1 Kings 11

Now king Sulayman loved many foreign women, together with Bint Firaun, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites; ²of the nations concerning which Allah said to Bani-Israel, You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you; for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Sulayman joined to these in love. ³He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. ⁴For it happened, when Sulayman was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not fully devoted to Allah his God, as was the heart of Dawud his father. ⁵For Sulayman followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech the abomination of the Ammonites. ⁶Sulayman did that which was evil in the sight of Allah, and did not follow Allah completely, as did Dawud his father. ⁷Then Sulayman built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill to the east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. ⁸He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. ⁹Allah was angry with Sulayman, because his heart had turned away from Allah, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, ¹⁰and had commanded him not to follow other gods: but he did not obey what Allah commanded. ¹¹Therefore Allah said to Sulayman, Because you have done this, and 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. ¹²Nevertheless I will not do it in your lifetime, for Dawud your father's sake: but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³However I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for Dawud my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen. ¹⁴Allah raised up an adversary to Sulayman, Hadad the Edomite: he was from the royal line of Edom. ¹⁵For it happened, when Dawud was in Edom, and Joab the captain of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had struck every male in Edom ¹⁶(for Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom); ¹⁷that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little child. ¹⁸They arose out of Madyan, and came to Paran; and they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Firaun king of Egypt, who gave him a house, and food, and gave him land. ¹⁹Hadad found great favour in the sight of Firaun, so that Firaun gave him as wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. ²⁰The sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Firaun's house; and Genubath was in Firaun's house among the sons of Firaun. ²¹When Hadad heard in Egypt that Dawud slept with his fathers, and that Joab the captain of the army was dead, Hadad said to Firaun, Let me depart, that I may go to my own country. ²²Then Firaun said to him, But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you seek to go to your own country? He answered, Nothing, but let me go anyway. ²³God raised up another adversary to Sulayman, Rezon Ibn Eliada, who had fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. ²⁴He gathered men to himself, and became captain over a troop, when Dawud killed those of Zobah: and they went to Damascus, and lived therein, and reigned in Damascus. ²⁵He was an adversary to Israel all the days of Sulayman, besides the mischief that Hadad did: and he hated Israel, and reigned over Syria. ²⁶Jeroboam Ibn Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Sulayman, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, also lifted up his hand against the king. ²⁷This was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king: Sulayman built Millo, and repaired the breach of the city of Dawud his father. ²⁸The man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour; and Sulayman saw that the young man was industrious, and he put him in charge of the whole labour force of the house of Yusuf. ²⁹It happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the way; now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and the two were alone in a field. ³⁰Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that he was wearing, and tore it into twelve pieces. ³¹He said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces; for thus says Allah, the God of Israel, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Sulayman, and will give ten tribes to you ³²(but he shall have one tribe, for my servant Dawud's sake and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel); ³³because they have forsaken me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of the children of Ammon; and 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 did Dawud his father. ³⁴However I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand; but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for Dawud my servant's sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes; ³⁵but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes. ³⁶To his son will I give one tribe, that Dawud my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen to put my name there. ³⁷I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. ³⁸It 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 Dawud my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for Dawud, and will give Israel to you. ³⁹I will afflict the seed of Dawud because of this, but not forever. ⁴⁰Sulayman sought therefore to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Sulayman. ⁴¹Now the rest of the acts of Sulayman, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Sulayman? ⁴²The time that Sulayman reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. ⁴³Sulayman slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of Dawud his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.