1 Kings 11:14–25

God Raises Adversaries

¹⁴Then the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the ¹royal line in Edom.

¹⁵For it came about, ^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),

¹⁷that Hadad fled ¹to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy.

¹⁸They arose from Midian and came to ^aParan; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land.

¹⁹Now Hadad found great favor ¹before Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen.

²⁰The sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh.

²¹But ^awhen Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, that I may go to my own country.”

²²Then 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.”

^23aGod also raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord ^bHadadezer king of Zobah.

²⁴He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, ^aafter David slew them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed ¹there, and reigned in Damascus.

²⁵So 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.