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But having become sick with incontinence concerning sexual matters and having gone mad over women, he was not content with those of his own race, but married very many foreign women, and gratifying them on account of his love, he also worshipped their gods. For he married seven hundred daughters of distinguished rulers and three hundred concubines and the daughter of the king of the Egyptians. Then the Lord said to Solomon, "Because you have not kept what I commanded you, I will tear your kingdom apart and give it to your servant. But I will not take away the rule from you while you are alive, for your father's sake, but when you have died I will do these things to your son. And I will not take the whole kingdom away from him, but leaving two tribes to him and Jerusalem for the sake of his grandfather David, I will give the ten to his servant." Not much time had passed and Hadad went to war against Israel. Hadad was an Edomite of royal seed, who, when Joab had destroyed Edom in the time of David, being a boy, fled to Egypt, and being kindly received by Pharaoh, was loved and married the sister of 1.126 Pharaoh's wife. Therefore, when he had grown up and learned that David and Joab were dead, he sought to return to his ancestral rule; but it was not permitted by Pharaoh. But when Solomon's affairs were in a bad state, it was permitted to Hadad and he returned to Edom. But since this was securely guarded, he came to Syria, and having formed a band of robbers around himself, he seized it and plundered the land of the Hebrews. But Jeroboam, son of Nebat, being a boy, served the king. And Solomon, seeing that he was noble in spirit, when he was building a wall around Jerusalem, appointed him supervisor of the construction. And as Jeroboam was going somewhere, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him, and turning him aside from the road, he tore his own garment into twelve pieces and gave ten to him, saying, "Thus will the Lord tear apart the kingdom of Solomon, and to his son he will leave two tribes for his grandfather's sake, but to you he will give the ten and will make you king over them. But you, hold fast to the laws of the Lord and be just." Greatly emboldened by these things, Jeroboam attempted to start a revolution. And the king, learning of the matter, sought to kill him. But he fled to Egypt and lived there until Solomon died. King Solomon died, as the book of Kings relates, having lived fifty-two years, for it is related that he took the throne at twelve years of age, and reigned for forty years, but as Josephus wrote, he lived ninety-four years, and reigned for eighty, having lived prosperously and gloriously, but transgressing in his 1.127 old age, persuaded by unholy loves for foreign women and following their religions. He had as successor to the kingdom his son Rehoboam. And all the people gathered to him, and they begged him to lighten for them the yoke of servitude which had been brought upon them by Solomon, and to show himself kinder than his father. But he said he would consider it and would speak after three days. Therefore, having called the older of his father's servants, he inquired what he should answer the people; and they advised him to speak to them more gently and not arrogantly and pompously. But after the council of elders, he shared the matter with the young men who had been raised with him, and told them the advice of the elders. But they advised him to address the people more harshly and to make his words correspond to the grandeur of his rule and to his royal dignity. And he agreed with them, and when the crowd had gathered again he said, "If my father made your yoke hard, I will make it heavier; and if he used whips on you, I will punish you with scorpions; and you will find that my little finger is thicker than my father's loins." When the crowd heard this, they cried out, "What portion have we in David?" and, being disheartened, they departed.

