1 Kings 11:21-25

The Message

²¹ While living in Egypt, Hadad heard that both David and Joab, commander of the army, were dead. He approached Pharaoh and said, “Send me off with your blessing—I want to return to my country.”

²² “But why?” said Pharaoh. “Why would you want to leave here? Hasn’t everything been to your liking?”

“Everything has been just fine,” said Hadad, “but I want to go home—give me a good send-off!”

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^23-25 Then God incited another adversary against Solomon, Rezon son of Eliada, who had deserted from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. After David’s slaughter of the Arameans, Rezon collected a band of outlaws and became their leader. They later settled in Damascus, where Rezon eventually took over as king. Like Hadad, Rezon was a thorn in Israel’s side all of Solomon’s life. He was king over Aram, and he hated Israel.