Solomon's Foreign Wives

1And king Solomon hath loved many strange women, and the daughter of Pharaoh, females of Moab, Ammon, Edom, Zidon, and of the Hittites, 2of the nations of which Jehovah said unto the sons of Israel, 'Ye do not go in to them, and they do not go in to you; surely they turn aside your heart after their gods;' to them hath Solomon cleaved for love. 3And he hath women, princesses, seven hundred, and concubines three hundred; and his wives turn aside his heart. 4And it cometh to pass, at the time of the old age of Solomon, his wives have turned aside his heart after other gods, and his heart hath not been perfect with Jehovah his God, like the heart of David his father. 5And Solomon goeth after Ashtoreth goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites; 6and Solomon doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and hath not been fully after Jehovah, like David his father. 7Then doth Solomon build a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is on the front of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the sons of Ammon; 8and so he hath done for all his strange women, who are perfuming and sacrificing to their gods.

God's Anger against Solomon

9And Jehovah sheweth Himself angry with Solomon, for his heart hath turned aside from Jehovah, God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice, 10and given a charge unto him concerning this thing, not to go after other gods; and he hath not kept that which Jehovah commanded, 11and Jehovah saith to Solomon, 'Because that this hath been with thee, and thou hast not kept My covenant and My statutes that I charged upon thee, I surely rend the kingdom from thee, and have given it to thy servant. 12'Only, in thy days I do it not, for the sake of David thy father; out of the hand of thy son I rend it; 13only all the kingdom I do not rend away; one tribe I give to thy son, for the sake of David My servant, and for the sake of Jerusalem, that I have chosen.'

Hadad's Return

14And Jehovah raiseth up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; of the seed of the king is he in Edom; 15and it cometh to pass, in David's being with Edom, in the going up of Joab head of the host to bury the slain, that he smiteth every male in Edom -- 16for six months did Joab abide there, and all Israel, till the cutting off of every male in Edom -- 17and Hadad fleeth, he and certain Edomites, of the servants of his father, with him, to go in to Egypt, and Hadad is a little youth, 18and they rise out of Midian, and come into Paran, and take men with them out of Paran, and come in to Egypt, unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he giveth to him a house, and bread hath commanded for him, and land hath given to him. 19And Hadad findeth grace in the eyes of Pharaoh exceedingly, and he giveth to him a wife, the sister of his own wife, sister of Tahpenes the mistress; 20and the sister of Tahpenes beareth to him Genubath his son, and Tahpenes weaneth him within the house of Pharaoh, and Genubath is in the house of Pharaoh in the midst of the sons of Pharaoh. 21And Hadad hath heard in Egypt that David hath lain with his fathers, and that Joab head of the host is dead, and Hadad saith unto Pharaoh, 'Send me away, and I go unto my land.' 22And Pharaoh saith to him, 'But, what art thou lacking with me, that lo, thou art seeking to go unto thine own land?' and he saith, 'Nay, but thou dost certainly send me away.'

Rezon's Hostility

23And God raiseth to him an adversary, Rezon son of Eliadah, who hath fled from Hadadezer king of Zobah, his lord, 24and gathereth unto himself men, and is head of a troop in David's slaying them, and they go to Damascus, and dwell in it, and reign in Damascus; 25and he is an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, (besides the evil that Hadad did), and he cutteth off in Israel, and reigneth over Aram.

Jeroboam's Rebellion

26And Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda -- the name of whose mother is Zeruah, a widow woman -- servant to Solomon, he also lifteth up a hand against the king; 27and this is the thing for which he lifted up a hand against the king: Solomon built Millo -- he shut up the breach of the city of David his father, 28and the man Jeroboam is mighty in valour, and Solomon seeth the young man that he is doing business, and appointeth him over all the burden of the house of Joseph. 29And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Jeroboam hath gone out from Jerusalem, and Ahijah the Shilonite, the prophet, findeth him in the way, and he is covering himself with a new garment; and both of them are by themselves in a field, 30and Ahijah layeth hold on the new garment that is on him, and rendeth it -- twelve pieces, 31and saith to Jeroboam, 'Take to thee ten pieces, for thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, lo, I am rending the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and have given to thee the ten tribes, 32and the one tribe he hath for My servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have fixed on, out of all the tribes of Israel. 33Because they have forsaken Me, and bow themselves to Ashtoreth, goddess of the Zidonians, to Chemosh god of Moab, and to Milcom god of the sons of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do that which is right in Mine eyes, and My statutes and My judgments, like David his father. 34'And I do not take the whole of the kingdom out of his hand, for prince I make him all days of his life, for the sake of David My servant whom I chose, who kept My commands and My statutes; 35and I have taken the kingdom out of the hand of his son, and given it to thee -- the ten tribes; 36and to his son I give one tribe, for there being a lamp to David My servant all the days before Me in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen to Myself to put My name there. 37'And thee I take, and thou hast reigned over all that thy soul desireth, and thou hast been king over Israel; 38and it hath been, if thou dost hear all that I command thee, and hast walked in My ways, and done that which is right in Mine eyes, to keep My statutes and My commands, as did David My servant, that I have been with thee, and have built for thee a stedfast house, as I built for David, and have given to thee Israel, 39and I humble the seed of David for this; only, not all the days.' 40And Solomon seeketh to put Jeroboam to death, and Jeroboam riseth and fleeth to Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and he is in Egypt till the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

(2 Chronicles 9:29-31)

41And the rest of the matters of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written on the book of the matters of Solomon? 42And the days that Solomon hath reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel are forty years, 43and Solomon lieth with his fathers, and is buried in the city of David his father, and reign doth Rehoboam his son in his stead.