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ἀκρασίαν δὲ νοσήσας περὶ τὰ ἀφροδίσια καὶ περὶ γυναῖκας ἐκμανεὶς οὐ ταῖς ὁμογενέσιν ἠρκεῖτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλλοφύλους εγημε πλείστας, καὶ χαριζόμενος ἐκείναις διὰ τὸν ερωτα ἐθρήσκευε καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνων θεούς. εγημε γὰρ θυγατέρας ἀρχόντων διασήμων ἑπτακοσίας καὶ παλλακὰς τριακοσίας καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Αἰγυπτίων. ειπεν ουν ὁ κύριος πρὸς τὸν Σολομῶντα "οτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξας οσα ἐνετειλάμην σοι, διαρρήξω τὴν βασιλείαν σου καὶ δώσω αὐτὴν τῷ δούλῳ σου. οὐ σὲ δὲ ζῶντα τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφαιρήσομαι διὰ τὸν πατέρα σου, θανόντος δέ σου ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῷ υἱῷ σου ποιήσω. καὶ οὐδὲ πᾶσαν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν ἀφελοῦμαι, δύο δὲ φυλὰς αὐτῷ καταλελοιπὼς καὶ τὴν ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ διὰ τὸν πάππον ∆αβίδ, τὰς δέκα τῷ δούλῳ δώσω αὐτοῦ." Οὐ συχνὸς καιρὸς διελήλυθε καὶ Αδερ εἰς πόλεμον κατέστη τῷ ̓Ισραήλ. ην δὲ ὁ Αδερ ̓Ιδουμαῖοςἐκ βασιλείου σπορᾶς, ος τοῦ ̓Ιωὰβ καταστρεψαμένου τὴν ̓Ιδουμαίαν κατὰ τοὺς χρόνους ∆αβὶδ παιδάριον ων ἀπέδρα εἰς Αιγυπτον, καὶ φιλοφρόνως δεχθεὶς παρὰ Φαραὼ ἠγαπήθη καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν εγημε τῆς 1.126 γυναικὸς Φαραώ. ουτος ουν ἀνδρωθεὶς καὶ θανόντας μαθὼν τὸν ∆αβὶδ καὶ τὸν ̓Ιωάβ, ἐπανελθεῖν ἐζήτει πρὸς τὴν πατρῴαν ἀρχήν· ἀλλ' οὐ παρεχωρεῖτο πρὸς Φαραώ. ηδη δὲ τῷ Σολομῶντι τῶν πραγμάτων κακῶς ἐχόντων παρεχωρήθη καὶ Αδερ καὶ εἰς τὴν ̓Ιδουμαίαν ἐπανελήλυθε. ταύτης δ' ἀσφαλῶς φρουρουμένης εἰς τὴν Συρίαν ἀφίκετο, καὶ σύστημά τι σχὼν περὶ αὐτὸν λῃστρικὸν ταύτην τε κατέσχε καὶ τὴν τῶν ̔Εβραίων ἐληίζετο χώραν. ̔Ιεροβοὰμ δὲ υἱὸς Ναβὰτ παιδάριον ων ὑπηρέτει τῷ βασιλεῖ. ἰδὼν δὲ Σολομὼν αὐτὸν γενναῖον τὸ φρόνημα, οτε τῇ ̔Ιερουσαλὴμ περίβολον ᾠκοδόμει ἐπέστησεν αὐτὸν τῆς οἰκοδομῆς ἐπιμελητήν. ἀπερχομένῳ δέ που τῷ ̔Ιεροβοὰμ συνήντησε προφήτης ὁ Σηλωνίτης ̓Αχιά, καὶ ἐκκλίνας αὐτὸν τῆς ὁδοῦ διέρρηξε τὸ οἰκεῖον ἱμάτιον εἰς δώδεκα ῥήγματα καὶ δέδωκεν ἐκείνῳ τὰ δέκα, εἰπὼν ὡς "ουτως διαρρήξει τὴν βασιλείαν Σολομῶντος ὁ κύριος, καὶ τῷ μὲν ἐκείνου υἱῷ δύο καταλείψει φυλὰς διὰ τὸν πάππον, σοὶ δὲ τὰς δέκα δώσει καὶ βασιλεύσει σε ἐν αὐταῖς. σὺ δὲ ἀλλὰ τῶν νόμων ἀντέχου κυρίου καὶ γίνου δίκαιος." τούτοις μέγα φρονήσας ̔Ιεροβοὰμ νεωτερίζειν ἐπεχείρει. καὶ γνοὺς τὸ πρᾶγμα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνελεῖν ἐζήτει αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ φεύγει εἰς Αιγυπτον κἀκεῖ διῆγεν εως Σολομὼν ἐτελεύτησε. τέθνηκε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Σολομών, ὡς μὲν ἡ βίβλος τῶν Βασιλειῶν ἱστορεῖ, ζήσας ἐνιαυτοὺς πεντήκοντα πρὸς δυσί, δωδεκαέτης γὰρ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιβῆναι ἱστόρηται, βασιλεῦσαι δὲ ετη τεσσαράκοντα, ὡς δ' ὁ ̓Ιώσηπος συνεγράψατο, τέσσαρας μὲν ἐνιαυτοὺς ἐβίω καὶ ἐνενήκοντα, ὀγδοήκοντα δὲ βεβασίλευκεν, εὐτυχῶς μὲν ζήσας καὶ εὐκλεῶς, παρανομήσας μέντοι περὶ τὸ 1.127 γῆρας, ὑπ' ἐρώτων οὐκ εὐαγῶν ἀλλογενέσι πεισθεὶς γυναιξὶ καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων ἀκολουθήσας θρησκεύμασι. ∆ιάδοχον δ' εσχε τῆς βασιλείας τὸν υἱὸν ̔Ροβοάμ. καὶ ὁ λαὸς συνήχθη πᾶς πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ ἱκέτευον ἐλαφρῦναι αὐτοῖς τὸν τῆς δουλείας ζυγόν, ος παρὰ τοῦ Σολομῶντος αὐτοῖς ἐπενήνεκτο, καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς φανῆναι χρηστότερον. ὁ δὲ σκέψασθαι ειπε καὶ μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας εἰπεῖν. καλέσας ουν τοὺς γηραιοτέρους τῶν πατρῴων θεραπόντων τί αν ἀποκριθείη τῷ λαῷ ἐπυνθάνετο· κἀκεῖνοι διαλεχθῆναι αὐτοῖς συνεβούλευον ἠπιώτερον μηδ' ὑπερηφάνως καὶ ὀγκηρῶς. μετὰ δὲ τὴν γερουσίαν τοῖς μειρακίσκοις, οιπερ αὐτῷ συνετρέφοντο, τοῦ σκέμματος κεκοινώνηκε, καὶ τὴν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων εἰπὼν συμβουλήν. οἱ δὲ τραχύτερον αὐτῷ προσομιλῆσαι τῷ λαῷ συνεβούλευσαν καὶ τοὺς λόγους ἀναλόγους τῷ τῆς ἀρχῆς ογκῳ ποιήσασθαι καὶ τῷ βασιλικῷ ἀξιώματι. καὶ ος τούτοις προσέθετο, καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ πλῆθος αυθις συνεληλύθει "εἰ τὸν ζυγὸν ὑμῖν ἐσκλήρυνεν ὁ πατήρ μου" εφη, "τοῦτον αὐτὸς ἐπάξω βαρύτερον· καὶ εἰ μάστιξιν ἐκεῖνος ἐκέχρητο καθ' ὑμῶν, σκορπίοις ὑμᾶς κολάσω αὐτός· καί μου τῆς σμικρότητος παχυτέρας τῆς ὀσφύος τοῦ πατρὸς πειραθήσεσθε." τούτων τὸ πλῆθος ἀκοῦσαν "τίς ἡμῖν μερὶς ἐν ∆αβίδ;" ἐξεβόησαν, καὶ ἀποδυσπετήσαντες ἀπῄεσαν.