Open English Translation 1KI Chapter 11

11 Now King Shelomoh loved many foreign women—besides Far-oh’s daughter there were Moabite women, Ammonite women, Edomite women, Sidonian women, and Hittite women.[ref] 2 They were from the nations that Yahweh had told Israel about, “You must not mix with people from those nations, and they must not join together with you. They will certainly entice you to worship their gods.” However, Shelomoh clung to them for love.[ref] 3 He had seven hundred wives who were kings’ daughters, as well as three hundred slave-wives, and his wives were instrumental in his turning away from Yahweh. 4 By the time of his old age, Shelomoh’s wives had persuaded him to worship the gods from their countries—his heart wasn’t totally dedicated to Yahweh like his father David had been. 5 So Shelomoh started to worship the Tsidonians’ God Ashtoret and the Ammonites’ detestable God Milkom, 6 so he did many things that Yahweh had said were evil—he didn’t remain fully committed to Yahweh like his father David had been. 7 Then Shelomoh built a place to worship Kemosh, the Moabites detestable God, on a hill facing Yerushalem, and also for Molek, the Ammonites’ detestable God. 8 He did those things for his foreign wives who were burning incense and sacrificing to their gods.

9 Although Israel’s God Yahweh had appeared twice to Shelomoh, he now turned his devotion away from Yahweh, who then became angry with him. 10 Yahweh had warned Shelomoh not to follow after other gods, but he didn’t obey Yahweh’s instructions, 11 and Yahweh told him, “You have this against you: you haven’t kept my agreement and you’ve disobeyed my statutes that I gave you. So I’ll definitely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant, 12 except that for the sake of your father David I won’t do it in your lifetime, rather, I’ll tear the kingdom away from your son. 13 What’s more, I won’t tear the whole kingdom away—I’ll leave one tribe for your son to rule for my servant David’s sake, and for the sake of my chosen city Yerushalem.”

14 Then Yahweh caused Hadad the Edomite (and a descendant of the Edomite king) to stand against Shelomoh. 15 In the past when David had been in Edom with his army commander Yoav to bury their dead, they had killed every male in Edom. 16 (Yoav and the Israeli warriors had had to stay there for six months to kill the Edomite males.) 17 However, Hadad had been a small child at that time, and he’d fled to Egypt with some of his father’s Edomite servants. 18 They’d passed through Midyan and then Paran where they’d gained some more men before entering Egypt where King Far-oh gave him a house and land, and provided him with food. 19 Far-oh took a liking to Hadad and gave him his wife Queen Tahpenes’ sister to marry. 20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son Genubath, his son, and Tahpenes weaned him in the midst of the house of Pharaoh. And Genubath was in the house of Pharaoh in the midst of the sons of Pharaoh.

21 When Hadad in Egypt heard that both David and his army commander Yoav had died, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Give me permission to leave, and I’ll go back to my land.”

22 But Far-oh asked him, “But what’s wrong with staying here? You’ve stunned me by asking to go to your land.”

“Nothing’s lacking here,” he replied, “but I have to go—please give me permission to leave.”

23 God also caused Elyada’s son Rezon to stand against Shelomoh. He’d run away from his master, King Hadadezer in Tsovah, 24 then he’d gathered men for himself and had become a commander of a raiding band. When David attacked them, they went to Dammesek (Damascus). They lived there and gained control of the city. 25 Then during all of Shelomoh’s reign, he’d been outspoken against Israel—encouraged by the evil that Hadad did. He reigned over Syria (Aram) and he loathed Israel.

26 Nebat’s son Yarave’am (Jeroboam), an Efratite from Tseredah also rebelled against the king. (His widowed mother Tseruah was one of Shelomoh’s servants.) 27 This is the background about how it started: Shelomoh had built the raised terrace and had repaired a gap in the wall of the city of David his father. 28 Shelomoh had noticed Yarave’am as a strong and hard-working young man, so he’d appointed him as supervisor over all the forced labour from Manashsheh and Efraim’s regions. 29 One time when Yarave’am was away from Yerushalem, the prophet Ahiyyah the Shilonite met him on the road. He was wearing a brand-new a new cloak, and there was just the two by themselves in the countryside. 30 Ahiyyah then pulled the new cloak off his shoulders and tore it into twelve pieces, 31 and told Yarave’am, “Take ten pieces for yourself, because this is what Israel’s God Yahweh says, ‘Listen, I’m about to tear the kingdom away from Shelomoh’s control, and I’ll give the[fn] ten tribes to you. 32 The one tribe[fn] will be for him, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Yerushalem city which I’ve chosen from all the tribes of Israel. 33 This is because they’ve abandoned me. Instead they’ve bowed down to the Tsidonians’ God Ashtoret, to the Moabite god Kemosh, and to the Ammonite God Milkom. They’re no longer following my instructions or doing what they know I’ve said is right—not obeying my statutes or my judgments like the king’s father David did. 34 But I won’t take the entire kingdom off him, but rather I’ll leave him as a leader while he’s still alive for the sake of my chosen servant David, who obeyed my commands and my statutes. 35 However, I’ll take the kingship away from his son and I’ll give the ten tribes to you to rule. 36 I’ll give Shelomoh’s son one tribe to rule so that one of David’s descendants will always rule in my chosen city Yerushalem because it’s associated with my name. 37 But I’ll use you, and you’ll be able to reign over the area where you want to rule—you’ll become king over Israel. 38 Then if you’ll listen to everything that I command you, and walk on the right path and do what pleases me and keep my statutes and my commands, just like my servant David did, then I’ll be with you. I’ll establish a dynasty for you just like I did for David, and I’ll give Israel to you. 39 I’ll make David’s descendants suffer because of Shelomoh’s behaviour, but not forever.’ ”

40 Shelomoh tried to kill Yarave’am, but he left the area and fled to Egypt. He remained in Egypt under the protection of King Shishak until Shelomoh’s death.

41 A record of all the other things that Shelomoh did, and all the wise things that he said, was written in the ‘Record of Shelomoh’s Achievements’. 42 Shelomoh reigned over all Israel from Yerushalem for forty years, 43 then he died and was buried in the City of David, and his son Rehavam (Rehoboam) became king.