1 Kings 11
1 Now king Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites,
2 of the nations concerning which Yahweh 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.
3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away.
4 When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father was.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 Solomon did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and didn’t go fully after Yahweh, as David his father did.
7 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.
8 So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which Yahweh commanded.
11 Therefore Yahweh 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.
12 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.
13 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.”
14 Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite. He was one of the king’s offspring in Edom.
15 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
16 (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom),
17 Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt, when Hadad was still a little child.
18 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.
19 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.
20 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.
21 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.”
22 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.”
23 God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah.
24 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.
25 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.
26 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.
27 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.
28 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.
29 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.
30 Ahijah took the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.
31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘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 my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),
33 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.
34 “‘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,
35 but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, even ten tribes.
36 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.
37 I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel.
38 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.
39 I will afflict the offspring of David for this, but not forever.’”
40 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.
41 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?
42 The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
43 Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
Cross-references
258
- 1Deu 17:17, Pro 6:24, Pro 2:16, Pro 7:5, Neh 13:23–27, 1Ki 11:8, Pro 5:8–20, 1Ki 3:1
- 2Exo 34:16, Deu 7:3–4, Jos 23:12–13, Exo 23:32–33, 2Co 6:14–16, 1Co 15:33, Num 25:1–3, Rom 12:9
- 3Ecc 7:28, 2Sa 5:13–16, Jdg 8:30–31, 2Ch 11:21, Jdg 9:5, 2Sa 3:2–5
- 41Ki 9:4, 1Ki 8:61, 1Ch 28:9, 1Ki 11:6, 2Ch 17:3, 2Ch 34:2, 1Ki 11:2, Deu 17:17
- 5Jdg 2:13, 1Ki 11:7, 1Ki 11:33, 2Ki 23:13, Jdg 10:6, 1Sa 7:3–4, Lev 20:2–5, Zep 1:5
