Original subtitles

Back to work! Back to work!

Who is the idiot who is stopping the men from working. . .?

Rehoboam, my son, I want you to meet the man

who is in charge of all the building of this magnificent temple to God.

The finest architect in the world,

Hiram of Naphtali.

Say, Rise, Hiram of Naphtali.

Rise, Hiram of Naphtali.

Accept the apology of the idiot who stopped your men from working.

Back to work. Back to work, the idiot is leaving!

( laughter )

I am very sorry, Your Majesty.

It is I who should apologize.

I was having too much fun.

Kings are not supposed to have fun.

- All goes well? - Yes, Your Majesty.

My men work hard and your people learn fast.

In a year or so, I'll be able to send some of my foremen home,

and they can be replaced by your men.

- Excellent. - Some water?

Yes, thank you.

Your Majesty, may I be permitted a question?

Of course.

This temple,

it will really be for God? God will live there?

Yes, Hiram, God will live there.

But can God live on earth?

That's an interesting question, Hiram.

Can God live on earth?

Well, even heaven cannot contain God,

much less this house that you are building.

But God said, My name shall be there,

that you may heed the prayer your servant prays towards this place.

I believe God wants us to have a place to look towards,

a place where we know He hears our prayers.

So you must do your best work, Hiram.

God has said this house shall stand forever.

- Forever? - Forever!

I shall try my best, Your Majesty.

Who will oversee the men of Israel once your men are departed, Hiram?

Why. . . I shall, Your Majesty.

The men of Israel don't work well under foreign leadership.

Don't be offended. They're a difficult bunch.

You have an Israeli working for you who's industrious and able?

One you can trust?

Jeroboam.

Jeroboam!

Rise.

Hiram of Naphtali says that you're clever, hard working

and able to lead men.

- This is true, Hiram? - It is, Your Majesty.

I'm going to take his recommendation. . .

and put you in charge of all of the laborers, starting today.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Make sure they work hard.

This is God's house you're building.

- The Temple will need musicians. . . - Yes, my lord.

I want only the best, the most skilled.

And also the men who make the instruments. . .

It will also be a school where all arts and sciences are taught.

My children!

Enough! Enough!

Come and show your father what you've learned.

Come on.

( clapping )

Turn.

Every one of my wives,

every one of them says that you are an old lizard,

and you're not putting their child in the front row,

or heeding their child's particular talent--

Silence. Watch the dance.

Wives. . .

I wish I could cut some of them in half.

You are a fool to have so many wives.

I like women, Mother.

Moses said a man shouldn't acquire many wives,

or else his heart turns away.

But I'm not a man, I'm a king!

Moses was talking about a king.

No, keep together!

No, no, no! The left foot!

I've told you and told you and told you,

you do not go beyond that circle before you start to turn!

Oh, no-- Oh!

The queen! Oh, no!

( laughing )

Mother!

Mother!

David, my love?

No, Mother, it's your son.

Solomon.

Of course.

My mind is wandering. . .

ahead of my body.

Solomon,

do you remember. . .

the psalm. . .

David wrote after he sinned with me?

Do good to Zion. . .

in your good pleasure. . .

. . .and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Then you will delight in the right sacrifices, burnt offerings.

Then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Bulls will be offered on your altar,

Solomon.

( sobbing )

Who's there?

Can I help you, Majesty?

Did you see me fall?

Fall? No, no, of course not, Your Majesty.

Of course you saw me fall, but your diplomacy is appreciated.

Who are you?

Jeroboam, Your Majesty. You appointed me over the. . .

Yes, yes, yes, I remember, over the laborers.

Come and help me.

Is it permitted?

Of course it isn't.

If the priests catch us, they'll stone us both.

Now get in here!

Now, come and boost me up.

I want to polish the eyes of the cherubim.

Jeroboam, if the king wishes to polish the eyes of the cherubim,

don't question him, help him polish the eyes of the cherubim.

- Right? - Yes, of course, Your Majesty.

Come on!

It is one of the duties of the king. . .

to polish the eyes of the cherubim.

Give me your arm. Didn't you know that?

- No, Your Majesty. - Oh, yes. Solemn duty.

