1 Kings 11
New Life Version
Solomon Turns Away from the Lord
11 Now King Solomon loved many women from other nations. He loved the daughter of Pharaoh, and Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women. 2 They were from the nations about which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “Do not take wives from them. And do not have them take wives from you. For they will be sure to turn your heart away to follow their gods.” But Solomon held on to these women in love. 3 He had 700 wives, kings’ daughters, and 300 women who acted as his wives. And his wives turned his heart away. 4 When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. His whole heart was not faithful to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father David had been. 5 For Solomon followed Ashtoreth the false goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the hated god of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He did not follow the Lord with all his heart, as his father David had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the hated god of Moab, and for Molech the hated god of the sons of Ammon, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 He did the same for all his wives from other nations, who burned special perfume and gave gifts to their gods.
9 Now the Lord was angry with Solomon, because Solomon’s heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel. The Lord had come to him twice 10 and had told him about this, that he should not follow other gods. But Solomon did not obey what the Lord had told him. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My agreement and My Laws which I told you, for sure I will tear the nation from you and will give it to your servant. 12 But I will not do it while you are alive, because of your father David. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 But I will not tear away all the nation. I will give one family group to your son because of My servant David, and because of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
Solomon’s Trouble
14 Then the Lord sent Hadad the Edomite to make trouble for Solomon. He was of the king’s family in Edom. 15 For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the dead, he killed every male in Edom. 16 (For Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom.) 17 But Hadad ran away to Egypt, together with certain Edomites of his father’s servants, while Hadad was still a young boy. 18 They came from Midian to Paran. Then they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh gave Hadad a house and food and land. 19 Now Hadad found much favor in the eyes of Pharaoh. So Pharaoh gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes took care of in Pharaoh’s house. Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21 But Hadad heard in Egypt that David and Joab the captain of David’s army were dead. So Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, so I may return to my own country.” 22 Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you been without while you stayed with me? Why do you want to go to your own country?” Hadad answered, “Nothing. But even so, let me go.”
23 God sent Rezon the son of Eliada against Solomon also. Rezon had run away from his owner Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 He gathered men around him and became the leader of a group of fighters, after David killed the men of Zobah. They went to Damascus and stayed there. Rezon was made king in Damascus. 25 So he brought trouble to Israel all the days of Solomon, together with the trouble brought by Hadad. He hated Israel and ruled over Syria.
Jeroboam Works against the King
26 Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat turned against the king. Jeroboam was Solomon’s servant, an Ephraimite of Zeredah. His mother’s name was Zeruah, a woman whose husband had died. 27 Now this is the reason he turned against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and built a stronger wall around the city of his father David. 28 Now Jeroboam was a powerful soldier. When Solomon saw that the young man was a good worker, he chose him to rule over all men of the family of Joseph who were made to work. 29 When Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the man who spoke for God Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Ahijah had dressed himself with a new coat, and both of them were alone in the field. 30 Then Ahijah took hold of his new coat and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself. For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘See, I will tear the nation out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten family groups. 32 (But he will have one family group, because of My servant David and because of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen from all the families of Israel.) 33 Because they have turned away from Me. They have worshiped Ashtoreth the false goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon. They have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My eyes and keeping My Laws, as his father David did. 34 But I will not take the whole nation from him. I will make him ruler all the days of his life, because of My servant David whom I chose, who kept My Word and My Laws. 35 But I will take the nation from his son, and will give to you ten family groups. 36 I will give one family group to his son, that My servant David will have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 37 And I will take you, and you will rule over whatever you want. You will be the king of Israel. 38 Listen to all I tell you to do. Walk in My ways. Do what is right in My eyes by keeping My Word and My Laws, as My servant David did. If you do, then I will be with you and build you a house that will last, as I built for David. And I will give Israel to you. 39 I will bring trouble to the children of David for this, but not forever.’” 40 So Solomon tried to put Jeroboam to death. But Jeroboam got up and ran to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt. And he stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.
The Death of Solomon
41 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? 42 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 43 And Solomon died and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam ruled in his place.
1 Kings 11
International Standard Version
Solomon’s Forbidden Marriages and Idolatry(A)
11 But King Solomon married[a] many foreign women besides the daughter of Pharaoh: women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidonia, along with Hittite women, too, 2 all of them from nations that the Lord had ordered the Israelis, “You are not to associate with[b] them and they are not to associate with you, because they will most certainly turn your affections[c] away to follow their gods.” Solomon became deeply attached to them by falling in love. 3 He had 700 princess wives and 300 mistresses[d] who[e] turned his heart away from the Lord,[f] 4 because as Solomon grew older, his wives turned his affections away after other gods, and his heart was not fully as devoted to the Lord his God as his father David’s heart had been. 5 Solomon pursued Astarte, the Sidonian goddess, and Milcom, that detestable Ammonite idol. 6 Solomon practiced what the Lord considered to be evil by not fully following the Lord, as had his father David. 7 Later, Solomon even constructed a high place on the mountain east of Jerusalem that was dedicated to Chemosh, that detestable Moabite idol, and to Molech, the detestable Ammonite idol. 8 Solomon[g] did this for all of his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their own gods.
