1 Kings 11:1-8
New Living Translation
Solomon’s Many Wives
11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides Pharaoh’s daughter, he married women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and from among the Hittites. 2 The 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. 3 He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from the Lord.
4 In 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. 5 Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech,[a] the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6 In 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.
7 On the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem,[b] he even built a pagan shrine for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and another for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 Solomon built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.
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1 Kings 11:1-8
New American Standard Bible
Solomon Turns from God
11 Now (A)King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations of which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “(B)You shall not [a]associate with them, nor shall they [b]associate with you; they will certainly turn your heart away [c]to follow their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 (C)He had seven hundred wives, who were [d]princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned his heart away. 4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away [e]to follow other gods; and (D)his heart was not [f]wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father David had been. 5 For Solomon became a follower of (E)Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and of [g](F)Milcom the abhorrent idol of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as his father David had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for (G)Chemosh, the abhorrent idol of Moab, on the mountain that is [h]east of Jerusalem, and for (H)Molech, the abhorrent idol of the sons of Ammon. 8 He also did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
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- 1 Kings 11:2 Lit go among
- 1 Kings 11:2 Lit go among
- 1 Kings 11:2 Lit after their
- 1 Kings 11:3 Or women of rank
- 1 Kings 11:4 Lit after other
- 1 Kings 11:4 Lit complete with
- 1 Kings 11:5 In Jer 49:1, 3, Malcam
- 1 Kings 11:7 Lit before
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