Solomon’s Foreign Wives 1 UST King Solomon had many foreign wives. First he married the daughter of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Later he married many Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women. BSB BSB: King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women.
2 UST He married them even though Yahweh had told the Israelites,“You must not marry people from those groups, because if you do, they will certainly persuade you to worship the gods that they worship!” But Solomon loved these women, and so he married them anyway. BSB BSB: These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love.
3 UST Solomon married 700 women who were kings’ daughters. These wives led him to start worshiping foreign gods. He also had 300 secondary wives. BSB BSB: He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away.
4 UST By the time Solomon became old, his wives persuaded him to worship the gods their people groups worshiped. He was not completely faithful to Yahweh his God as his father David had been. BSB BSB: For when Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.
5 UST Solomon worshiped Ashtoreth, the goddess that the Sidonians worshiped. He also worshiped Milcom, the disgusting god that the Ammonites worshiped. BSB BSB: Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 UST In that way, Solomon did many things that Yahweh had told the Israelites were evil. Solomon’ s father David had always devoted himself entirely to Yahweh, but Solomon did not. BSB BSB: So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely.
7 UST On the hill that is to the east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a place to worship Chemosh, the disgusting god that the Moabites worshiped. He also built a place to worship Molech, the disgusting god that the Ammonites worshiped. BSB BSB: At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.
8 UST Solomon built similar high places for all of his foreign wives so that they could burn incense and offer sacrifices to the gods that their people groups worshiped. BSB BSB: He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
God’s Anger against Solomon 9 UST Yahweh, the God whom the Israelites worshiped, had appeared to Solomon twice. Even so, Solomon began to worship gods other than Yahweh. So Yahweh became very angry with him. BSB BSB: Now the LORD grew angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
10 UST { When he appeared to Solomon the second time,} Yahweh had commanded him not to worship foreign gods. But Solomon had disobeyed what Yahweh told him. BSB BSB: Although He had warned Solomon explicitly not to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the LORD’s command.
11 UST Yahweh told him,“You have disobeyed the laws that I gave the Israelites for their king when I made my covenant with them. So you can be sure that I am going to make someone else, one of your officials, the king of Israel. BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you have done this and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.
12 UST But because of what I promised your father David, I will allow you to rule your kingdom while you are still living. But after you die, I will not allow your son to rule the{ whole} kingdom. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 UST However, I will allow him to rule some of the kingdom. I will allow him to rule one tribe. I will do that in order to honor my servant David{ by allowing one of his descendants always to be a king.} And because I have chosen Jerusalem{ as the location for my temple, I will allow your son to rule the tribe of Judah, whose territory includes Jerusalem}.” BSB BSB: Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom away from him. 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.”
Hadad’s Return 14 UST Then Yahweh enabled Hadad, a son of the king of Edom, to become Solomon’ s enemy{ and lead the Edomites to rebel against him}. BSB BSB: Then the LORD raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom.
15 UST This is what happened. Many years before, David’ s army had fought against Edom and conquered it. After the fighting was over, his army commander Joab had gone to Edom to supervise the Israelite soldiers who were burying their fellow soldiers whom the Edomites had killed during the war. While he was there, Joab tried to kill every Edomite man and boy. BSB BSB: Earlier, when David was in Edom, Joab the commander of the army had gone to bury the dead and had struck down every male in Edom.
16 UST Joab and his whole army stayed in Edom for six months so that they could kill as many Edomite males as possible. BSB BSB: Joab and all Israel had stayed there six months, until he had killed every male in Edom.
17 UST Hadad was a young child at that time. But some of the officials of his father, the king of Edom, carried him away, hoping to bring him to Egypt{ where he would be safe}. BSB BSB: But Hadad, still just a young boy, had fled to Egypt, along with some Edomites who were servants of his father.
18 UST First they fled to the region of Midian. From there, they undertook the difficult journey through the desolate area of Paran. They found guides there who traveled with them and helped them make that journey. When they got to Egypt, they asked Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to allow them to live safely in his country. Pharaoh gave Hadad a house with some property and he ordered his servants to provide him with food regularly. BSB BSB: Hadad and his men set out from Midian and went to Paran. They took men from Paran with them and went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.
19 UST The king liked Hadad very much. As a result, he allowed him to marry the sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes. BSB BSB: There Hadad found such great favor in the sight of Pharaoh that he gave to him in marriage the sister of Queen Tahpenes, his own wife.
20 UST Later, the sister of Tahpenes had a baby boy. The name of this son of Hadad was Genubath. Tahpenes herself nursed him in the royal palace. He grew up there with Pharaoh’ s sons. BSB BSB: And the sister of Tahpenes bore Hadad a son named Genubath. Tahpenes herself weaned him in Pharaoh’s palace, and Genubath lived there among the sons of Pharaoh.
21 UST Much later, while Hadad was still in Egypt, he learned that King David and Joab, the commander of David’ s army, had both died. So he asked Pharaoh,“Please allow me to return to my own country.” BSB BSB: When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had rested with his fathers and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”
22 UST But Pharaoh said to him,“You have everything that you need here with me, so you ought to be content to stay here.” Hadad replied,“I do have everything I need here, but please allow me to leave anyway,”{ and Pharaoh allowed him to leave, and he led the Edomites to rebel against Solomon}. BSB BSB: But Pharaoh asked him, “What have you lacked here with me that you suddenly want to go back to your own country?” “Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but please let me go.”
