The First Book of the Kings

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 11 -

And king Solomon loved many strange women besides the daughter of Pharao, and women of Moab, and of Ammon, and of Edom, and of Sidon, and of the Hethites:

Of the nations concerning which the Lord said to the children of Israel: You shall not go in unto them, neither shall any of them come in to yours: for they will most certainly turn away your heart to follow their gods. And to these was Solomon joined with a most ardent love.

And he had seven hundred wives as queens, and three hundred concubines: and the women turned away his heart.

And when he was now old, his heart was turned away by women to follow strange gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.

But Solomon worshipped Astarthe the goddess of the Sidonians, and Moloch the idol of the ammonites.

And Solomon did that which was net pleasing before the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as David his father.

Then Solomon built a temple for Chamos the idol of Moab, on the hill that is over against Jerusalem, and for Moloch the idol of the children of Ammon.

And he did in this manner for all his wives that were strangers, who burnt incense, and offered sacrifice to their gods.

God’s Anger against Solomon

And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his mind was turned away from the Lord the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,

And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not follow strange gods: but he kept not the things which the Lord commanded him.

The Lord therefore said to Solomon: Because thou hast done this, and hast not kept my covenant, and my precepts, which I have commanded thee, I will divide and rend thy kingdom, and will give it to thy servant.

Nevertheless in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.

Neither will I take away the whole kingdom, but I will give one tribe to thy son for the sake of David my servant, and Jerusalem which I have chosen.

Hadad’s Return

And the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon, Adad the Edomite of the king’s seed, in Edom.

For when David was in Edom, and Joab the general of the army was gone up to bury them that were slain, and had killed every male in Edom,

(For Joab remained there six months with all Israel, till he had slain every male in Edom,)

Then Adad fled, he and certain Edomites, of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt: and Adad was then a little boy.

And they arose out of Madian, and came into Pharan, and they took men with them from Pharan, and went into Egypt to Pharao the king of Egypt: who gave him a house, and appointed him victuals, and assigned him land.

And Adad found great favour before Pharao, insomuch that he gave him to wife, the own sister of his wife Taphnes the queen.

And the sister of Taphnes bore him his son Genubath, and Taphnes brought him up in the house of Pharao: and Genubath dwelt with Pharao among his children.

And when Adad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the general of the army was dead, he said to Pharao: Let me depart, that I may go to my own country.

And Pharao said to him: Why, what is wanting to thee with me, that thou seekest to go to thy own country? But he answered: Nothing: yet I beseech thee to let me go.

Rezon’s Hostility

God also raised up against him an adversary, Razon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master Adarezer the king of Soba:

And he gathered men against him, and he became a captain of robbers, when David slew them of Soba: and they went to Damascus, and dwelt there, and they made him king in Damascus.

And he was an adversary to Israel, all the days of Solomon: and this is the evil of Adad, and his hatred against Israel, and he reigned in Syria.

Jeroboam’s Rebellion

Jeroboam also the son of Nabat an Ephrathite of Sareda, a servant of Solomon, whose mother was named Sarua, a widow woman, lifted up his hand against the king.

And this is the cause of his rebellion against him, for Solomon built Mello, and filled up the breach of the city of David his father.

And Jeroboam was a valiant and mighty man: and Solomon seeing him a young man ingenious and industrious, made him chief over the tributes of all the house of Joseph.

So it came to paste at that time, that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, and the prophet Ahias the Silonite, clad with a new garment, found him in the way: and they two were alone in the held.

And Ahias taking his new garment, wherewith he was clad, divided it into twelve parts:

And he said to Jeroboam: Take to thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: Behold I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give thee ten tribes.

But one tribe shall remain to him for the sake of my servant David, and Jerusalem the city, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:

Because he hath forsaken me, and hath adored Astarthe the goddess of the Sidonians, and Chamos the god of Moab, and Moloch the god of the children of Ammon: and hath not walked in my ways, to do justice before me, and to keep my precepts, and judgments as did David his father.

Yet I will not take away all the 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 precepts.

But I will take away the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give thee ten tribes:

And to his son I will give one tribe, that there may remain a lamp for my servant David before me always in Jerusalem the city which I have chosen, that my name might be there.

And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign over all that thy soul desireth, and thou shalt be king over Israel.

If then thou wilt hearken to all that I shall command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do what is right before me, keeping my commandments and my precepts, as David my servant did: I will be with thee, and will build thee up a faithful house, as I built a house for David, and I will deliver Israel to thee:

And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but yet not for ever.

Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam: but he arose, and fled into Egypt to Sesac the king of Egypt, and was in Egypt till the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

(2 Chronicles 9:29–31)

And the rest of the words of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom: behold they are all written in the book of the words of the days of Solomon.

And the days that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel, were forty years.

And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father, and Roboam his son reigned in his stead.

Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites,

of the nations concerning which the LORD said to the children of Israel, “You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon joined to these in love.

He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away.

When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father was.

For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

Solomon did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and didn’t go fully after the LORD, as David his father did.

Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon.

So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

God’s Anger against Solomon

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

and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he didn’t keep that which the LORD commanded.

Therefore the LORD 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.

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.

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.”

Hadad’s Return

The LORD raised up an adversary to Solomon: Hadad the Edomite. He was one of the king’s offspring in Edom.

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

(for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom),

Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, to go into Egypt, when Hadad was still a little child.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

Rezon’s Hostility

God raised up an adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

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.

He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, in addition to the mischief of Hadad. He abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria.

Jeroboam’s Rebellion

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.

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.

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.

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 the two of them were alone in the field.

Ahijah took the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.

He said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces; for the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you

(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),

because 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.

“‘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,

but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, even ten tribes.

I will give one tribe to his son, 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.

I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel.

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.

I will afflict the offspring of David for this, but not forever.’”

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.

The Death of Solomon

(2 Chronicles 9:29–31)

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?

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

Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.