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Solomon’s Apostasy
11 But King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, 2 from the nations which the Lord warned the children of Israel about, saying, “You shall not go in to them, nor shall they come in to you, for they will surely turn your heart away toward their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives who were princesses and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods, and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God as the heart of David his father had been. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Molek, the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not fully follow the Lord as his father David had done.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is close to Jerusalem, and for Molek, the abomination of the children of Ammon. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he turned his heart away from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had warned him about this, that he should not follow other gods, but he was disobedient to the Lord’s command. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since you have done this and have not kept My covenant and statutes, which I commanded you, I will surely take the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. 12 I will not do this in your lifetime for your father David’s sake, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not take the whole kingdom away, but will preserve one tribe for your son for David My servant’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem which I chose.”
Solomon’s Adversaries
14 The Lord stirred up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was a prince of Edom. 15 For when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone to bury the slain, he had killed every male in Edom 16 (for six months Joab stayed there with his men until he had killed every male in Edom). 17 But Hadad fled to Egypt, he and some Edomites who served his father, Hadad still being a small child. 18 They set out from Midian and went to Paran, and they gathered men from Paran and then arrived in Egypt and presented him before Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and provisions and land.
19 Pharaoh had great affection for Hadad, so much so that he gave him his sister-in-law, the sister of Tahpenes the queen, as a wife. 20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son, Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house. Genubath lived in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh.
21 When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, “Allow me to depart and go to my own country.”
22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me that you want to go to your own country?”
And he answered, “Nothing, however let me go anyway.”
23 God stirred up another adversary against him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who fled from his lord Hadadezer, king of Zobah. 24 He gathered a group of men and became leader over a band when David killed the men of Zobah, and they fled to Damascus and lived and reigned there. 25 He was an enemy of Israel all the days of Solomon in addition to the troubles caused by Hadad, and he hated Israel and reigned over Aram.
Jeroboam’s Rebellion
26 Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, who was Solomon’s servant and whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.
27 This is what led to his rebellion against the king. Solomon built Millo and repaired the wall of the City of David his father. 28 Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor, and when Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he made him ruler over all the labor force of the house of Joseph.
29 At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him along the way, and he had dressed himself in a new garment, and the two of them were alone in the field. 30 Ahijah took off the new garment that he wore and tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and he said to Jeroboam: Take ten pieces, for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, “See, 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 the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken Me and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the children of Ammon and have not walked in My ways and have not done that which is right in My eyes, to keep My statutes and judgments, as his father David had done.
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, because he kept My commandments and My statutes. 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give ten tribes to you. 36 To his son will I give one tribe, so that My servant David will always have a light before Me in Jerusalem, the city in which I have chosen to put My name. 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 what is right in My sight to keep My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, I will be with you and build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 39 I will thus afflict the seed of David, but not forever.”
40 Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to Shishak, king of Egypt, and he stayed in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
The Death of Solomon(A)
41 The rest of the acts of Solomon and all that he did and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42 And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David his father, and his son Rehoboam reigned after him.
Israel Rebels Against Rehoboam(B)
12 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. 2 When Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was still in Egypt, heard of it (for he had fled from King Solomon and stayed in Egypt), 3 they called and sent for him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 4 “Your father made our yoke unbearable. Now, therefore, make the grievous service to your father and the heavy yoke he put upon us lighter, and we will serve you.”
5 He said to them, “Depart for three days, and then come back to me.” And the people departed.
6 King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who advised his father Solomon while he was still alive and asked, “How do you advise me to answer the people?”
7 And they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to this people this day and will serve them and answer them and speak kind words to them, they will be your servants forever.”
8 But he rejected the advice that the old men gave him and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and who stood before him, 9 and he said to them, “What advice do you give on how we should answer this people, who have spoken to me saying, ‘Make the yoke your father put on us lighter’?”
10 And the young men who grew up with him said, “Thus shall you answer this people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter for us’; thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger will be thicker than my father’s loins! 11 Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your burden. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions!’ ”
12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had appointed, saying, “Come to me again the third day.” 13 The king answered the people roughly and forsook the counsel the old men gave him, 14 and instead spoke to them following the advice of the young men. He said, “My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your burden. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” 15 Thus the king did not listen to the people, for the cause was from the Lord, that He might fulfill His saying, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
16 So when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people responded to the king, saying,
“What portion do we have in David?
We also do not have an inheritance in the son of Jesse.
To your tents, O Israel,
and see to your own house, David!”
So the people of Israel departed to their tents. 17 But the people of Israel living in the cities of Judah were ruled over by Rehoboam.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. As a result, King Rehoboam quickly mounted his chariot and fled to Jerusalem. 19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David, and it remains so even to this day.
The Conversion of Saul(A)
9 Saul, still breathing out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and requested letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any there of the Way, either men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 As he went he drew near Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
5 He said, “Who are You, Lord?”
The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” 6 Trembling and astonished, he said, “Lord, what will You have me do?” The Lord said to him, “Rise up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. 8 Saul rose up from the ground. And when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 A disciple named Ananias was in Damascus. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”
He said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 The Lord said to him, “Rise and go to Straight Street, and inquire at Judas’ house for someone named Saul of Tarsus, for he is praying, 12 and has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he may see again.”
13 Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how many evil things he has done to Your saints at Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go your way. For this man is a chosen vessel of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the sons of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 Then Ananias went his way and entered the house. Putting his hands on him, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the way as you came, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. And he rose up and was baptized. 19 When he had eaten, he was strengthened.
Saul Preaches in Damascus
For several days Saul was with the disciples in Damascus. 20 Immediately he preached in the synagogues that the Christ is the Son of God. 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this he who killed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and came here with that intent, to bring them bound to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul increased all the more with power and confounded the Jews living in Damascus, proving that this One is the Christ.
Saul Escapes from the Jews
23 After many days had passed, the Jews arranged to kill him. 24 But their scheme was known by Saul. They watched the gates day and night to kill him. 25 But the disciples took him by night, and lowered him in a basket through the wall.
Psalm 131
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 Lord, my heart is not haughty,
my eyes are not raised too high.
I have not striven for enormities,
for things too wonderful for me.
2 I composed and quieted my desire,
like a child given suck by his mother;
like a child who sucks is my desire within me.
3 Let Israel hope in the Lord
from now and forever.
4 A wicked doer gives heed to false lips,
and a liar gives ear to a wayward tongue.
5 Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker,
and he who is glad at calamities will not be unpunished.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.