Rezon’s Hostility 23 UST God also enabled another man, Rezon son of Eliada, to become Solomon’ s enemy. Rezon had been an official of King Hadadezer, who ruled the area of Zobah. But Rezon had stopped serving him and had run away. BSB BSB: And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah,
24 UST This is what happened. David’ s army defeated Hadadezer and killed many of his soldiers. Rezon escaped with some other soldiers, and together they formed a group of outlaws with Rezon as their leader. They went to Damascus and settled there, and they took control of the city. BSB BSB: and had gathered men to himself. When David killed the Zobaites, Rezon captained a band of raiders and went to Damascus, where they settled and gained control.
25 UST Just like Hadad, Rezon was an enemy of Israel for the rest of the time that Solomon was king. Rezon hated the Israelites bitterly. He eventually controlled the whole region of Aram. BSB BSB: Rezon was Israel’s enemy throughout the days of Solomon, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled over Aram with hostility toward Israel.
Jeroboam’s Rebellion 26 UST Another man who rebelled against Solomon was one of his officials. His name was Jeroboam son of Nebat. Nebat had lived in the city of Zeredah within the territory of the tribe of Ephraim. Nebat had died, so that Jereboam’ s mother Zeruah was a widow. BSB BSB: Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king,
27 UST This is what happened. Solomon had his workers build the Millo and finish building walls all around the City of David. BSB BSB: and this is the account of his rebellion against the king. Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his father David.
28 UST Jeroboam was a very skillful young man.{ He had worked on these building projects, and} Solomon had seen that he was able to accomplish tasks effectively. So Solomon appointed him to supervise all the men from the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim whom he forced to work. BSB BSB: Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.
29 UST One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem{ for his work in the area north of there}, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road. The two of them were alone, away from any city. Ahijah was wearing a new robe, BSB BSB: During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.
30 UST which he took off and tore into 12 pieces. BSB BSB: And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,
31 UST He told Jeroboam,“Take ten of these pieces for yourself, because Yahweh, the God whom we Israelites worship, says to you,‘I am going to take the kingdom away from Solomon, and I am going to make you the ruler of ten of the tribes of Israel. BSB BSB: and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.
32 UST However, I will allow Solomon’ s descendants to keep ruling one tribe. I will do that in order to honor my servant David. And because I have chosen Jerusalem from all of the Israelite cities{ to be the location for my temple, I will allow his descendants to rule the tribe of Judah, whose territory includes Jerusalem}. BSB BSB: But one tribe will remain 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.
33 UST I am going to do this because Solomon has become unfaithful to me{ and has caused many Israelites to become unfaithful to me as well}. He has been worshiping Asherah, the goddess that the Sidonians worship, Chemosh, the god that the Moabites worship, and Molech, the god that the Ammonites worship. He has not conducted his life as I want people to. He has not obeyed my laws the way his father David did. BSB BSB: For they have forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments, as Solomon’s father David did.
34 UST But I will not stop Solomon from ruling the entire kingdom of Israel while he is alive. Instead, I will allow him to remain as king. I will do that in order to honor David, whom I chose{ to be the king of Israel} and who faithfully obeyed my laws. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David My servant, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and statutes.
35 UST Instead, I will stop his son from ruling the entire kingdom, and I will allow you to become the king of ten of the Israelite tribes. BSB BSB: But I will take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you.
36 UST I will allow Solomon’ s son to rule one tribe so that I will always see one of David’ s descendants ruling in Jerusalem. I chose that city to be the place where the Israelites would worship me. BSB BSB: I will give one tribe to his son, so that My servant David will always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put My Name.
37 UST You are now an official, but I will enable you to become the king of Israel, and you will rule all the territory that you want to rule. BSB BSB: But as for you, I will take you, and you shall reign over all that your heart desires, and you will be king over Israel.
38 UST But you must obey everything that I command you to do. You must conduct your life as I want you to. You must do things that I consider to be right. You must obey my laws as David did. If you do those things, I will help you. I will make sure that your descendants become kings of Israel after you die, as I have done for David. BSB BSB: If you listen to all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight in order to keep My statutes and commandments as My servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.
39 UST Because of Solomon’ s sins, I will punish David’ s descendants, but I will not continue to punish them forever.’” BSB BSB: Because of this, I will humble David’s descendants—but not forever.’”
40 UST Solomon{ found out what Ahijah told Jeroboam, and so he} tried to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam escaped and went to Egypt. Shishak, the king of Egypt, protected him. Jeroboam stayed there until after Solomon died. BSB BSB: Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he remained until the death of Solomon.
The Death of Solomon (2 Chronicles 9:29–31)
41 UST The book that records the events of Solomon’s reign describes further things that he did and many of the wise things that he said. BSB BSB: As for the rest of the acts of Solomon—all that he did, as well as his wisdom—are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?
42 UST Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel for 40 years. BSB BSB: Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.
43 UST Then Solomon died. The Israelites buried him in the part of Jerusalem that people called the City of David. Solomon’ s son Rehoboam became the next king. BSB BSB: And Solomon rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David. And his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.