1 Kings, 11

1. King Solomon loved many foreign women besides the daughter of Pharaoh (Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites),

1. King Solomon loved many foreign women: not only Pharaoh's daughter but Moabites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites,

2. from nations with which the LORD had forbidden the Israelites to intermarry, "because," he said, "they will turn your hearts to their gods." But Solomon fell in love with them.

2. from those peoples of whom Yahweh had said to the Israelites, 'You are not to go among them nor they among you, or they will be sure to sway your hearts to their own gods.' But Solomon was deeply attached to them.

3. He had seven hundred wives of princely rank and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart.

3. He had seven hundred wives of royal rank and three hundred concubines.

4. When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of his father David had been.

4. When Solomon grew old his wives swayed his heart to other gods; and his heart was not wholly with Yahweh his God as his father David's had been.

5. By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,

5. Solomon became a follower of Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and of Milcom, the Ammonite abomination.

6. Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.

6. He did what was displeasing to Yahweh, and was not a wholehearted follower of Yahweh, as his father David had been.

7. Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab, and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites, on the hill opposite Jerusalem.

7. Then it was that Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain to the east of Jerusalem, and to Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites.

8. He did the same for all his foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

8. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who offered incense and sacrifice to their gods.

9. The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice

9. Yahweh was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from Yahweh, God of Israel, who had twice appeared to him

10. (for though the LORD had forbidden him this very act of following strange gods, Solomon had not obeyed him).

10. and had forbidden him to follow other gods; but he did not carry out Yahweh's order.

11. So the LORD said to Solomon: "Since this is what you want, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes which I enjoined on you, I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.

11. Yahweh therefore said to Solomon, 'Since you have behaved like this and have not kept my covenant or the laws which I laid down for you, I shall tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants.

12. I will not do this during your lifetime, however, for the sake of your father David; it is your son whom I will deprive.

12. For your father David's sake, however, I shall not do this during your lifetime, but shall tear it out of your son's hands.

13. Nor will I take away the whole kingdom. I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."

13. Even so, I shall not tear the whole kingdom from him. For the sake of my servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen, I shall leave your son one tribe.'

14. The LORD then raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite, who was of the royal line in Edom.

14. Yahweh raised an enemy against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, of the kingly stock of Edom.

15. Earlier, when David had conquered Edom, Joab, the general of the army, while going to bury the slain, put to death every male in Edom.

15. After David had crushed Edom, Joab the army commander had gone to bury the dead and had slaughtered the entire male population of Edom

16. Joab and all Israel remained there six months until they had killed off every male in Edom.

16. (Joab stayed there with all Israel for six months until he had exterminated the entire male population of Edom),

17. Meanwhile, Hadad, who was only a boy, fled toward Egypt with some Edomite servants of his father.

17. but Hadad with a number of Edomites in his father's service had fled to Egypt. Hadad had been only a boy at the time.

18. They left Midian and passing through Paran, where they picked up additional men, they went into Egypt to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house, appointed him rations, and assigned him land.

18. They set out from Midian, and on reaching Paran, took a number of men from Paran with them and went on to Egypt, to Pharaoh the king of Egypt, who provided him with a house, undertook to maintain him, and assigned him an estate.

19. Hadad won great favor with Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife.

19. Hadad became a great favourite of Pharaoh who gave him his own wife's sister in marriage, the sister of the Great Lady Tahpenes.

20. Tahpenes' sister bore Hadad a son, Genubath. After his weaning, the queen kept him in Pharaoh's palace, where he then lived with Pharaoh's own sons.

20. The sister of Tahpenes bore him his son Genubath whom Tahpenes brought up in Pharaoh's palace, Genubath living in Pharaoh's palace with Pharaoh's own children.

21. When Hadad in Egypt heard that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab, the general of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, "Give me leave to return to my own country."

21. But when news reached Hadad in Egypt that David had fallen asleep with his ancestors and that Joab the army commander was dead, he said to Pharaoh, 'Give me leave to go that I may return to my own country.'

22. Pharaoh said to him, "What do you lack with me, that you are seeking to return to your own country?" "Nothing," he said, "but please let me go!"

22. 'What do you lack here with me,' Pharaoh said, 'for you to want to go back to your country?' 'Nothing,' he replied, 'but please let me go.'Hence the harm which Hadad caused: he loathed Israel and ruled Edom.

