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1 Kings 11:26-40
New English Translation

26 Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s servants, rebelled against[a] the king. He was an Ephraimite[b] from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. 27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king:[c] Solomon built a terrace, and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David.[d] 28 Jeroboam was a talented man;[e] when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe[f] of Joseph. 29 At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country. Ahijah[g] was wearing a brand new robe, 30 and he grabbed the robe[h] and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he told Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces, for this is what the Lord God of Israel has said: ‘Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you. 32 He will retain one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 33 I am taking the kingdom from him[i] because they have[j] abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions[k] by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, as Solomon’s father David did.[l] 34 I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules. 35 I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you.[m] 36 I will leave[n] his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me[o] in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home.[p] 37 I will select[q] you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. 38 You must obey[r] all I command you to do, follow my instructions,[s] do what I approve,[t] and keep my rules and commandments, as my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David;[u] I will give you Israel. 39 I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this,[v] but not forever.’”[w] 40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt.[x] He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 11:26 tn Heb “raised a hand against.”
  2. 1 Kings 11:26 tn Heb “Ephrathite,” which here refers to an Ephraimite (see HALOT 81 s.v. אֶפְרַיִם).
  3. 1 Kings 11:27 tn Heb “this is the matter concerning which he raised a hand against the king.”
  4. 1 Kings 11:27 sn The city of his father David. The phrase refers here to the fortress of Zion in Jerusalem, not to Bethlehem. See 2 Sam 5:7.
  5. 1 Kings 11:28 tn Heb “man of strength.”
  6. 1 Kings 11:28 tn Heb “house.”
  7. 1 Kings 11:29 tn The Hebrew text has simply “he,” making it a bit unclear whether Jeroboam or Ahijah is the subject, but in the Hebrew word order Ahijah is the nearer antecedent, and this is followed by the present translation.
  8. 1 Kings 11:30 tn Heb “and Ahijah grabbed the new robe that was on him.”
  9. 1 Kings 11:33 tn The words “I am taking the kingdom from him” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  10. 1 Kings 11:33 tc This is the reading of the MT; the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate read “he has.”
  11. 1 Kings 11:33 tn Heb “walked in my ways.”
  12. 1 Kings 11:33 tn Heb “by doing what is right in my eyes, my rules and my regulations, like David his father.”
  13. 1 Kings 11:35 tn Heb “and I will give it to you, ten tribes.”
  14. 1 Kings 11:36 tn Heb “give.”
  15. 1 Kings 11:36 tn Heb “so there might be a lamp for David my servant all the days before me in Jerusalem.” The metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty. Because this imagery is unfamiliar to the modern reader, the translation “so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me” has been used.
  16. 1 Kings 11:36 tn Heb “so there might be a lamp for David my servant all the days before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there.”
  17. 1 Kings 11:37 tn Heb “take.”
  18. 1 Kings 11:38 tn Heb “If you obey.” In the Hebrew text v. 38 is actually one long conditional sentence, which has been broken into two parts in the translation for stylistic purposes.
  19. 1 Kings 11:38 tn Heb “walk in my ways.”
  20. 1 Kings 11:38 tn Heb “do what is right in my eyes.”
  21. 1 Kings 11:38 tn Heb “I will build for you a permanent house, like I built for David.”
  22. 1 Kings 11:39 sn Because of this. Reference is made to the idolatry mentioned earlier.
  23. 1 Kings 11:39 tn Heb “but not all the days.”
  24. 1 Kings 11:40 tn Heb “but Jeroboam arose and ran away to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt.”
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1 Kings 11:26-40
World English Bible

26 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. 27 This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of his father David’s city. 28 The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph. 29 At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in the field. 30 Ahijah took the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces. 31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you 32 (but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel); 33 because they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.

34 “‘However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant’s sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes; 35 but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes. 36 I will give one tribe to his son, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there. 37 I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. 38 It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39 I will afflict the offspring of David for this, but not forever.’”

40 Therefore Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

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