Chapter 11

Solomon Turns from God

1 Now aKing Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,

2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “aYou shall not 1associate with them, nor shall they 1associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love.

3 aHe had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.

4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and ahis heart was not 1wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

5 For Solomon went after aAshtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after 1bMilcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.

6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done.

7 Then Solomon built a high place for aChemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is 1east of Jerusalem, and for bMolech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon.

8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

9 Now athe Lord was angry with Solomon bbecause his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, cwho had appeared to him twice,

10 and ahad commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded.

11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because 1you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, aI will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.

12 “Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

13 “However, aI will not tear away all the kingdom, but bI will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and cfor the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

God Raises Adversaries

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

15 For 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),

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

18 They 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.

19 Now 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.

20 The 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.

21 But 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.”

22 Then 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.”

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

24 He 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.

25 So 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.

26 Then aJeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, balso 1rebelled against the king.

27 Now this was the reason why he 1rebelled against the king: aSolomon built the 2Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David.

28 Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when aSolomon saw that the young man was 1industrious, he appointed him over all the 2forced labor of the house of Joseph.

29 It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that athe prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now 1Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field.

30 Then aAhijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.

31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, aI will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes

32 (abut he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, bthe city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel),

33 because they have forsaken Me, and ahave worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, bChemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did.

34 ‘Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him 1ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes;

35 but aI will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes.

36 ‘But ato his son I will give one tribe, bthat My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, athe city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.

37 ‘I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever 1you desire, and you shall be king over Israel.

38 ‘Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then aI will be with you and bbuild you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.

39 ‘Thus I will afflict the 1descendants of David for this, but not always.’ ”

40 Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to aShishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

41 aNow the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon?

42 Thus athe time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

43 And Solomon aslept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son bRehoboam reigned in his place.

Chapter 12

King Rehoboam Acts Foolishly

1 aThen Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to bShechem to make him king.

2 Now awhen Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, 1he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon).

3 Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

4 “aYour father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

5 Then he said to them, “aDepart 1for three days, then return to me.” So the people departed.

6 King Rehoboam aconsulted with the elders who had 1served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to answer this people?”

7 Then they spoke to him, saying, “aIf you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and 1grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.”

8 But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him 1and served him.

9 So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?”

10 The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ But you shall speak to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins!

11 ‘Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’ ”

12 Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had 1directed, saying, “aReturn to me on the third day.”

13 The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had 1given him,

14 and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “aMy father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”

15 So the king did not listen to the people; afor it was a turn of events from the Lord, bthat He might establish His word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

The Kingdom Divided; Jeroboam Rules Israel

16 When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying,

“What portion do we have in David?

We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;

aTo your tents, O Israel!

Now look after your own house, David!”

So Israel departed to their tents.

17 But aas for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

18 Then King Rehoboam sent aAdoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him 1to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem.

19 aSo Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

20 It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. aNone but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

21 aNow when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

22 But the word of God came to aShemaiah the man of God, saying,

23 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the arest of the people, saying,

24 ‘Thus says the Lord, “You must not go up and fight against your 1relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, afor this thing has come from Me.” ’ ” So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their way according to the word of the Lord.

Jeroboam’s Idolatry

25 Then aJeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived 1there. And he went out from there and built bPenuel.

26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.

27 “aIf this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

28 So the king 1consulted, and amade two golden bcalves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; cbehold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

29 He set aone in bBethel, and the other he put in cDan.

30 Now athis thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.

31 And ahe made houses on high places, and bmade priests from among 1all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.

32 Jeroboam 1instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, alike the feast which is in Judah, and he 2went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel bthe priests of the high places which he had made.

33 Then he 1went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had 2adevised 3in his own heart; and he 2instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and 1went up to the altar bto burn 4incense.

Chapter 13

Jeroboam Warned, Stricken

1 Now behold, there came aa man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar bto burn incense.

2 aHe cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, bJosiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’ ”

3 Then he gave a 1sign the same day, saying, “aThis is the 1sign which the Lord has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the 2ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’ ”

4 Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.

5 The altar also was split apart and the 1ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the 2sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

6 The king said to the man of God, “Please 1aentreat the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So bthe man of God 2entreated the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before.

7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and aI will give you a reward.”

8 But the man of God said to the king, “aIf you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place.

9 “For so 1it was commanded me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.’ ”

10 So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.

The Disobedient Prophet

11 Now aan old prophet was living in Bethel; and his 1sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father.

12 Their father said to them, “1Which way did he go?” Now his sons 2had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone.

13 Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it.

14 So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under 1an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”

15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”

16 He said, “aI cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

17 “For a command came to me aby the word of the Lord, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’ ”

18 He said to him, “aI also am a prophet like you, and ban angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” But che lied to him.

19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

20 Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back;

21 and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have 1disobeyed the 2command of the Lord, and have not observed the commandment which the Lord your God commanded you,

22 but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’ ”

23 It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back.

24 Now when he had gone, aa lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body.

25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where athe old prophet lived.

26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who 1disobeyed the 2command of the Lord; therefore the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him.”

27 Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it.

28 He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey.

29 So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him.

30 He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “aAlas, my brother!”

31 After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; alay my bones beside his bones.

32 “aFor the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and bagainst all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of cSamaria.”

33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but aagain he made priests of the high places from among 1all the people; bany who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places.

34 1aThis event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, beven to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.