- 6Num 14:24, Jos 14:14, Jos 14:8
- 7Num 21:29, Jdg 11:24, Act 7:43, Dan 12:11, 2Ki 21:2–3, Num 33:52, Ezk 20:28–29, Psa 78:58
- 81Ki 11:1, Ezk 16:22–29, 1Co 10:20–22, Hos 4:11–12, 1Co 10:11–12
- 91Ki 3:5, 1Ki 9:2, Deu 7:4, Exo 4:14, Deu 3:26, Deu 9:8, 2Sa 6:7, Num 12:9
- 101Ki 6:12–13, 2Ch 7:17–22, 1Ki 9:4–7
- 111Ki 12:15–16, 1Ki 11:31, 1Ki 12:20, 2Ki 17:21, Isa 29:13–14, Num 14:35, 2Sa 12:9–12, Num 14:23
- 122Ki 20:17, Gen 19:29, 2Ki 20:19, Exo 20:5, 2Ki 22:19–20, 1Ki 21:29, 1Sa 9:4–5, Gen 12:2
- 131Ki 12:20, Deu 12:11, 1Ki 11:32, Psa 132:13–14, Luk 1:32–33, Deu 12:5, Isa 62:7, Jer 33:15–26
- 141Ch 5:26, Isa 10:26, 1Ki 12:15, 2Sa 24:1, 1Sa 26:19, Isa 10:5, Psa 89:30–34, Isa 13:17
- 152Sa 8:14, 1Ch 18:12–13, Deu 20:13, Gen 25:23, Gen 27:40, Num 24:18–19, Psa 108:10, Mal 1:2–3
- 17Mat 2:13–14, Exo 2:1–10, 2Sa 4:4, 2Ki 11:2
- 18Num 10:12, Deu 33:2, Deu 1:1, Gen 21:21, Gen 14:6, Gen 25:2, Num 22:4, Gen 25:4
- 19Gen 39:21, Act 7:10, Gen 39:4, Jer 43:7–9, Act 7:21, Gen 41:45
- 201Sa 1:24, Gen 21:7
- 211Ki 2:10, Gen 45:24, 1Sa 9:26, Exo 4:19, 1Ki 2:34, Jos 2:21, 2Sa 3:21, Mat 2:20
- 22Luk 22:35, 2Sa 18:22–23, Psa 37:8, Mrk 14:31, Jer 2:31
- 232Sa 8:3, 1Ki 11:14, 2Sa 10:8, Ezr 1:1, 2Sa 16:11, 1Ch 18:3–9, 1Ch 19:16–19, Isa 45:5
- 242Sa 10:18, 2Sa 10:8, Act 9:2, 1Ki 20:34, Gen 14:15, 1Ki 19:15
- 25Gen 34:30, Zec 11:8, Psa 106:40, 1Ki 5:4, 2Ch 15:2, 2Sa 16:21, Deu 23:7
- 261Ki 12:2, 2Ch 13:6, 1Ki 11:28, Rut 1:2, 2Sa 20:21, 1Sa 1:1, 1Ki 11:11, 1Ch 2:19
- 271Ki 9:24, 1Ki 9:15, Psa 60:2, Isa 22:9, Amo 9:11, Isa 26:11, Pro 30:32, 2Sa 5:7
- 28Pro 22:29, Isa 14:25, 1Ki 5:16, Zec 10:6, Jdg 1:22–23, 2Sa 19:20, Amo 5:6, Jos 18:5
- 292Ch 9:29, 1Ki 12:15, 1Ki 14:2, Jos 18:1, 2Sa 14:6, Gen 4:8
- 301Sa 15:27–28, 1Sa 24:4–5
- 311Ki 11:11–12
- 321Ki 11:13, 1Ki 12:20–21, 1Ki 14:21
- 331Ki 11:5–7, 1Ki 11:9, Hos 4:17, 1Ki 3:14, Jer 2:13, 1Ch 28:9, 2Ch 15:2, 1Ki 9:5–7
- 34Job 11:6, Isa 55:3, 1Ki 11:12–13, Hab 3:2, 1Ki 11:31, Psa 103:10
- 351Ki 12:15–17, Exo 20:5–6, 1Ki 12:20, 2Ch 10:15–17, 1Ki 11:12
- 361Ki 15:4, 1Ki 11:13, 2Ki 8:19, 2Ch 21:7, 2Sa 21:17, Psa 132:17, 2Sa 7:29, Amo 9:11–12
- 37Deu 14:26, 2Sa 3:21, 1Ki 11:26
- 382Sa 7:11, Jos 1:5, Deu 31:8, 1Ki 14:7–14, Zec 3:7, 1Ki 9:4–5, 1Ki 3:14, 2Sa 7:16
- 39Isa 9:7, Luk 2:11, Isa 11:1–10, Luk 1:32–33, Luk 2:4, 1Ki 11:36, Psa 89:49–51, Jer 23:5–6
- 402Ch 12:2–9, Isa 46:10, 1Ki 14:25–26, Lam 3:37, 2Ch 16:10, Pro 21:30, Isa 14:24–27
- 412Ch 9:29–31
- 421Ki 2:11
- 432Ki 21:18, 1Ki 2:10, Mat 1:7, 1Ki 15:8, 1Ki 14:31, 2Ch 13:7, 2Ch 28:27, 1Ki 16:6
Topics in this chapter
66
Ahijah, Ammonites, Anger, Ashtoreth, Backsliders, Canaan, Character, Chemosh, Children, Citizens, Civil Service, Concubinage, Damascus, Disobedience to God, Edomites, Eliadah, Fellowship, Fugitives, Genubath, God, Government, Hadad, Hadadezer, High Places, Hittites, Hospitality, Industry, Instability, Intercession, Israel, Jeroboam, Joab, Judgments, King, Lasciviousness, Light, Millo, Moabites, Molech, Nebat, Obedience, Parables, Paran, Patriotism, Perfection, Pharaoh, Polygamy, Probation, Promotion, Queen, Rehoboam, Rezon, Rulers, Servant, Shilonite, Shishak, Sidon, Solomon, Syria, Tahpenes, Temptation, Wife, Women, Zereda, Zeruah, Zobah