The Daily Audio Bible

Solomon Turns from Yahweh

11 Now ^(A)King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, ² from the nations concerning which Yahweh had said to the sons of Israel, “^(B)You shall not ^[a]go along with them, nor shall they ^[b]go along with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. ^3 (C)And he had 700 wives—princesses—and 300 concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. ⁴ Now it happened at the time that Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and ^(D)his heart was not ^[c]wholly devoted to Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father had been. ⁵ For Solomon went after ^(E)Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after ^[d](F)Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. ⁶ And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and did not follow Yahweh fully, as David his father had done. ⁷ Then Solomon built a high place for ^(G)Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is ^[e]east of Jerusalem, and for ^(H)Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. ⁸ Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.

⁹ Now ^(I)Yahweh was angry with Solomon ^(J)because his heart was turned away from Yahweh, the God of Israel, ^(K)who had appeared to him twice, ¹⁰ and ^(L)had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not walk after other gods; but he did not keep what Yahweh had commanded. ¹¹ So Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because this has happened with you: you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, so ^(M)I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. ¹² Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. ¹³ However, ^(N)I will not tear away all the kingdom, but ^(O)I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and ^(P)for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”

Yahweh Raises Up Adversaries

¹⁴ Then Yahweh raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the seed of the king in Edom.

¹⁵ Now it happened that ^(Q)when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had ^(R)struck down every male in Edom ¹⁶ (for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), ¹⁷ that Hadad fled ^[f]to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy. ¹⁸ Then they arose from Midian and came to ^(S)Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. And he gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land. ¹⁹ And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh. So he gave him as a wife the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. ²⁰ And the sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath. And Tahpenes weaned him in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh.

²¹ But ^(T)Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army had died. So Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, that I may go to my own country.” ²² Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?” And he answered, “Nothing; nevertheless you must surely ^[g]let me go.”

^23 (U)And God raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord ^(V)Hadadezer king of Zobah. ²⁴ And he gathered men to himself and became commander of a marauding band, ^(W)after David killed some of ^[h]them; and they went to Damascus and stayed ^[i]there, and reigned in Damascus. ²⁵ So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.

²⁶ Now ^(X)Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, ^(Y)also ^[j]raised his hand against the king. ²⁷ Now this was the reason why he ^[k]raised his hand against the king: ^(Z)Solomon built the ^[l]Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. ²⁸ Now the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. And ^(AA)Solomon saw that the young man was ^[m]industrious and appointed him over all the load-bearers of the house of Joseph. ²⁹ Now it happened at that time, that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, and ^(AB)that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now ^[n]he had covered himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. ³⁰ Then ^(AC)Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. ³¹ And he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, ^(AD)I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes, ^32 (AE)but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, ^(AF)the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, ³³ because they have forsaken Me, and ^(AG)have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, ^(AH)Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My sight and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as his father David did. ³⁴ Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ^[o]ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes; ³⁵ but ^(AI)I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you—the ten tribes. ³⁶ But ^(AJ)to his son I will give one tribe, ^(AK)that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, ^(AL)the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. ³⁷ And I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. ³⁸ Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then ^(AM)I will be with you and ^(AN)build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. ³⁹ Thus I will afflict the seed of David for this, but not always.’” ⁴⁰ Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to ^(AO)Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.

The Death of Solomon

^41 (AP)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? ⁴² Thus ^(AQ)the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. ⁴³ And Solomon ^(AR)slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son ^(AS)Rehoboam became king in his place.

Rehoboam Forsakes the Elders’ Counsel

12 ^(AT)Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to ^(AU)Shechem to make him king. ² And it happened, ^(AV)when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, ^[p]he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). ³ Then they sent and called for him. And Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴ “^(AW)Your father made our yoke harsh; but you, now, lighten the harsh service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” ⁵ Then he said to them, “^(AX)Go ^[q]for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.

⁶ Then King Rehoboam ^(AY)took counsel with the elders who had stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to respond to this people?” ⁷ And they spoke to him, saying, “^(AZ)If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and ^[r]grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” ⁸ But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had counseled him, and took counsel with the young men who grew up with him and stood before him. ⁹ So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may respond to this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” ¹⁰ Then the young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ Thus you shall speak to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! ¹¹ So now, my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.’”

¹² So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had spoken, saying, “^(BA)Return to me on the third day.” ¹³ And the king answered the people harshly, and he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had ^[s]given him, ¹⁴ and he spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “^(BB)My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people; ^(BC)for it was a turn of events from Yahweh, ^(BD)that He might establish His word, which Yahweh spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Israel Rebels Against Judah

¹⁶ Then all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them. So the people responded to the king with this word, saying,

So Israel went to their tents. ¹⁷ But ^(BF)as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸ Then King Rehoboam sent ^(BG)Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel ^[t]stoned him and he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ^19 (BH)So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

The Conversion of Saul

9 ^(A)Now ^[a]Saul, still ^(B)breathing ^[b]threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, ² and asked for ^(C)letters from him to ^(D)the synagogues at ^(E)Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to ^(F)the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³ And as he was traveling, it happened that when he was approaching Damascus, ^(G)suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; ⁴ and ^(H)falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” ⁵ And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, ⁶ but rise up and enter the city, and ^(I)it will be told you what you must do.” ⁷ And the men who traveled with him ^(J)stood speechless, ^(K)hearing the ^[c]voice but seeing no one. ⁸ And Saul got up from the ground, and ^(L)though his eyes were open, he ^[d]could see nothing. Leading him by the hand, they brought him into ^(M)Damascus. ⁹ And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰ Now there was a disciple at ^(N)Damascus named ^(O)Ananias, and the Lord said to him in ^(P)a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” ¹¹ And the Lord said to him, “Rise up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from ^(Q)Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, ¹² and he has seen ^[e]in a vision a man named Ananias come in and ^(R)lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” ¹³ But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, ^(S)how much harm he did to ^(T)Your ^[f]saints at Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And here he ^(U)has authority from the chief priests to bind all who ^(V)call on Your name.” ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for ^(W)he is a chosen ^[g]instrument of Mine, to bear My name before ^(X)the Gentiles and ^(Y)kings and the sons of Israel; ¹⁶ for ^(Z)I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” ¹⁷ So Ananias departed and entered the house. And he ^(AA)laid his hands on him and said, “^(AB)Brother Saul, the Lord sent me—that is Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming—so that you may regain your sight and be ^(AC)filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he rose up and was baptized; ¹⁹ and he took food and was strengthened.

Saul Begins to Preach Christ

Now ^(AD)for several days he was with ^(AE)the disciples who were at Damascus, ²⁰ and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ^(AF)in the synagogues, ^[h]saying, “He is ^(AG)the Son of God.” ²¹ And all those hearing him continued to be astounded, and were saying, “Is this not the one who in Jerusalem ^(AH)destroyed those that ^(AI)called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” ²² But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this One is the ^[i]Christ.

²³ And when ^(AJ)many days had elapsed, ^(AK)the Jews plotted together to put him to death, ²⁴ but ^(AL)their plot became known to Saul. ^(AM)They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

I Have Quieted My Soul

A Song of Ascents. Of David.