Study Desk

But Solomon did not make slaves of the Israelites. They were his soldiers, government leaders, officers, captains, chariot commanders, and drivers.

These were his most important officers over the work. There were five hundred fifty supervisors over the people who did the work on Solomon's projects.

the food on his table, his many officers, the palace servants, and their good clothes. She saw the servants who served him at feasts and the whole burnt offerings he made in the Temple of the Lord . All these things amazed her.

King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she wanted and asked for, in addition to what he had already given her of his wealth. Then she and her servants returned to her own country.

He imported horses from Egypt and Kue. His traders bought them in Kue.

He had seven hundred wives who were from royal families and three hundred slave women who gave birth to his children. His wives caused him to turn away from God.

As Solomon grew old, his wives caused him to follow other gods. He did not follow the Lord completely as his father David had done.

So Solomon did what the Lord said was wrong and did not follow the Lord completely as his father David had done.

Solomon did the same thing for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their gods.

At that time Hadad was only a young boy, so he ran away to Egypt with some of his father's officers.

God also caused another man to be Solomon's enemy—Rezon son of Eliada. Rezon had run away from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah.

This is the story of how Jeroboam turned against the king. Solomon was filling in the land and repairing the wall of Jerusalem, the city of David, his father.

Ahijah took his new coat and tore it into twelve pieces.

I will do this because Solomon has stopped following me and has worshiped the Sidonian god Ashtoreth, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Molech. Solomon has not obeyed me by doing what I said is right and obeying my laws and commands, as his father David did.

"‘But I will not take all the kingdom away from Solomon. I will let him rule all his life because of my servant David, whom I chose, who obeyed all my commands and laws.

But I will take the kingdom away from his son, and I will allow you to rule over the ten tribes.

Then he died and was buried in Jerusalem, the city of David, his father. And his son Rehoboam became king in his place.

King Rehoboam asked the elders who had advised Solomon during his lifetime, "How do you think I should answer these people?"

But Rehoboam rejected this advice. Instead, he asked the young men who had grown up with him and who served as his advisers.

When all the Israelites saw that the new king refused to listen to them, they said to the king, "We have no share in David! We have no part in the son of Jesse! People of Israel, let's go to our own homes! Let David's son rule his own people!" So the Israelites went home.