14
How wise you became in your youth! You overflowed like a river with understanding.
15
Your soul covered the earth, and you filled it with parables and riddles.
16
Your name reached to far-off islands, and you were loved for your peace.
17
For your songs and proverbs and parables, and for your interpretations, the countries marveled at you.
18
In the name of the Lord God, who is called the God of Israel, you gathered gold like tin and amassed silver like lead.
19
But you laid your loins beside women, and through your body you were brought into subjection.
20
You put stain upon your honor, and defiled your posterity, so that you brought wrath upon your children and they were grieved at your folly,
21
so that the sovereignty was divided and a disobedient kingdom arose out of Ephraim.
22
But the Lord will never give up his mercy, nor cause any of his works to perish; he will never blot out the descendants of his chosen one, nor destroy the posterity of him who loved him; so he gave a remnant to Jacob, and to David a root of his stock.
23
Solomon rested with his fathers, and left behind him one of his sons, ample in folly and lacking in understanding, Rehoboam, whose policy caused the people to revolt. Also Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin and gave to Ephraim a sinful way.
24
Their sins became exceedingly many, so as to remove them from their land.