Solomon’s Adversaries

¹⁴ Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary,^(A) Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. ¹⁵ Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom.^{(B) 16} Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. ¹⁷ But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. ¹⁸ They set out from Midian and went to Paran.^(C) Then taking people from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.

¹⁹ Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. ²⁰ The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh’s own children.

²¹ While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”

²² “What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?” Pharaoh asked.

“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but do let me go!”

²³ And God raised up against Solomon another adversary,^(D) Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer^(E) king of Zobah. ²⁴ When David destroyed Zobah’s army, Rezon gathered a band of men around him and became their leader; they went to Damascus,^(F) where they settled and took control. ²⁵ Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram^(G) and was hostile toward Israel.

Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon

²⁶ Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled^(H) against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

¹² “As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws and keep all my commands^(A) and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise^(B) I gave to David your father.

³ The Lord said to him:

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you,^(A) keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you^(B) out of the world. That is why the world hates you.^{(C) 20} Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[a](D) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.^(E) If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name,^(F) for they do not know the one who sent me.^(G)

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,^(A) but against the rulers, against the authorities,^(B) against the powers^(C) of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.^(D)

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind.^(A) Your enemy the devil prowls around^(B) like a roaring lion^(C) looking for someone to devour.

¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own^(A) evil desire and enticed.

¹⁶ For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,^(A) the lust of the eyes,^(B) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.