Then why do you have to sneak past the priests to do it?

Oh-hh!

Your king is crazy, Jeroboam.

But only you know this.

Guard the secret with your life.

I'm afraid it's too late, Your Majesty. The secret's out.

( laughing aloud )

Arise, O Lord. Let Your enemies be scattered.

Let those that hate Thee flee from before Thee!

( fanfare )

Praise the Lord, God of Israel!

He has kept all His promises made to the king, my father.

And I , in turn, have kept my vows,

both to God and to my father.

The people of Israel have built this Temple,

as a dwelling place for the God Most High

and as a resting place for this Holy Ark of the Covenant.

It is fitting that the laws given to Moses by the Lord God Himself

should be kept forever in His house.

Grant, Lord God,

that we keep Your laws,

and please You in all that we do,

both from this day, and forever more.

I pray You,

look kindly on this place and make it a house of prayer

for all nations and all peoples.

( thunder )

( festive music )

Why downcast?

On this of all days?

It's not easy to put into words, Jeroboam.

If Solomon can't, no one can.

Seven years.

Seven years with one object,

one ambition, one dream,

and now it is finished.

What else is there for me to do?

I have not the wisdom to answer such a question,

but my answer would be. . .

to continue to serve God.

( music and clapping )

Abishag.

Abishag.

My Lord King!

I don't believe it. . .

Please. I'd rather no one knew who I was.

How are you?

Well, my lord.

And your parents? Are they here?

Of course.

The whole world is here. Nothing would keep my father away.

My husband, my two children, we are all here.

You are married? How wonderful.

Would you honor us with your presence?

Nothing would give me more pleasure.

Where's your tent?

Here. . .

Oh, these are fine children.

They're a credit to you both.

I'd love to give them something, but I brought nothing with me.

Nothing, Great One?

Your blessing would be worth more than gold.

Dear Lord, bless these children.

Keep them safe in Your hands.

May you prosper like your noble grandfather. . .

and may you be as beautiful and pure in spirit as your mother.

Lovely children.

Go, now. Go, go, go, go.

Your Majesty, if I may,

there is one little thing,

Great King,

hardly worth mentioning, really.

- The pearls I gave you. . . - Of course! I'm glad you asked.

I had them used as the eyes of the two great cherubim

that guard the Ark of the Covenant.

My pearls. . .

are in the Temple?

They look down on the Ark of God?

For all time, if God wills it.

Then I have not lived my life without purpose.

I can go happily to my grave.

Azarel,

will you do me a favor?

Anything in my power.

Lend me a horse until dawn. I want to ride out into the desert.

I have only a donkey outside.

The horses are stabled some distance away.

A donkey will do.

A donkey? A king on a donkey?

Kings have ridden on donkeys before, and I'm sure they will again.

Well, then he is yours, Magnificence,

for as long as you wish. Keep him.

Just until dawn.

I have heard your prayer, Solomon.

I'll grant your wish that I live in the Temple you have built for Me.

As for you, if you follow My laws, as did your father, David,

then I will be with you until the end of your days.

But if you turn away from Me and serve other gods but Me,

then I will destroy the Temple that you have built for Me.

Who are you?

What are these magnificent beasts?

Where are you going?

Hello?

Hello? May I present myself?

I'm King Solomon, the King of Israel.

Actually, it's true. I am the King of Israel.

Where are you going?

To Jerusalem.

Ride ahead and tell your king

that the Queen of Sheba is coming.

Thank you. I'll be sure to tell the king.

( chattering )

( processional music plays )

Jeroboam, do you think she is beautiful?

I certainly hope so. You've asked me a hundred times

in the last hour.

( trumpets sound )

I'm King Solomon of Israel and Judah.

I bid you welcome on behalf of all of my countrymen.

The fame of King Solomon has spread like a rising tide,

even as far as Axum and Saaba.

I have crossed the desert for many months

to bathe in the ocean of his wisdom.

And to see his considerable skills on a donkey.

I am Makida, Queen of Sheba.

( reeds and drums play softly )

They please you?

Hmm, yes, very much.

We-- we have no tradition here of dances like these.

But they're beautiful.

They are yours.

