1King Solomon loved many foreign women, including Pharaoh’s daughter, as well as women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, Sidon, and Hittite nations.
2These were nations about which Yahweh had told the people of Israel, “You must not intermarry with them, and they must not intermarry with you, because they will certainly turn your hearts away to follow their gods.” But Solomon became deeply attached to them.
3He had 700 wives who were princesses and 300 concubines, and his wives turned his heart away from God.
4When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart toward other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to Yahweh his God, unlike the heart of his father David.
5Solomon worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.
6Solomon did what Yahweh considered evil and did not fully follow Yahweh, as his father David had done.
7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, on the mountain east of Jerusalem, and for Molech, the detestable god of the Ammonites.
8He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
9Yahweh was angry with Solomon because Solomon no longer was devoted to Yahweh, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
10Yahweh had commanded Solomon not to worship other gods, but Solomon did not obey what Yahweh commanded.
11So Yahweh said to Solomon, "Because you have done this and have not kept my agreement and my laws, which I commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
12However, I will not do this during your lifetime, because of your father David. Instead, I will tear it out of your son's hand.
13But I will not tear away the whole kingdom. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
14Yahweh raised up an enemy against Solomon: Hadad the Edomite, who was a member of the king's family in Edom.
15Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, had gone there to bury the dead and had killed every male in Edom.
16Joab and all of Israel stayed there for six months until they had killed every male in Edom.
17But Hadad fled to Egypt with some Edomite servants of his father when Hadad was still a small child.
18They left Midian and went to Paran. They took some men from Paran with them and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh gave Hadad a house, provided him with food, and gave him land.
19Hadad gained great favor with Pharaoh, so much so that Pharaoh gave him his own wife's sister, the sister of Queen Tahpenes, to be Hadad's wife.
20Tahpenes's sister gave birth to Hadad's son, Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house. Genubath grew up in Pharaoh's house among Pharaoh's sons.
21When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had died and that Joab, the commander of the army, was also dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, "Let me leave so I can return to my own country."
22Then Pharaoh said to him, "What have you lacked here with me that makes you want to go back to your own country?" Hadad answered, "Nothing, but please let me go."
23God also raised up another enemy against Solomon: Rezon, the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer, the king of Zobah.
24Rezon gathered men and became the leader of a raiding party after David had defeated the men of Zobah. They went to Damascus, lived there, and reigned in Damascus.
25Rezon was an enemy to Israel throughout Solomon's reign, in addition to the trouble Hadad caused. Rezon hated Israel and ruled over Syria.
26Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, who was one of Solomon's officials, also rebelled against the king. His mother's name was Zeruah, and she was a widow.
27This is why he rebelled against the king: Solomon built the Millo and repaired the wall of his father David's city.
28Jeroboam was a capable and hardworking man. When Solomon saw that the young man was diligent, he put him in charge of all the labor force from the house of Joseph.
29At that time, as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him on the road. Ahijah was wearing brand new clothes, and the two of them were alone in the open country.
30Ahijah grabbed the new clothes he was wearing and tore them into twelve pieces.
31He said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'Listen! I am going to tear the kingdom away from Solomon and give ten tribes to you.
32However, he will keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
33I am doing this because they have abandoned me and worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Milcom, the god of the Ammonites. They have not followed my ways, doing what is right in my eyes and keeping my laws and commands, as David, his father, did.
34But I will not take the entire kingdom from him. Instead, I will let him rule as prince all the days of his life, for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose because he obeyed my commands and laws.
35However, I will take the kingdom away from his son and give it to you—that is, ten tribes.
36I will give his son one tribe so that my servant David will always have a descendant ruling before me in Jerusalem, the city I chose to honor my name.
37I will choose you, and you will reign over everything you desire; you will be king over Israel.
38If you listen to everything I command you, follow my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my laws and commands, just as my servant David did, then I will be with you. I will establish a lasting dynasty for you, just as I did for David, and I will give Israel to you.
39I will punish David's descendants for this, but not forever.'"
40So Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam escaped and fled to Egypt, to King Shishak of Egypt, and he stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.
41The rest of what Solomon did, all his actions and his wisdom—aren't they written in the book of the acts of Solomon?
42Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
43Solomon died and was buried in the City of David, his father; and his son Rehoboam became king in his place.