1 Kings 11:14-25

Christian Standard Bible

Solomon’s Enemies

¹⁴ So the Lord raised up^(A) Hadad the Edomite as an enemy against Solomon. He was of the royal family in Edom. ¹⁵ Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom. ¹⁶ For Joab and all Israel had remained there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom.^{(B) 17} Hadad fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites from his father’s servants. At the time Hadad was a small boy. ¹⁸ Hadad and his men set out from Midian and went to Paran.^(C) They took men with them from Paran and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt,^(D) who gave Hadad a house, ordered that he be given food, and gave him land. ¹⁹ Pharaoh liked Hadad so much^[a] that he gave him a wife, the sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes. ²⁰ Tahpenes’s sister gave birth to Hadad’s son Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived there along with Pharaoh’s sons.

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

²² But Pharaoh asked him, “What do you lack here with me for you to want to go back to your own country?”

“Nothing,” he replied, “but please let me leave.”

²³ God raised up Rezon son of Eliada as an enemy^(E) against Solomon. Rezon had fled from his master King Hadadezer of Zobah^{(F) 24} and gathered men to himself. He became leader of a raiding party when David killed the Zobaites. He^[b] went to Damascus,^(G) lived there, and became king in Damascus. ²⁵ Rezon was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign, adding to the trouble Hadad had caused. He reigned over Aram^[c](H) and loathed Israel.