- Mine? - I brought them for you.

A riddle for you, Your Majesty.

How can you see through sand?

You mean across sand?

No, through sand, Your Majesty. These are made from sand.

How?

Heated until it becomes liquid, then cooled into thin sheets

with air from the lungs.

What is it called?

Glass. From Phoenicia.

Fabric from I India.

Beautiful!

Precious wood. . .

- also from I India. - Hmmm, it smells wonderful.

Peaches, oranges, figs,

cheese. . .

lentils, millet. . .

hmmm. . . fine herbs. . .

ah. . . salt from the Dead Sea. . .

very good in small amounts.

Deer, roebuck, gazelle,

this is game fowl,

look at those. . .

This. . . this is my favorite,

fatted goose from Egypt.

Have you ever tasted goose, Your Majesty?

Never.

Mmm. . .

Oh, you must try this.

This is the sweetest thing you have ever tasted.

Sugar cane from the Nile.

Very good.

But not as sweet as my sugar cane.

You've tasted this before?

My country is on the Nile.

It is a very long river, Your Majesty.

We have grown sugar cane since the beginning of time.

Is this a shrine to Astarte?

It is.

How can this be allowed? You worship your one God.

We're a trading nation.

Merchants come from all over the world.

If they couldn't worship their gods, they'd go somewhere else.

How strange. . . to put trade before faith.

Now you sound like my priests!

Something is wrong with the fruit?

Nothing. Just an ant.

Just an ant?

You should consider them.

I've learned much from watching ants.

You watch the ants?

Oh, yes, it's fascinating!

We think the lion the king among beasts,

but what does he do? He finds his lair,

he does not build it.

And he would rather sleep while his lioness does the hunting.

But the ant builds his own city.

They have their ruler, their soldiers

and they all work together for the common good.

Oh, we would do well to study the ants.

But I wish they'd find their own food!

Joseph taught us all

that forgiveness is God's way.

Even if you have been wronged,

you must look to God,

to know what He would have you do, hmm?

Now, who remembers the fourth commandment?

Ready. . . begin!

Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long

in the land that the Lord your God has given you.

Sisi. . .

Oh, Baladona,

Hezezia,

Lezia,

Johanan. . .

Do you know them all by name?

If I forget, their mothers soon remind me.

And they all worship your God even though their mothers do not?

Yes, especially my sons.

One day, I must choose a successor.

Not the eldest?

That's not our law.

I was not the eldest and my father chose me.

And I am certain that he made the right choice.

He loved my mother, above all his other wives.

So love made you a king.

Well, there are worse ways of choosing.

A king's heart is a stream of water in the hands of the Lord.

He turns it wherever He will.

( restless grumbling )

The waters do not belong to you.

Neither do they belong to you.

They belong to God.

Do I lay claim to the air you are breathing now?

Is it mine since it is within my chamber?

You will both lose your share of the water for one month.

You will not be allowed to use the water for any purpose.

Perhaps this will remind you to thank God for what he has given you.

Next case.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

Keep the Lord's commandments and teachings

as the apple of your eye.

Train your children well so when old they will not fail you.

And he who loves discipline, loves knowledge.

He who hates to be rebuked is stupid.

Also, those who belittle another lack sense.

And the righteous know the needs of their animals.

Only the wicked are cruel.

A soft answer turns away wrath.

The beginning of strife is like a leak of water,

so stop before the argument begins.

And remember,

the wise man remains silent,

so even fools who keep quiet can be considered wise!

( laughter and applause )

I have another riddle for you.

What are the eight things that the Lord hates the most?

Hmm. . . Let me see. . .

Hate. . .

deceit,

hypocrisy?

Haughty eyes.

Two.

A lying tongue. Three.

Hands that shed innocent blood.

Five.

A heart that devises wicked plans.

Six.

And feet that run towards evil.

Eight.

The report that I heard. . .

in my own land of your accomplishments

and of your wisdom was true.

Not even half has been told to me.

Blessed be the Lord your God, Who has delighted in you

and set you upon the throne of Israel.

And the reports of your beauty and grace fall far short of the truth.

Did you swim as a boy?

Yes, of course.

Do you still swim now that you're king?