23. God raised up against Solomon another adversary, in Rezon, the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer, king of Zobah,

23. God raised a second enemy against Solomon, Rezon son of Eliada. He had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

24. when David defeated them with slaughter. Rezon gathered men about him and became leader of a band, went to Damascus, settled there, and became king in Damascus.

24. A number of men having rallied to him, he became leader of a marauding band (which was then massacred by David). Rezon captured Damascus and settled there and became king of Damascus.

25. He was an enemy of Israel as long as Solomon lived; this added to the harm done by Hadad, who made a rift in Israel by becoming king over Edom.

25. He was hostile to Israel as long as Solomon lived.

26. Solomon's servant Jeroboam, son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah with a widowed mother, Zeruah, also rebelled against the king.

26. Jeroboam was the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah; the name of his mother, a widow, was Zeruah; he was in Solomon's service but revolted against the king.

27. This is why he rebelled. King Solomon was building Millo, closing up the breach of his father's City of David.

27. This is the account of his revolt. Solomon was building the Millo and closing the breach in the City of David his father.

28. Jeroboam was a man of means, and when Solomon saw that he was also an industrious young man, he put him in charge of the entire labor force of the house of Joseph.

28. Now this Jeroboam was a man of great energy; Solomon, noticing how the young man set about his work, put him in charge of all the forced labour of the House of Joseph.

29. At that time Jeroboam left Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. The two were alone in the area, and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.

29. One day when Jeroboam had gone out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah of Shiloh accosted him on the road. Ahijah was wearing a new cloak; the two of them were in the open country by themselves.

30. Ahijah took off his new cloak, tore it into twelve pieces,

30. Ahijah took the new cloak which he was wearing and tore it into twelve strips,

31. and said to Jeroboam: "Take ten pieces for yourself; the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon's grasp and will give you ten of the tribes.

31. saying to Jeroboam: 'Take ten strips for yourself, for Yahweh, God of Israel, says this, "I am going to tear the kingdom from Solomon's hand and give ten tribes to you.

32. One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant, and of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.

32. He will keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel;

33. The ten I will give you because he has forsaken me and has worshiped Astarte, goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh, god of Moab, and Milcom, god of the Ammonites; he has not followed my ways or done what is pleasing to me according to my statutes and my decrees, as his father David did.

33. for he has forsaken me to worship Astarte the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, Milcom the god of the Ammonites; he has not followed my ways by doing what I regard as right, or by keeping my laws and ordinances as his father David did.

34. Yet I will not take any of the kingdom from Solomon himself, but will keep him a prince as long as he lives for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose, who kept my commandments and statutes.

34. But it is not from his hands that I will take the kingdom, since I have made him a prince for as long as he lives, for the sake of my servant David who kept my commandments and laws.

35. But I will take the kingdom from his son and will give it to you--that is, the ten tribes.

35. I shall, however, take the kingdom from the hand of his son, and I shall give it to you, that is, the ten tribes.

36. I will give his son one tribe, that my servant David may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city in which I choose to be honored.

36. I shall give one tribe to his son, so that my servant David may always have a lamp in my presence in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen as a dwelling-place for my name.

37. I will take you; you shall reign over all that you desire and shall become king of Israel.

37. You nonetheless I shall appoint to rule over as much as you wish, and you will be king of Israel.

38. If, then, you heed all that I command you, follow my ways, and please me by keeping my statutes and my commandments like my servant David, I will be with you. I will establish for you, as I did for David, a lasting dynasty; I will give Israel to you.

38. If you listen to all my orders and follow my ways, by doing what I regard as right and by keeping my laws and commandments as my servant David did, then I shall be with you and shall build you as enduring a dynasty as the one which I built for David. I shall give Israel to you,

39. I will punish David's line for this, but not forever.'"

39. and I shall humble the descendants of David, but not for ever." '

40. When Solomon tried to have Jeroboam killed for his rebellion, he escapedto King Shishak, in Egypt, where he remained until Solomon's death.

40. Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam but he made off and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and he remained in Egypt until Solomon's death.

41. The rest of the acts of Solomon, with all his deeds and his wisdom, are recorded in the book of the chronicles of Solomon.

41. The rest of the history of Solomon, his entire career, his wisdom, is this not recorded in the Book of the Annals of Solomon?

42. The time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.

42. Solomon's reign in Jerusalem over all Israel lasted forty years.

43. Solomon rested with his ancestors; he was buried in his father's City of David, and his son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.

43. When Solomon fell asleep with his ancestors, he was buried in the City of David his father; his son Rehoboam succeeded him.