1st Kings — 11

Shalumah’s Many Wives

1 Now King Shalumah loved many foreign women. Besides Phar'uh’s daughter, he married women from Muab, Ammun, Adum, Sidun, and from among the Hittites. 

2 For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH had clearly instructed the people of Yashar'AL, “You must not marry them, because they will turn your hearts to their nations pagan idols.” Yet Shalumah insisted on loving them anyway. 

3 He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines. And in fact, they did turn his heart away from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH.

4 In Shalumah's old age, they turned his heart to worship their nations idols instead of being completely faithful to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH his 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, as his father Daud, had been. 

5 Shalumah worshiped Ashturath, the female idol of the Sidunians, and Mulach, the detestable idol of the Ammunites. 

6 In this way, Shalumah did what was evil in the sight of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH; he refused to follow 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH completely, as his father Daud, had done.

7 On the Mount of Olives, east of Yahushalam, Shalumah even built a pagan shrine for Chamush, the detestable idol of Muab, and another for Mulach, the detestable idol of the Ammunites. 

8 Shalumah built such shrines for all his foreign wives to use for burning incense and sacrificing to their idols.

9 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH was very angry with Shalumah, for his heart had turned away from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL, who had appeared to him twice. 

10 For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH had warned Shalumah specifically about worshiping other nations pagan idols, but Shalumah did not listen to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH’s command. 

11 So now 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH Dabar to Shalumah, “Since you have not kept my covenant and have disobeyed my decrees, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants. 

12 But for the sake of your father Daud, I will not do this while you are still alive. I will take the kingdom away from your son. 

13 And even so, I will not take away the entire kingdom; I will let him be king of one tribe, for the sake of my servant Daud and for the sake of Yahushalam, my chosen city.”

Shalumah’s Adversaries

14 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH raised up Hadad the Adumite, a member of Adum’s royal family, to be Shalumah’s adversary. 

15 Years before, Daud had defeated Adum. Yuab, his army commander, had stayed to bury some of the Yasharalym soldiers who had died in battle. While there, they killed every male in Adum. 

16 Yuab and the army of Yashar'AL had stayed there for six months, killing them.

17 But Hadad and a few of his father’s royal officials escaped and headed for Mitzraym. (Hadad was just a boy at the time.) 

18 They set out from Midian and went to Paran, where others joined them. Then they traveled to Mitzraym and went to Phar'uh, who gave them a home, food, and some land. 

19 Phar'uh grew very fond of Hadad, and he gave him his wife’s sister in marriage, the sister of Queen Tahpanas. 

20 She bore him a son named Ganubath. Tahpanas raised him in Phar'uh’s palace among Phar'uh’s own sons.

21 When the news reached Hadad in Mitzraym that Daud and his commander Yuab were both dead, he said to Phar'uh, “Let me return to my own country.”

22 “Why?” Phar'uh asked him. “What do you lack here that makes you want to go home?” “Nothing,” he replied. “But even so, please let me return home.”

23 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH also raised up Razun son of Aliada as Shalumah’s adversary. Razun had fled from his master, King Hadadazar of Zubah, 

24 and had become the leader of a gang of rebels. After Daud conquered Hadadazar, Razun and his men fled to Damascus, where he became king. 

25 Razun was Yashar'AL’s bitter adversary for the rest of Shalumah reign, and he made trouble, just as Hadad did. Razun hated Yashar'AL intensely and continued to reign in Aram.

Yarubuam Rebels against Shalumah 

26 Another rebel leader was Yarubuam son of Nabat, one of Shalumah’s own officials, he came from the town of Zaradah in Aphraim, and his mother was Zaruah, a widow.

27 This is the story behind his rebellion. Shalumah was rebuilding the supporting terraces and repairing the walls of the city of his father, Daud. 

28 Yarubuam was a very capable young man, and when Shalumah saw how industrious he was, he put him in charge of the labor force from the tribes of Aphraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Ya'asaf.

29 One day as Yarubuam was leaving Yahushalam, the Nabym Ahiyahu from Shiluh met him along the way. Ahiyahu was wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone in a field, 

30 and Ahiyahu took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. 

31 Then he said to Yarubuam, “Take ten of these pieces, for this is what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL, says: ‘I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Shalumah, and I will give ten of the tribes to you! 

32 But I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant Daud and for the sake of Yahushalam, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Yashar'AL. 

33 For Shalumah has abandoned me and worshiped Ashturath, the female calve idol of the Sidunians; Chamush, the idol of Muab; and Mulach, the idol of the Ammunites. Shalumah has not followed my ways and done what is pleasing in my sight, he has not obeyed my decrees and regulations as Daud his father did.

34 “‘But I will not take the entire kingdom from Shalumah at this time. For the sake of my servant Daud, the one whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees, I will keep Shalumah as leader for the rest of his life. 

35 But I will take the kingdom away from his son and give ten of the tribes to you. 

36 His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of Daud my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Yahushalam, the city I have chosen to be the place for my Name. 

37 And I will place you on the throne of Yashar'AL, and you will rule over all that your heart desires. 

38 If you listen to what I tell you and follow my ways and do whatever I consider to be right, and if you obey my decrees and commands, as my servant Daud did, then I will always be with you. I will establish an enduring dynasty for you as I did for Daud, and I will give Yashar'AL to you. 

39 Because of Shalumah’s sin I will punish the descendants of Daud, though not forever.’”

40 Shalumah tried to kill Yarubuam, but he fled to King Shishak of Mitzraym and stayed there until Shalumah died.

Summary of Shalumah’s Reign

41 The rest of the events in Shalumah’s reign, including all his deeds and his wisdom, are recorded in The Book of the Acts of Shalumah. 

42 Shalumah ruled in Yahushalam over all Yashar'AL for forty years. 

43 When he died, he was buried in the City of Daud his father. Then his son Rahubuam became the next king.