- Sadly, never. - Hmm.

Time again.

I called upon God. . .

and the spirit of wisdom came to me.

But in you there is an understanding,

clear. . .

undefiled, plain,

loving the thing that is good.

You see as only a woman can.

A mirror to God's goodness.

You are the queen to my king.

I've sought you ever since I was a youth,

without knowing what it was I was seeking.

Solomon. . .

more than anything else in the world,

I want to bear you a son.

Then our minds are as one.

More than anything else in the world, I want to marry you.

Do you imagine that I haven't thought about it?

Would you give up your kingdom for me?

Israel is more than a kingdom.

It is a Faith.

It has been called by God to do great things.

Yes, I have come to realize that.

Isn't the position already. . .

rather crowded?

They are nothing.

You are everything.

Solomon, I cannot abandon my people forever.

A crown is like. . .

a seam of gold. There are always those who seek it.

One day, I will have to return.

But a boy from you. . .

that promises us a whole year together.

You shall have your year.

And I will. . .

be your wife.

Yes. . .

I will.

( applause )

Oh, my love!

How much better are your kisses than wine.

My lord!

Not now, Jeroboam. I'm late to meet my queen.

They sent me to speak for them.

Who sent you?

The elders, the officers of the court.

They say we are friends. They say you will listen to me.

Very well. What is it?

Say it!

The ship of state needs someone at the steering oar.

What does that mean, Jeroboam?

There are matters which demand your attention. . .

other than the Queen of Sheba's thighs.

How dare you?!

No one speaks to me like that!

Get out! Get out!

Jeroboam!

I apologize.

It is too easy for a king to avoid criticism.

Say your speech.

Taxes. . . forced labor.

The people would endure it while the Temple was being built.

The Temple is finished. The taxes should also cease.

You should show yourself in the provinces.

Popularity is a fickle thing. It could leave you.

And finally, your crown depends on the love of the people.

And, may I add, on the love of God.

You have served Him well in the past,

but is that a surety for now, for the future?

Jeroboam, listen to me,

and listen to me carefully.

I love her,

above duty, above health.

I choose her over light.

Because the light that radiates from her never dims.

She is my missing arm, no--

she's my entire body.

She's what I've always wanted without ever knowing my wants.

She is the breath of God.

Solomon--

she's a woman.

Exactly.

Oh, oh, feel. . .

It's a boy. . .

I am sure, the way he kicks-- ooh!

he will be a great athlete.

My love,

I have something to ask you, but I am at a loss for words.

You?

The wisest of the wise? Ask.

If it is a boy, I want him to be my heir,

King of Israel and Judah.

But. . .

you've promised it to Rehoboam.

He is to be your heir.

Unless I decide otherwise.

And I do.

Stay here with me.

We will raise a mighty King, strong, wise,

whose voice will be heard throughout the land,

proclaiming the righteousness of the Lord.

( baby cries )

I knew it!

A boy! A boy!

A king!

I shall call you Menelik, the Chosen One.

Thank you, God! Thank you!

( laughing )

No! It is out of the question!

It's outrageous that you could even contemplate such an act.

The throne is mine! I have a right to choose my successor!

No! The choice is not yours!

It must be ratified by God through the High Priest and the Council!

King David chose me above all his sons,

- younger or older! - He chose you, yes!

But you were not made king until anointed by the High Priest Zadok.

Then and only then you became king. True?

Yes, yes, I went through the usual formalities. . .

Usual formalities ?

You make one of the most sacred acts of our faith. . .

sound like a blessing before dinner!

She is not of our faith!

I don't know who she worships,

but it is not the one true God.

She wishes to embrace our faith.

You know the law.

She must be one of us!

Raised and born in fear of the living God!

My friend, force your will on this. . .

and you will lose your crown.

There would be a revolution.

Well?

The King, may he live forever,

knows the law.

Neither I , nor any priest in Israel

would dare anoint the son of the Queen of Sheba as heir.

That is the Holy Law,

and even kings must live and die by it.

That is your final word?

It is the Holy Law.

Don't ask.

Please. Please stay.

- To join your 7 00 wives? - Never!

I am the queen of my country. My son is the heir.