9 The Lord became angry at Solomon because his heart wandered away from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice[h] 10 and warned him about this so he would not pursue other gods. But he did not obey what the Lord had commanded, 11 so the Lord told Solomon, “Because you have done this and haven’t kept my covenant and statutes that I commanded you, I’m going to tear the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. 12 I’m not going to do this during your lifetime, for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of your son’s control.[i] 13 For the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, I won’t tear away the entire kingdom. I’ll leave one tribe for your son to govern.”[j]
Solomon’s Enemies
14 After this, the Lord allowed[k] Hadad the Edomite to oppose Solomon. He was part of the royal line of Edom. 15 During David’s military campaign against Edom, when his army commander Joab had gone out to bury the dead, he killed every male in Edom. 16 Joab had his entire army of Israel stay there for six months until he had eliminated every male in Edom.
17 But Hadad escaped to Egypt in the company of some of his father’s Edomite servants, while Hadad was still a little child. 18 They left Midian, arrived in Paran, and left from Paran with some men and traveled on to Egypt, where Pharaoh, king of Egypt, gave him a house to live in, assigned a food allotment to him, and gave him some land. 19 Hadad won the affection of the Pharaoh, who gave permission for Hadad to marry the sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes. 20 Queen Tahpenes’ sister bore him his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s palace while Genubath lived in Pharaoh’s palace with the Pharaoh’s own sons.
21 Later on, Hadad learned in Egypt that David had been buried[l] with his ancestors and that Joab the army commander was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, “Please send me out so I can go back to my own land.”
22 Pharaoh asked him, “But have you lacked anything from me that would make you want to go back to your own country?”
“No,” he answered, “but I still really must leave.”
23 God also raised up Eliada’s son Rezon, who had escaped from his master King Hadadezer of Zobah. 24 He raised an army and commanded a gang of raiders after David had eliminated those who lived in Zobah. Rezon and his army[m] moved to Damascus, remained there, and Rezon ruled from Damascus. 25 He opposed Israel during Solomon’s entire reign, in addition to all of the evil things that Hadad did. Rezon[n] also hated Israel while he reigned over Aram.
Jeroboam Rebels against Solomon
26 Solomon had a servant, Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who was an Ephraimite from Zeredah. His widowed mother was named Zeruah. Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon, 27 and this is why he rose in rebellion against the king: Solomon had built up the terrace ramparts[o] in the city of his father David in order to repair a weakness. 28 Jeroboam was a valiant soldier, and because Solomon observed that the young man was able to get things done, he set him in charge over all of the conscripted labor from the household of Joseph. 29 During that time, Jeroboam left Jerusalem and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. Ahijah had wrapped himself up in a new cloak, and both of them were alone on the open road. 30 Ahijah grabbed the new cloak that he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces! 31 Then he told Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, because this is what the Lord God of Israel says:
‘Pay attention! I’m going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s control[p] and give you ten tribes. 32 I’ll leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and one tribe[q] for the sake of Jerusalem, the city that I chose from all of the tribes of Israel. 33 I’m doing this[r] because they have abandoned me and worshipped that Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They haven’t lived my way by doing what I consider to be right and observing my statutes and my ordinances, like his father David did.
34 ‘Nevertheless, I won’t take the entire kingdom away from him, but I’ll let him reign for the rest of his life, because of my servant David, whom I chose, who obeyed my commandments and statutes, 35 but I will take the kingdom away from his son’s control[s] and give ten tribes to you. 36 I’ll give one tribe to his son, so my servant David will always have a light shining in my presence in Jerusalem, the city that I chose for myself and where I have placed my name. 37 I’m going to take you and have you reign over whatever you desire. You will be king over Israel. 38 If you listen to everything that I command you to do, and if you live your life my way,[t] and if you do what I consider to be right by observing my statutes and my commandments, just like my servant David did, then I will be with you, I will build an enduring dynasty for you,[u] just like I did for David, and I’ll give Israel to you. 39 This is how I’m going to afflict David’s descendants because of what they have done, though I won’t do it continuously.’”
40 That’s why Solomon tried to execute Jeroboam, but Jeroboam got up and fled to Egypt, where he lived as a guest of King Shishak and remained until Solomon had died.
The Death of Solomon(B)
41 Now the rest of Solomon’s accomplishments, including everything else he did, as well as records of[v] his wisdom, are recorded in the Book of the Acts of Solomon, are they not? 42 Solomon reigned over all of Israel from Jerusalem for a total of 40 years. 43 Then Solomon died, as had[w] his ancestors, and he was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
Footnotes
- 1 Kings 11:1 Lit. loved
- 1 Kings 11:2 Lit. to go in to
- 1 Kings 11:2 Lit. hearts
- 1 Kings 11:3 Or concubines; i.e. secondary wives
- 1 Kings 11:3 Lit. mistresses, and his wives
- 1 Kings 11:3 The Heb. lacks from the Lord
- 1 Kings 11:8 Lit. He
- 1 Kings 11:9 Cf. 1King 3:5, 9:2
- 1 Kings 11:12 Lit. hand
- 1 Kings 11:13 The Heb. lacks to govern
- 1 Kings 11:14 Lit. raised up
- 1 Kings 11:21 Lit. had slept
- 1 Kings 11:24 Lit. They
- 1 Kings 11:25 Lit. He
- 1 Kings 11:27 Lit. the Millo, fortified areas of ancient Jerusalem with terraces and retaining walls
- 1 Kings 11:31 Lit. hand
- 1 Kings 11:32 The Heb. lacks one tribe
- 1 Kings 11:33 The Heb. lacks I’m doing this
- 1 Kings 11:35 Lit. hand
- 1 Kings 11:38 Lit. you walk in my ways
- 1 Kings 11:38 Lit. enduring house
- 1 Kings 11:41 The Heb. lacks records of
- 1 Kings 11:43 Lit. Solomon slept with
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