1 Kings 11:14–25

Solomon’s Enemies

¹⁴So the Lord raised up ^xHadad the Edomite as an enemy against Solomon. He was of the royal family in Edom. ¹⁵Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom. ¹⁶For Joab and all Israel had remained there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom. ^y17Hadad fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites from his father’s servants. At the time Hadad was a small boy. ¹⁸Hadad and his men set out from Midian and went to Paran. ^zThey took men with them from Paran and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, ^awho gave Hadad a house, ordered that he be given food, and gave him land. ¹⁹Pharaoh liked Hadad so much that he gave him a wife, the sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes. ²⁰Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to Hadad’s son Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived there along with Pharaoh’s sons.

²¹When Hadad heard in Egypt that David rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me leave, so I can go to my own country.”

²²But Pharaoh asked him, “What do you lack here with me for you to want to go back to your own country?”

“Nothing,” he replied, “but please let me leave.”

²³God raised up Rezon son of Eliada as an enemy ^bagainst Solomon. Rezon had fled from his master Hadadezer king of Zobah ^c24and gathered men to himself. He became captain of a raiding party when David killed the Zobaites. He ^dwent to Damascus, ^elived there, and became king in Damascus. ²⁵Rezon was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign, adding to the trouble Hadad had caused. He ruled over Aram, ^fgbut he loathed Israel.