I have been blinded by my love for you,

but now they have let me see.

At first, I was a curiosity.

- Now I am a hated stranger. - Never hated!

You can rule your people, Solomon,

but you cannot command them to love me. . .

or our son.

This city will be a tomb without you.

It was never possible, Solomon.

Never.

But I only began to live. . .

the day that I saw you on that donkey.

I am King Solomon. Who are you?

I am the woman who will love you forever.

Our son, our son will have a crown.

He will rule my kingdom.

And, Solomon,

I want him to rule under your God, Whom I intend to make mine.

When I leave,

I would like to take some men learned in your faith. . .

to instruct our son.

I will do better than that,

since he is to be denied his right to rule here.

You and I will build a new Jerusalem,

a new Israel in your land.

I will send the priests, architects,

and settlers and soldiers,

and riches enough for him to rule in splendor.

Then I will give him another name.

I will call him David, in honor of your father.

Drop your arms from around me.

No, I cannot, I cannot.

You must.

You must do this for me, or I can never leave.

I cannot, I cannot.

You are the king.

You must do what God has ordained.

You must give your life to your country.

You are my life.

And Israel is your country. She must come first.

Drop your arms from around me. . .

and let me go.

Look at them. More gold!

Six hundred talents of gold, I've heard tell.

Six hundred?!

That is a whole year of taxes for the entire country!

He's gone mad!

You never know what a man will do

when he starts thinking with his groin.

Look at them!

Our finest citizens, commanded to relocate.

I don't pay taxes to pour into some hole in Africa!

Why are we still paying these taxes?

I thought once the Temple was built. . .

That's why!

What is this?

Gold cups!

I want nothing but gold!

Ahh. . .

gold.

Good.

Do you know why it is good, Jeroboam?

Because one man goes deep into the earth to dig it up,

another man melts it to make it pure,

another shapes it into a cup,

and another etches a beautiful design upon it.

Why?

So the king can have the very best. That is why.

All is vanity.

Solomon--

All things are wearisome, Jeroboam,

more than one can express.

The eye is not satisfied with the seeing,

the ear is not filled with the hearing.

Yet, there is nothing new under the sun.

Solomon!

I applied my mind to seek and search out wisdom

and it is an unhappy business that God has given human beings,

for all is vanity.

You have acquired much wisdom, Solomon.

Much wisdom is much vexation!

Those who increase in knowledge increase in sorrow.

That is not true.

No? I said to myself, Come, Solomon,

make a test of pleasure, enjoy yourself.

I searched with my mind how to. . .

how to cheer my body so that I might see. . .

what it was that mortals should do under heaven

in the few days of their lives.

Vanity!

I made great works.

I have great possessions, delights of the flesh--

whatever my eye desires, I did not keep from them.

Vanity!

Solomon, you are a king to your people.

What happens to the fool will also happen to the king.

All come from dust, to dust all shall return.

Why, then, do I have to be so wise?

Vanity.

You gave us the Temple. Solomon--

The Temple I must leave to those who come after.

Who knows whether they will be wise or foolish?

It is not for them, it is for me. Vanity!

Jeroboam, what do mortals get from all the toil and strain?

All our days are full of pain.

Even at night, our minds do not rest.

This is also vanity.

It is God's will.

Oh, God's will!

Every time a question is asked that cannot be answered,

someone always says, It is God's will!

I believe God's will is already written.

Man has nothing to do with it.

There is a season for everything,

and a time for every purpose under the heavens--

all God's iron will.

A time to be born, a time to die,

a time to kill, a time to heal,

a time to weep, a time to laugh,

a time to dance. . .

a time to mourn.

God's will?

Business that God has given to everyone just. . .

just to keep them busy!

But we cannot know God.

We cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Because what is, already has been,

and what is to be, already is.

Vanity is all there is.

The more words, the more vanity.

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong,

nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent,

but time and chance happen to them all.

Mere chance.

Belief otherwise is vanity.

I believe in God.

Jeroboam, remember your Creator in the days of your youth,

before the days of troubles come,

for the years draw near, faster than you think,

when you will say,

I have no pleasure.

