﻿1 Kings.
Chapter 11.
King Solomon loved many foreign women along with Pharaoh’s daughter: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women. 
They were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, nor they with you, for they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to them in love. 
He had seven hundred wives of royal rank and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 
When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart after other gods. His heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of his father David had been. 
Solomon followed Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. 
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not follow the LORD fully, as his father David had. 
Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the hill facing Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites. 
He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 
The LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 
and had commanded him not to follow other gods. But he did not keep what the LORD had commanded. 
The LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept my covenant and the statutes I commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 
Yet I will not do this during your lifetime, for the sake of your father David. I will tear it from your son’s hand. 
But I will not tear away the whole kingdom. I will give your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.” 
The LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, who was of the royal family of Edom. 
When David was in Edom, Joab the army commander went up to bury the slain and struck down every male in Edom. 
For Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom. 
But Hadad fled to Egypt, with some Edomites who were his father’s servants. Hadad was then a little child. 
They left Midian and came to Paran. Taking men from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. He gave Hadad a house, assigned him food, and gave him land. 
Hadad found great favor in Pharaoh’s sight, and Pharaoh gave him the sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, as his wife. 
Tahpenes’ sister bore him his son Genubath. Tahpenes weaned him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons. 
While in Egypt, Hadad heard that David had rested with his ancestors and that Joab the army commander was dead. Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, so that I may return to my own land.” 
Pharaoh asked him, “What have you lacked with me that you now want to go to your own land?” He answered, “Nothing, but please let me go.” 
God also raised up an adversary against Solomon, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah. 
He gathered men around him and became leader of a band when David killed the men of Zobah. They went to Damascus, settled there, and ruled in Damascus. 
He was an adversary of Israel throughout Solomon’s days, besides the trouble Hadad caused. He detested Israel and ruled over Aram. 
Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah and a servant of Solomon, also rebelled against the king. His mother’s name was Zeruah, and she was a widow. 
This is the account of his rebellion against the king: Solomon built the Millo and closed the breach in the city of his father David. 
Jeroboam was a capable man. When Solomon saw that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of all the forced labor of the house of Joseph. 
At that time, as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh met him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the countryside. 
Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 
He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. 
But he will have one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel. 
This is because they have forsaken me and bowed down to Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, to Chemosh, the god of Moab, and to Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and judgments, as his father David did. 
Yet I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will keep him as ruler all the days of his life for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose and who kept my commandments and statutes. 
But I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give you the ten tribes. 
I will give his son one tribe, so that my servant David may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen for myself to put my name there. 
I will take you, and you will reign over all you desire. You will be king over Israel. 
If you listen to all I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight, keeping my statutes and commandments as my servant David did, I will be with you. I will build you a secure dynasty, as I built for David, and give Israel to you. 
I will afflict David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’” 
Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt. He remained in Egypt until Solomon’s death. 
The rest of Solomon’s acts, all he did, and his wisdom—are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? 
Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 
Solomon rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam reigned in his place. 
