^24-25 He formed his own small army and became its leader after David had defeated Hadadezer's troops.^[a] Then Rezon and his army went to Damascus, where he became the ruler of Syria and an enemy of Israel.

Both Hadad and Rezon were enemies of Israel while Solomon was king, and they caused him a lot of trouble.

The Lord Makes a Promise to Jeroboam

²⁶ Jeroboam was from the town of Zeredah in Ephraim. His father Nebat had died, but his mother Zeruah was still alive. Jeroboam was one of Solomon's officials, but even he rebelled against Solomon. ²⁷ Here is how it happened:

While Solomon's workers were filling in the land on the east side of Jerusalem^[b] and repairing the city walls,