When strong men are bent,

the golden bowl is broken,

and the breath returns to God Who gave it.

Vanity of vanities.

All is vanity.

The king is here. He's here.

Quickly.

Welcome, my husband and King.

Is the great goddess Ashtoreth answering your prayers?

She doesn't have to answer our prayers.

She grants us children and cares for our loved ones in the afterlife.

They shine down on us each night.

Make an offering to the Mother of us all.

No, no, no, I worship the one true God.

Make an offering for the Mother of true love and your children,

for the love you have shown me.

I am deeply divided within myself.

Solomon is my anointed king,

but I worship the true God,

and He will be my judge at my life's end.

That is why I have come.

I have seen with my own eyes

our king worshipping this pagan goddess.

Jeroboam, you are not the first to tell us of these things.

There has been another ambush.

I know, the taxes from Ephrian.

Who stole them?

Probably by the very men who paid those taxes.

Zadok, men are starving. Their families are starving.

They spit the king's name.

Oh, Solomon!

We must convince him to lift their burden.

I will have an audience with him.

Meanwhile,

keep good watch on him,

for his own sake. . .

and for the whole kingdom.

. . .who rules over the universe,

without you, the river will not open.

Merciful lady, hear us.

Oh, mother of the fruitful breast. . .

who rules over the universe,

without you, the river will not open. . .

It is written that the children of Israel

should beware of marrying outside the faith.

For those women will turn your heart away from the one true God.

Much is written. Little is understood.

You give sacrifices to gods that all true believers

know to be obscene and wicked.

Great Solomon,

if you persist in your worship of false gods,

you will bring God's anger on your own head

and onto all this land of Israel and Judah.

I study the world!

It is possible to learn from the false as well as the true!

God has given me the gift of wisdom and I shall use it as I see fit!

Now you stick to the tasks that God and I have given you, Zadok,

and I will stick to mine.

Self-righteous fools!

They know the law and they know you are breaking it.

It was I who was given the gift of wisdom,

by God Himself, not those doddery old windbags.

They are God's representatives on earth.

I am God's representative on earth!

I am His anointed.

What business is it of theirs

if I show a tolerance to foreign gods?

Building temples to them is more than showing tolerance!

What do you know? You are a laborer.

This laborer

thinks you should take one of your secret walks.

( laughter )

On a hill, not far from my farm--

you can see it from my sheep pens-- an altar to Chemosh.

I keep my woman and kids inside under lock and key

when they're about.

Disgusting! Shouldn't be allowed.

And you know who I saw up there? The King himself!

Yes, it's true! With his fancy women.

All over them, he was. Yes, dearest. No, dearest.

They're all over the place, these altars,

like a plague of boils.

- Hah! - Let's go and pull it down.

I mean it. Who's going to stop us?

Who'd disagree with us?

You fools!

I'm no fool!

All of you! You're all fools!

Israel is surrounded by goddess worshipers,

every other country. . .

and it's not only the king's wives, is it, hmm?

Many other citizens make secret offerings at those same altars.

- There is only one true God! - How do you know? Hmm?

This is how I know, pagan!

Hey, what's going on? Stop it!

Stop it! Stop it!

He's right, and you know it.

Sidon, you caught your wife not ten days ago offering up. . .

Yes, and I beat it out of her.

She'll never worship false gods again.

Hebrews have been worshipping the goddess Ashtoreth for generations!

Thou shall have no other gods before me.

Get out! Get out!

Let's make sure! Let's knock it down!

Get out!

- Thank you! - Get out!

I believe in only one God! Always will!

I carry nothing.

You carry a heavy burden of wrongs against the one true God.

Because you have turned against Me and not kept covenant with Me,

I will tear your kingdom from you, and give it to your servant.

For your father, David's sake, while you live, you shall rule.

But when you die, I will divide the kingdom.

I will give your son one tribe, but the rest will I tear from him.

Thus speaks the Lord, your God.

Leave me alone!

Where are you going?

I will have you if I want you, and I do want you.

Let me pass.

Hey!

- What do you think you're doing? - Leave me alone!

- You leave her alone! - I'm the son of the King! Rehoboam!

- I don't care who you are. - Let him go!

