1BUT King Solomon loved many foreign women, as well as the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites;
2Of the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the children of Israel, You shall not mix with them, neither shall they mix with you, lest they turn away your heart after their gods; Solomon clung to these in love.
3And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.
4For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.
5For Solomon went after Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and after Malcom the god of the Ammonites.
6And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
7Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the god of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Malcom the god of the Ammonites.
8And likewise did he for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 9And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he kept not that which the LORD commanded him. 11Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, Forasmuch as you have done this, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes and my commandments, which I have commanded you, I will surely rend the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12Nevertheless, in your days I will not do it for David my servant's sake; but I will rend it out of the hand of your son. 13However I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to your son for David my servant's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen. 14And the LORD stirred up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal family in Edom. 15For when David destroyed Edom, and Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, he slew every male in Edom 16(For Joab and all Israel with him remained there six months, until he had slain every male in Edom); 17But Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites from among his father's servants into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little boy. 18They set out from Midian and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran and went into Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and food, and said to him, Dwell with me; and gave him land. 19And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him to wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh. 21And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh. Let me depart that I may go to my own country. 22But Pharaoh said to him, What have you lacked with me that, behold, you seek to go to your own country? And he answered, Nothing; but do let me go. 23God also stirred up against Solomon another adversary, Hidron the son of Eliadah, who had fled from his lord Hadarezer king of Zobah; 24And he gathered men to him, and became captain over a band, when David slew the people of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and dwelt in it, and Hadad reigned in Damascus. 25And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, because of the evil which he did; and Hadad oppressed the children of Israel and reigned over Aram (Syria). 26And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zedda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zoriah, a widow, even he lifted up his hand against King Solomon. 27And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against King Solomon. When Solomon built Millo and repaired the breaches of the city of David, 28The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour; and Solomon, seeing that the young man was valiant, made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 29And it came to pass at the time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite encountered him on the road; and Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two of them were alone in a field; 30And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces; 31And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the LORD God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you 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); 33Because he has forsaken me and has worshipped Ashtaroth the goddess of the Zidonians, and Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Malcom the god of the Ammonites, and has not walked in my ways and has not done that which is right in my eyes and has not kept my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. 34Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him a ruler all the days of his life for David my servant's sake, whom I chose because he kept my commandments and my statutes; 35But I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand and will give it to you, ten tribes. 36And to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may have an heir always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there. 37And I will give it to you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38And if you shall hearken to all that I command you and will walk in my ways and do what is right in my sight and keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did. I will be with you, and build you a sure house, as I built for David my servant, and will give Israel to you. 39And for this I will afflict the descendants of David, but not for ever. 40Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 41And the rest of the acts of Solomon and all that he did and his wisdom, behold, they are written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon. 42And the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David his father; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead. Holy Bible From The Ancient Eastern Texts: Aramaic Of The Peshitta by George M. Lamsa (1933) |