11:9 The Lord was angry with Solomon because he had shifted his allegiance 1 away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him on two occasions 2 11:10 and had warned him about this very thing, so that he would not follow other gods. 3 But he did not obey 4 the Lord’s command. 11:11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you insist on doing these things and have not kept the covenantal rules I gave you, 5 I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant. 11:12 However, for your father David’s sake I will not do this while you are alive. I will tear it away from your son’s hand instead. 11:13 But I will not tear away the entire kingdom; I will leave 6 your son one tribe for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of my chosen city Jerusalem.”
11:14 The Lord brought 7 against Solomon an enemy, Hadad the Edomite, a descendant of the Edomite king. 11:15 During David’s campaign against Edom, 8 Joab, the commander of the army, while on a mission to bury the dead, killed every male in Edom. 11:16 For six months Joab and the entire Israelite army 9 stayed there until they had exterminated every male in Edom. 10 11:17 Hadad, 11 who was only a small boy at the time, escaped with some of his father’s Edomite servants and headed for Egypt. 12 11:18 They went from Midian to Paran; they took some men from Paran and went to Egypt. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, supplied him with a house and food and even assigned him some land. 13 11:19 Pharaoh liked Hadad so well 14 he gave him his sister-in-law (Queen Tahpenes’ sister) as a wife. 15 11:20 Tahpenes’ sister gave birth to his son, 16 named Genubath. Tahpenes raised 17 him in Pharaoh’s palace; Genubath grew up in Pharaoh’s palace among Pharaoh’s sons. 11:21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away 18 and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead. So Hadad asked Pharaoh, “Give me permission to leave 19 so I can return to my homeland.” 11:22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland?” 20 Hadad replied, 21 “Nothing, but please give me permission to leave.” 22
11:23 God also brought against Solomon 23 another enemy, Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah. 11:24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band. 24 When David tried to kill them, 25 they went to Damascus, where they settled down and gained control of the city. 11:25 He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad, caused trouble. He loathed 26 Israel and ruled over Syria.
11:26 Jeroboam son of Nebat, one of Solomon’s servants, rebelled against 27 the king. He was an Ephraimite 28 from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. 11:27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king: 29 Solomon built a terrace and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David. 30 11:28 Jeroboam was a talented man; 31 when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker, he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe 32 of Joseph. 11:29 At that time, when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road; the two of them were alone in the open country. Ahijah 33 was wearing a brand new robe, 11:30 and he grabbed the robe 34 and tore it into twelve pieces. 11:31 Then he told Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you. 11:32 He will retain one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. 11:33 I am taking the kingdom from him 35 because they have 36 abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom. They have not followed my instructions 37 by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations, like Solomon’s father David did. 38 11:34 I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand. I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules. 11:35 I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you. 39 11:36 I will leave 40 his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me 41 in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as my home. 42 11:37 I will select 43 you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel. 11:38 You must obey 44 all I command you to do, follow my instructions, 45 do what I approve, 46 and keep my rules and commandments, like my servant David did. Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty, as I did for David; 47 I will give you Israel. 11:39 I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this, 48 but not forever.” 49 11:40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. 50 He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.
11:41 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his wise decisions, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of Solomon. 51 11:42 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem 52 for forty years. 11:43 Then Solomon passed away 53 and was buried in the city of his father David. 54 His son Rehoboam replaced him as king. 55