1 Kings 11 - LSB Bible Online

1 Kings 11

Solomon Turns from Yahweh

Now ^aKing Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which Yahweh had said to the sons of Israel, “^aYou shall not ¹go along with them, nor shall they ¹go along with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 ^aAnd he had 700 wives—princesses—and 300 concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 4 Now it happened at the time that Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and ^ahis heart was not ¹wholly devoted to Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 For Solomon went after ^aAshtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after ¹^bMilcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and did not follow Yahweh fully, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for ^aChemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is ¹east of Jerusalem, and for ^bMolech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 Now ^aYahweh was angry with Solomon ^bbecause his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^cwho had appeared to him twice, 10 and ^ahad commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not walk after other gods; but he did not keep what Yahweh had commanded. 11 So Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because this has happened with you: you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, so ^aI will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, ^aI will not tear away all the kingdom, but ^bI will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and ^cfor the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

Yahweh Raises Up Adversaries

14 Then Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the seed of the king in Edom.
15 Now it happened that ^awhen David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had ^bstruck down every male in Edom 16 (for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), 17 that Hadad fled ¹to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy. 18 Then they arose from Midian and came to ^aParan; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land. 19 And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh. So he gave him as a wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20 And the sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath. And Tahpenes weaned him in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh.
21 But ^aHadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army had died. So Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, that I may go to my own country.” 22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?” And he answered, “Nothing; nevertheless you must surely ¹let me go.”
23 ^aAnd God raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord ^bHadadezer king of Zobah. 24 And he gathered men to himself and became commander of a marauding band, ^aafter David killed some of ¹them; and they went to Damascus and stayed ²there, and reigned in Damascus. 25 So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.
26 Now ^aJeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, ^balso ¹raised his hand against the king. 27 Now this was the reason why he ¹raised his hand against the king: ^aSolomon built the ²Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. 28 Now the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. And ^aSolomon saw that the young man was ¹industrious and appointed him over all the load-bearers of the house of Joseph. 29 Now it happened at that time, that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, and ^athat the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now ¹he had covered himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 30 Then ^aAhijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, ^aI will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes, 32 ^abut he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, ^bthe city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, 33 because they have forsaken Me, and ^ahave worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, ^bChemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My sight and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as his father David did. 34 Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ¹ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes; 35 but ^aI will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you—the ten tribes. 36 But ^ato his son I will give one tribe, ^bthat My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, ^athe city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 37 And I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then ^aI will be with you and ^bbuild you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 Thus I will afflict the seed of David for this, but not always.’” 40 Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to ^aShishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

41 ^aNow 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 Thus ^athe time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 And Solomon ^aslept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son ^bRehoboam became king in his place.

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