1 Kings 11-12

New Life Version

Solomon Turns Away from the Lord

11 Now King Solomon loved many women from other nations. He loved the daughter of Pharaoh, and Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women. ² They were from the nations about which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “Do not take wives from them. And do not have them take wives from you. For they will be sure to turn your heart away to follow their gods.” But Solomon held on to these women in love. ³ He had 700 wives, kings’ daughters, and 300 women who acted as his wives. And his wives turned his heart away. ⁴ When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. His whole heart was not faithful to the Lord his God, as the heart of his father David had been. ⁵ For Solomon followed Ashtoreth the false goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom the hated god of the Ammonites. ⁶ Solomon did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He did not follow the Lord with all his heart, as his father David had done. ⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the hated god of Moab, and for Molech the hated god of the sons of Ammon, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. ⁸ He did the same for all his wives from other nations, who burned special perfume and gave gifts to their gods.

⁹ Now the Lord was angry with Solomon, because Solomon’s heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel. The Lord had come to him twice ¹⁰ and had told him about this, that he should not follow other gods. But Solomon did not obey what the Lord had told him. ¹¹ So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My agreement and My Laws which I told you, for sure I will tear the nation from you and will give it to your servant. ¹² But I will not do it while you are alive, because of your father David. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ But I will not tear away all the nation. I will give one family group to your son because of My servant David, and because of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

Solomon’s Trouble

¹⁴ Then the Lord sent Hadad the Edomite to make trouble for Solomon. He was of the king’s family in Edom. ¹⁵ For when David was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the dead, he killed every male in Edom. ¹⁶ (For Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom.) ¹⁷ But Hadad ran away to Egypt, together with certain Edomites of his father’s servants, while Hadad was still a young boy. ¹⁸ They came from Midian to Paran. Then they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. Pharaoh gave Hadad a house and food and land. ¹⁹ Now Hadad found much favor in the eyes of Pharaoh. So Pharaoh gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. ²⁰ Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes took care of in Pharaoh’s house. Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. ²¹ But Hadad heard in Egypt that David and Joab the captain of David’s army were dead. So Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, so I may return to my own country.” ²² Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you been without while you stayed with me? Why do you want to go to your own country?” Hadad answered, “Nothing. But even so, let me go.”

²³ God sent Rezon the son of Eliada against Solomon also. Rezon had run away from his owner Hadadezer king of Zobah. ²⁴ He gathered men around him and became the leader of a group of fighters, after David killed the men of Zobah. They went to Damascus and stayed there. Rezon was made king in Damascus. ²⁵ So he brought trouble to Israel all the days of Solomon, together with the trouble brought by Hadad. He hated Israel and ruled over Syria.

Jeroboam Works against the King

²⁶ Then Jeroboam the son of Nebat turned against the king. Jeroboam was Solomon’s servant, an Ephraimite of Zeredah. His mother’s name was Zeruah, a woman whose husband had died. ²⁷ Now this is the reason he turned against the king. Solomon built the Millo, and built a stronger wall around the city of his father David. ²⁸ Now Jeroboam was a powerful soldier. When Solomon saw that the young man was a good worker, he chose him to rule over all men of the family of Joseph who were made to work. ²⁹ When Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the man who spoke for God Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Ahijah had dressed himself with a new coat, and both of them were alone in the field. ³⁰ Then Ahijah took hold of his new coat and tore it into twelve pieces. ³¹ And he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself. For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘See, I will tear the nation out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten family groups. ³² (But he will have one family group, because of My servant David and because of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen from all the families of Israel.) ³³ Because they have turned away from Me. They have worshiped Ashtoreth the false goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon. They have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My eyes and keeping My Laws, as his father David did. ³⁴ But I will not take the whole nation from him. I will make him ruler all the days of his life, because of My servant David whom I chose, who kept My Word and My Laws. ³⁵ But I will take the nation from his son, and will give to you ten family groups. ³⁶ I will give one family group to his son, that My servant David will have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. ³⁷ And I will take you, and you will rule over whatever you want. You will be the king of Israel. ³⁸ Listen to all I tell you to do. Walk in My ways. Do what is right in My eyes by keeping My Word and My Laws, as My servant David did. If you do, then I will be with you and build you a house that will last, as I built for David. And I will give Israel to you. ³⁹ I will bring trouble to the children of David for this, but not forever.’” ⁴⁰ So Solomon tried to put Jeroboam to death. But Jeroboam got up and ran to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt. And he stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.

