1 Kings 11:1-13

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Solomon’s Errors

11 ^[a]Now King Solomon loved many foreign women: the daughter of Pharaoh, and Moabite, Ammonite, E′domite, Sido′nian, and Hittite women, ²from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods”; Solomon clung to these in love. ³He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. ⁴For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. ⁵For Solomon went after Ash′toreth the goddess of the Sido′nians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. ⁷Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. ⁸And so he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

⁹And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had 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 go after other gods; but he did not keep what the Lord commanded. ¹¹Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your mind 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. ¹²Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

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Footnotes

11.1-8 This account of Solomon’s moral decline stresses the connection between apostasy and sexual excess—a theme often met with in the Old Testament.

1 Kings 11:14-25

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Adversaries of Solomon

¹⁴^[a]And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the E′domite; he was of the royal house in Edom. ¹⁵For when David was in Edom, and Jo′ab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he slew every male in Edom ¹⁶(for Jo′ab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom); ¹⁷but Hadad fled to Egypt, together with certain E′domites of his father’s servants, Hadad being yet a little child. ¹⁸They set out from Mid′ian and came to Paran, and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and assigned him an allowance of food, and gave him land. ¹⁹And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tah′penes the queen. ²⁰And the sister of Tah′penes bore him Genu′bath his son, whom Tah′penes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genu′bath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. ²¹But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Jo′ab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.” ²²But Pharaoh said to him, “What have you lacked with me that you are now seeking to go to your own country?” And he said to him, “Only let me go.”

²³God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eli′ada, who had fled from his master Hadade′zer king of Zobah. ²⁴And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band, after the slaughter by David; and they went to Damascus, and dwelt there, and made him king in Damascus. ²⁵He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing mischief as Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

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Footnotes

11.14 Because of Solomon’s idolatry, God raised up enemies to the south (Edom), to the north (Damascus), and within the kingdom (Jeroboam).

1 Kings 11:14-25

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Adversaries of Solomon

¹⁴^[a]And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the E′domite; he was of the royal house in Edom. ¹⁵For when David was in Edom, and Jo′ab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he slew every male in Edom ¹⁶(for Jo′ab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom); ¹⁷but Hadad fled to Egypt, together with certain E′domites of his father’s servants, Hadad being yet a little child. ¹⁸They set out from Mid′ian and came to Paran, and took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and assigned him an allowance of food, and gave him land. ¹⁹And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tah′penes the queen. ²⁰And the sister of Tah′penes bore him Genu′bath his son, whom Tah′penes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genu′bath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. ²¹But when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Jo′ab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.” ²²But Pharaoh said to him, “What have you lacked with me that you are now seeking to go to your own country?” And he said to him, “Only let me go.”

²³God also raised up as an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eli′ada, who had fled from his master Hadade′zer king of Zobah. ²⁴And he gathered men about him and became leader of a marauding band, after the slaughter by David; and they went to Damascus, and dwelt there, and made him king in Damascus. ²⁵He was an adversary of Israel all the days of Solomon, doing mischief as Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

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