1 Kings 11

God's Anger and Judgment 1 Kings 11:9–13

⁹Verse 9. Yahweh was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, ¹⁰Verse 10. and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which Yahweh commanded. ¹¹Verse 11. Therefore Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because this is done by you, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. ¹²Verse 12. Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand.

¹³Verse 13. However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”

Adversaries Raised Against Solomon 1 Kings 11:14–40

¹⁴Verse 14. Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite. He was one of the king’s offspring in Edom. ¹⁵Verse 15. For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom ¹⁶Verse 16. (for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom); ¹⁷Verse 17. Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt, when Hadad was still a little child. ¹⁸Verse 18. They arose out of Midian, and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and appointed him food, and gave him land.

¹⁹Verse 19. Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. ²⁰Verse 20. The sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. ²¹Verse 21. When Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.” ²²Verse 22. Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you seek to go to your own country?” He answered, “Nothing, however only let me depart.”

²³Verse 23. God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. ²⁴Verse 24. He gathered men to himself, and became captain over a troop, when David killed them of Zobah. They went to Damascus, and lived there, and reigned in Damascus. ²⁵Verse 25. He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the mischief of Hadad. He abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria. ²⁶Verse 26. Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king.

²⁷Verse 27. This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of his father David’s city. ²⁸Verse 28. The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor; and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he put him in charge of all the labor of the house of Joseph. ²⁹Verse 29. At that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way; now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field. ³⁰Verse 30. Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.

³¹Verse 31. He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you ³²Verse 32. (but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel); ³³Verse 33. because that they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon. They have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as David his father did.

³⁴Verse 34. “‘However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant’s sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes; ³⁵Verse 35. but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes. ³⁶Verse 36. To his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there. ³⁷Verse 37. I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel.

³⁸Verse 38. It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. ³⁹Verse 39. I will afflict the offspring of David for this, but not forever.’” ⁴⁰Verse 40. Therefore Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

Conclusion of Solomon's Reign 1 Kings 11:41–43

⁴¹Verse 41. Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren’t they written in the book of the acts of Solomon? ⁴²Verse 42. The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. ⁴³Verse 43. Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.