The Death of Solomon

⁴¹ Now 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 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. ⁴³ And Solomon died and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam ruled in his place.

Israel and Rehoboam

12 Rehoboam went to Shechem. For all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ² Now Jeroboam the son of Nebat was still in Egypt where he had run away from King Solomon. When Jeroboam heard the news, he returned from Egypt. ³ They sent for him. Then Jeroboam and all the people of Israel came and said to Rehoboam, ⁴ “Your father made our load heavy. Take away some of the hard work and heavy load your father put on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ Rehoboam said to them, “Leave for three days. Then return to me.” So the people left.

⁶ King Rehoboam spoke with the leaders who had worked for his father Solomon while he was still alive. He asked them, “What answer do you think I should give to these people?” ⁷ They said to him, “Help these people today. Serve them. Answer them with good words. If you do, then they will be your servants forever.” ⁸ But Rehoboam turned away from the wise words the leaders gave him. Instead he spoke with the young men who grew up with him and stood by him. ⁹ He said to them, “What answer do you say we should give to these people who have said to me, ‘Take away some of the heavy load your father put on us’?” ¹⁰ The young men who grew up with him said, “This is what you should say to these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our load heavy. Now you take some of the load from us.’ You should say to them, ‘My little finger is bigger around than my father’s body! ¹¹ My father gave you a heavy load. I will add to your load. My father punished you with whips. But I will punish you with scorpions.’”

¹² Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had told them, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ And the king was hard in his answer to them. For he turned away from the wise words the leaders had given him. ¹⁴ He spoke to them as he had been told by the young men. He said, “My father made your load heavy. I will add to your load. My father punished you with whips. But I will punish you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people. The Lord had let this happen, that He might keep His Word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶ All Israel saw that the king did not listen to them. So they said to the king, “What share do we have in David? We have no share in the son of Jesse! To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” So Israel went to their tents. ¹⁷ But as for the people of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam ruled over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who ruled over those who were made to work, and all Israel killed him with stones. So King Rehoboam got on his war-wagon in a hurry to go to Jerusalem. ¹⁹ So Israel turned against the family of David to this day. ²⁰ When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him to meet with the people and made him king of all Israel. Only the family of Judah followed the family of David.

²¹ When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he gathered all the family of Judah and the family of Benjamin. He gathered together 180,000 chosen men of war to fight against the family of Israel and return the nation to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²² But the Word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³ “Speak to Solomon’s son Rehoboam king of Judah, and to all the family of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people. Tell them, ²⁴ ’This is what the Lord says. “You must not go up and fight against your brothers the sons of Israel. Every man return to his house. For I have let this thing happen.”’” So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned, as the Lord told them.

Jeroboam’s Gold Calves

²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. ²⁶ Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the nation will return to the family of David. ²⁷ If these people go up to give gifts in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then their hearts will turn to their lord Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and follow Rehoboam king of Judah.” ²⁸ So the king asked the leaders what he should do. And he made two calves of gold. Then he said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” ²⁹ He put one in Bethel, and the other in Dan. ³⁰ Now this thing became a sin. For the people went to worship in front of them, even as far as Dan. ³¹ Jeroboam made houses on high places. He made religious leaders from among all the people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

Worship of Calves at Bethel

³² He made a special supper on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the special supper which is in Judah. And he gave gifts on the altar. He did the same in Bethel, giving gifts to the calves he had made. And he placed in Bethel the religious leaders of the high places he had made. ³³ Then he went up to the altar he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a day he chose in his own heart. He made a special supper for the people of Israel, and went up to the altar to burn special perfume.