Solomon’s Wives
1King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter—Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. 2They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. 4As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 6So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done.
7On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods.
9The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. 10Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. 11So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. 12Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
Solomon’s Adversaries
14Then the Lord raised up against Solomon an adversary, Hadad the Edomite, from the royal line of Edom. 15Earlier when David was fighting with Edom, Joab the commander of the army, who had gone up to bury the dead, had struck down all the men in Edom. 16Joab and all the Israelites stayed there for six months, until they had destroyed all the men in Edom. 17But Hadad, still only a boy, fled to Egypt with some Edomite officials who had served his father. 18They set out from Midian and went to Paran. Then taking people from Paran with them, they went to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave Hadad a house and land and provided him with food.
19Pharaoh was so pleased with Hadad that he gave him a sister of his own wife, Queen Tahpenes, in marriage. 20The sister of Tahpenes bore him a son named Genubath, whom Tahpenes brought up in the royal palace. There Genubath lived with Pharaoh’s own children.
21While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab the commander of the army was also dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me go, that I may return to my own country.”
22“What have you lacked here that you want to go back to your own country?” Pharaoh asked.
“Nothing,” Hadad replied, “but do let me go!”
23And God raised up against Solomon another adversary, Rezon son of Eliada, who had fled from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24When David destroyed Zobah’s army, Rezon gathered a band of men around him and became their leader; they went to Damascus, where they settled and took control. 25Rezon was Israel’s adversary as long as Solomon lived, adding to the trouble caused by Hadad. So Rezon ruled in Aram and was hostile toward Israel.
Jeroboam Rebels Against Solomon
26Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.
27Here is the account of how he rebelled against the king: Solomon had built the terraces11:27 Or the Millo and had filled in the gap in the wall of the city of David his father. 28Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the tribes of Joseph.
29About that time Jeroboam was going out of Jerusalem, and Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, 30and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 31Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon’s hand and give you ten tribes. 32But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe. 33I will do this because they have11:33 Hebrew; Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac because he has forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molek the god of the Ammonites, and have not walked in obedience to me, nor done what is right in my eyes, nor kept my decrees and laws as David, Solomon’s father, did.
34“ ‘But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. 35I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. 36I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. 37However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. 38If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. 39I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’ ”
40Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king, and stayed there until Solomon’s death.
Solomon’s Death
41As for the other events of Solomon’s reign—all he did and the wisdom he displayed—are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon? 42Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 43Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.
所羅門背棄上帝
1除了埃及公主以外，所羅門王還寵愛許多外邦女子，有摩押人、亞捫人、以東人、西頓人和赫人。 2耶和華曾告訴以色列人不可跟這些外族人通婚，免得受引誘去隨從他們的神明，所羅門卻迷戀這些女子。 3他娶了七百個公主，還有三百個妃嬪。這些女子使他的心背棄耶和華。 4所羅門年老的時候，他的嬪妃誘惑他的心去追隨其他神明。他沒有像他父親大衛那樣忠心順服他的上帝耶和華。 5所羅門追隨西頓人的女神亞斯她錄和亞捫人的可憎神明米勒公。 6他做了耶和華視為惡的事，沒有像他父親大衛那樣一心追隨耶和華。 7在耶路撒冷東面的山上，所羅門為摩押人可憎的神明基抹和亞捫人可憎的神明摩洛修建邱壇。 8他又為所有的外邦妃嬪修建邱壇，供她們向自己的神明燒香獻祭。
9-10所羅門背棄了曾兩次向他顯現的以色列的上帝耶和華，違背耶和華的命令去隨從其他神明。所以，耶和華向他發怒， 11說：「你既然違背我的命令，不遵守我的約和律例，我必撕裂你的國，將它賜給你的一個臣僕。 12然而，因你父大衛的緣故，我不會在你有生之年這樣做，我要從你兒子手中把國撕裂。 13但我不會把國全部撕掉，為了我僕人大衛和我揀選的耶路撒冷，我會留下一個支派給你兒子。」
所羅門的敵人
14耶和華使以東王的後裔哈達興起，與所羅門為敵。 15從前大衛征討以東，元帥約押前去埋葬陣亡的人，將以東的男子都殺了。 16他率領以色列人在那裡住了六個月，直到殺光了以東的男子。 17那時，哈達年紀還小，他和他父親的幾個以東臣僕一起逃往埃及。 18他們從米甸逃到巴蘭，在那裡招聚了一些人，然後又逃到埃及去見埃及王法老。法老賜他糧食、房屋和田地。 19法老非常喜歡哈達，將王后答比妮的妹妹許配給他。 20他們生了一個兒子，取名叫基努拔，由王后在宮中撫養，跟王子們在一起。 21後來，哈達在埃及知道大衛已與祖先同眠，約押元帥也死了，就求法老准他回國。 22法老問他：「你為什麼要回國呢？你在我這裡還缺什麼嗎？」哈達答道：「什麼都不缺，但還是求王准我回國。」 23上帝又使以利亞大的兒子利遜興起，與所羅門為敵。這人是從他主人瑣巴王哈大底謝身邊逃走的。 24在大衛征服瑣巴人之後，利遜招聚了一群匪徒，自己做頭目。利遜又前往大馬士革，在那裡做王。 25所羅門活著的時候，哈達和利遜不斷為患。利遜統治亞蘭，他憎恨以色列人。
耶羅波安叛變
26所羅門的一個臣僕耶羅波安也叛變了。他是以法蓮支派洗利達人尼八的兒子，母親洗魯阿是個寡婦。 27以下是他反叛所羅門的緣由：
所羅門當年建造米羅堡，修補大衛城的城牆時， 28發現年輕的耶羅波安勤奮能幹，就提拔他監管約瑟家族的一切工程。
29有一次，耶羅波安出了耶路撒冷，在路上遇見身披新衣的示羅人亞希雅先知。當時野外只有他們二人。 30亞希雅將身上的新衣撕作十二片， 31對耶羅波安說：「你可以拿十片。以色列的上帝耶和華說，『我必從所羅門手裡撕裂這國，把十個支派賜給你。 32然而，為了我僕人大衛和我在以色列各支派中揀選的耶路撒冷城，我會留下一個支派給所羅門。 33所羅門背棄了我，去祭拜西頓人的女神亞斯她錄、摩押的神明基抹、亞捫人的神明米勒公。他沒有遵行我的道，沒有做我視為正的事，也不像他父親大衛那樣遵守我的律例和典章。 34然而，我不會奪走他整個國，我會讓他終生為王，因為我所揀選的僕人大衛遵守我的誡命和律法。 35我必從他兒子手中把國奪走，將十個支派賜給你， 36只給他兒子留下一個支派，好使我僕人大衛在我面前，在我選為居所的耶路撒冷城常有一盞燈。 37我要讓你做王，使你隨心所願地統治以色列。 38若你像我僕人大衛一樣聽從我的一切吩咐，遵行我的道，做我視為正的事，遵守我的律例誡命，我就與你同在，鞏固你的王朝，像鞏固大衛的王朝一樣，使你統治以色列。 39因所羅門的所作所為，我必讓大衛的後裔遭難，但不會永遠如此。』」
40所羅門想殺耶羅波安，他就逃到埃及投奔埃及王示撒，在那裡一直住到所羅門過世。
41所羅門其他的事蹟、作為和智慧都記在《所羅門記》上了。 42所羅門在耶路撒冷統治整個以色列四十年， 43他與祖先同眠後葬在他父親大衛的城裡。他兒子羅波安繼位。
