Solomon's Wives
1
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh's
daughter - Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites Sidonians and Hittites.
2
They were from nations about which the LORD had told the Israelties,
"You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your
hearts after their gods." Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.
3
He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines,
and his wives led him astray.
4
As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods,
and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God,
as the heart of David his father had been.
5
He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonans,
and Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.
6
So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD;
he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
7
On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh
the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech the detestable god of the Ammonites.
8
He did the same for all his foreign wives,
who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
9
The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned
away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
10
Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods,
Solomon did not keep the LORD's command.
11
So the LORD said to Solomon, "Since this is your attitude and you have not
kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you,
I will most cetainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to
one of your subordinates.
12
Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father,
I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13
Yet, I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe
for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem,
which I have chosen."
Solomon's Adversaries
14
Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite,
from the royal line of Edom.
15
Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army,
who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom.
16
Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months,
until they had destroyed all the men in Edom.
17
But Hadad, still only bot, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials
who had served his father.
18
They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking men from Paran
with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt,
who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.
19
Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife,
Queen Tahpenses, in marriage,
20
The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought
up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh's own children.
21
While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his fathers
and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead.
Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me go, that I may return to my own country."
22
"What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?"
Pharaoh asked. "Nothing," Hadad replied, 'but do let me go!"
23
And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada,
who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.
24
He gathered men around him and became the leader of a band of rebels
when David destroyed the forces of Zobah; the rebels went to Damascus,
where they settled and took control.
25
Rezon was Israel's adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble
caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was fostile toward Israel.
Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon
26
Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of
Solomon's officials and Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was
was a widow named Zeruah.
27
Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king:
Slomon had built the supporting terraces and had filled in the gap
in the wall of the city of David his father.
28
Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well
the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force
of the house of Joseph.
29
About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of
Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone
out in the country,
30
and Ahijah took hol of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.
31
Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD,
the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand
and give you ten tribes.
32
But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jeusalem,
which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe.
33
I will do this because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth
the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites,
and Molech the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in my ways
nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my statutes and laws
as David, Solomon's father, did.
34
" 'But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand: I have
made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant,
whom I chose and who observed my commands and statutes.
35
I will take the kingdom from his son's hands and give you ten tribes.
36
I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have
a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.
37
However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all
that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel.
38
If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what
is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands,
as David my servant did, I weill be with you. I will build you a dynasty
as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.
39
I will humble David's descendants because of this, but not forever.' "
40
Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fle to Egypt,
to Shshak the king, and stayed there until Solomon's death.
Solomon's Death
41
As for the other events of Solomon's reign - all he did and the wisdom
he displayed - are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon?
42
Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
43
Then he rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father.
And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
