

And it comes to pass, at that time, that Jeroboam has gone out from Jerusalem, and Ahijah the Shilonite, the prophet, finds him in the way, and he is covering himself with a new garment; and both of them [are] by themselves in a field,

and Ahijah lays hold on the new garment that [is] on him, and tears it [into] twelve pieces,

and says to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for thus said YHWH, God of Israel: Behold, I am tearing the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and have given the ten tribes to you,

but he has the one tribe for My servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have fixed on, out of all the tribes of Israel,

because they have forsaken Me, and bow themselves to Ashtoreth, goddess of the Zidonians, to Chemosh god of Moab, and to Milcom god of the sons of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do that which [is] right in My eyes, and My statutes and My judgments, like his father David.

And I do not take the whole of the kingdom out of his hand, for I make him prince all [the] days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who kept My commands and My statutes;

and I have taken the kingdom out of the hand of his son, and given it to you—the ten tribes;

and to his son I give one tribe, for there being a lamp before Me for My servant David in Jerusalem [for] all the days, the city that I have chosen for Myself to put My Name there.

And I take you, and you have reigned over all that your soul desires, and you have been king over Israel;

and it has been, if you hear all that I command you, and have walked in My ways, and done that which is right in My eyes, to keep My statutes and My commands, as My servant David did, that I have been with you, and have built a steadfast house for you, as I built for David, and have given Israel to you,

and I humble the seed of David for this; only, not [for] all the days.”

And Solomon seeks to put Jeroboam to death, and Jeroboam rises and flees to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and he is in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

(2 Chronicles 9:29–31)

And the rest of the matters of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written on the scroll of the matters of Solomon?

And the days that Solomon has reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel [are] forty years,

and Solomon lies with his fathers, and is buried in the city of his father David, and his son Rehoboam reigns in his stead.

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites,

of the nations concerning which the LORD said to the children of Israel, “You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon joined to these in love.

He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away.

When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father was.

For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

Solomon did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and didn’t go fully after the LORD, as David his father did.

Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon.

So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

God’s Anger against Solomon

The LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,

and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which the LORD commanded.

Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, “Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.

Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand.

However, I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”

Hadad’s Return

The LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite. He was one of the king’s offspring in Edom.

For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom

(for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom),

Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt, when Hadad was still a little child.

They arose out of Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land.

Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.

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.

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, “Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.”

Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you seek to go to your own country?” He answered, “Nothing, however only let me depart.”

Rezon’s Hostility

God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

He gathered men to himself, and became captain over a troop, when David killed them of Zobah. They went to Damascus and lived there, and reigned in Damascus.

He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, in addition to the mischief of Hadad. He abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

Jeroboam’s Rebellion

Jeroboam 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.

This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of his father David’s city.

The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph.

At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in the field.

Ahijah took the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.

He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces; for the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you

(but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),

because they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.

“‘However, I will not take the whole 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 statutes,

but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, even ten tribes.

I will give one tribe to his son, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there.

I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel.

It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you.

I will afflict the offspring of David for this, but not forever.’”

Therefore Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam arose and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

(2 Chronicles 9:29–31)

Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren’t they written in the book of the acts of Solomon?

The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.