Solomon’s enemies

14 Yahweh caused Hadad, from the family of the kings in the Edom people-group, to rebel against Solomon. 15-16 15-16What happened was that previously, when David’s army had conquered the Edom people-group, his army commander Joab had gone there to help bury the Israeli soldiers who had been killed in the battle. Joab and his army remained in the Edom area for six months, and during that time they killed all the males of that area. 17 Hadad was a young child at that time, and he had escaped to Egypt, along with some of his father’s servants from the Edom area. 18 They went to the Midian region, and then they went to the desert area at Paran. Some other men joined them there. Then they all traveled to Egypt and went to see the king of Egypt. The king gave Hadad some land and ordered his servants to give him some food regularly. 19 The king liked Hadad. As a result he gave him the sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, to be Hadad’s wife.

20 Later Hadad’s wife gave birth to a son named Genubath. The sister of Tahpenes ◄raised him/brought him up► in the palace, where he lived with the king’s sons.

21 While Hadad was in Egypt, he heard that David had died [EUP], and that Joab, the commander of David’s army, was also dead. So he said to the king of Egypt, “Please allow me to return to my own country.”

22 But the king said to him, “Why do you want to go back to your country? Is there something that you lack that you want me to give to you?” Hadad replied, “No, but please just allow me to go.” So the king allowed him to leave, and he returned to his own country and became the king of Edom.

23 God also caused another man named Rezon, the son of Eliada, to rebel against Solomon. Rezon had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of the Zobah area north of Damascus. 24 Rezon then became the leader of a group of outlaws. That happened after David’s army had defeated Hadadezer and had also killed all his soldiers. Rezon and his men went to Damascus and started to live there, and the people there appointed him to be their king. 25 All during the time that Solomon was alive, while Rezon was ruling not only Damascus but all of Syria, he was an enemy of Israel and caused trouble for Israel like Hadad did.