1
Now a number of strange women were loved by Solomon, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites:
2
The nations of which the Lord had said to the children of Israel, You are not to take wives from them and they are not to take wives from you; or they will certainly make you go after their gods: to these Solomon was united in love.
3
He had seven hundred wives, daughters of kings, and three hundred other wives; and through his wives his heart was turned away.
4
For it came about that when Solomon was old, his heart was turned away to other gods by his wives; and his heart was no longer true to the Lord his God as the heart of his father David had been.
5
For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and Milcom, the disgusting god of the Ammonites.
6
And Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord, not walking in the Lord's ways with all his heart as David his father did.
7
Then Solomon put up a high place for Chemosh, the disgusting god of Moab, in the mountain before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the disgusting god worshipped by the children of Ammon.
8
And so he did for all his strange wives, who made offerings with burning of perfumes to their gods.
9
And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had twice come to him in a vision;
10
And had given him orders about this very thing, that he was not to go after other gods; but he did not keep the orders of the Lord.
11
So the Lord said to Solomon, Because you have done this, and have not kept my agreement and my laws, which I gave you, I will take the kingdom away from you by force and will give it to your servant.