He is who he says he is.

He insulted my daughter. I don't care who he is.

Give him over to my care. I will see the King hears of this.

I will see justice done.

I hope you will accept this as a fair recompense.

Thank you, my lord. You are generous.

- But I still think I'm ruler. . . - Leave it to me.

I will see that justice is done.

Solomon, you must speak with Rehoboam.

He's a disgrace to you!

He's young, and I was just like him at that age.

No. Where you were proud, he is arrogant.

Where you were wise, he is opinionated.

Where you used your powers for the common good,

he abuses them.

You cared about the people, he cares only for himself.

Every generation thinks their sons and their daughters

are worse behaved than they were.

- It is the way of the world. - It isn't our sons and daughters!

It's you!

You brought the kingdom of Israel and Judah to a pinnacle.

- We were the envy of the world! - Nothing's changed.

Everything has changed!

You have abandoned God and God will abandon you!

Zadok warned you on his deathbed!

The priests have warned you.

For all I know, God Himself has warned you.

And still the false gods defile our land like the plague!

I would allow no other man to speak to me like this, Jeroboam.

Then hear me! It is not too late.

You made me superintendent of the northern provinces!

There is much anger there. If they should break away,

it would be the end of everything.

Israel would again be nothing more than a few wandering tribes.

Then I suggest you go there to rule them,

before I do something I might regret!

Go on. Go.

Yes, I will go.

But not to the office of your court.

And what does this mean, Jeroboam?

It means. . .

I will not be a part of your heathen ways.

I'm separating myself from your government,

as you have separated yourself from the one true God.

Rebellion?

Is this rebellion from the man I raised from a common laborer?

Call it what you like.

I cannot follow a King who does not follow his God.

I will follow any god I wish!

I learn from other gods.

And I will rule as my mind and my heart tell me!

And I shall do it all. . .

without the hand-wringing cretins of the court!

Do you hear me?

Ah, Jeroboam.

Come, eat. I've been waiting for you.

You know my name?

Who are you? Did the King send you?

Not the King you mean.

I'm Ahijah, from Shiloh.

I serve our God, as I know you do also.

Some say I am a prophet.

- And are you? - Perhaps.

Perhaps I hear God more clearly than most.

Oh, I have a message for you.

It's strong new cloth. Have you a knife?

Good. Come.

These twelve pieces of my cloak represent the twelve tribes of Israel.

This is God's word to you.

Solomon has broken his laws, and worshipped false gods.

You have not.

So, thus speaks the God of Israel. . .

he will take the kingdom away from Solomon's son, Rehoboam,

and give it to you-- that is, the ten tribes.

Now he will give the tribe of Judah to Rehoboam,

so that his servant, David,

will always have a lamp before him in Jerusalem.

Do you understand?

Good.

Now, I must be on my way.

Keep God's law,

and He will keep faith with you. Come.

Come.

Where are you going?

To deliver the last two pieces of my cloak.

Come on!

God would do this?

I'm simply His messenger.

I should have you killed. . .

I know it's sometimes the custom to kill the messenger

who bears bad news,

but the messenger from God?

I would think carefully.

Guard! Guard!

Start a search.

I want Jeroboam found and killed.

He must not escape.

A thousand measures of gold

to the man who brings me back his body.

Oh, Lord, Lord!

Oh, Lord!

( weeping )

A gift from Ahijah, the Shilonite.

Keep that, too.

Now ride for Egypt. Your life is in grave danger.

Stay there until you hear that Solomon is dead.

Ride for your life!

Where is my son?

Where is Rehoboam?

Rehoboam,

my days draw to an end.

And I have. . .

been a fool.

Listen to me, my son, listen to me.

Fear God. . .

and keep His commandments.

I understand you, Father.

Deal wisely with the tribes. . .

Don't worry, Father.

I know how to deal with them.

No! No!

( choking )

( applause )

Well. . .

I've come to be anointed as your King.

Have you lost your tongues?

( uproar )

You!

Your father broke God's Holy Law

and His punishment has fallen on His people.

They groaned under Solomon's taxes.

They bled under the lash of his forced labor.

They will tolerate these things no longer.

Crowd: Yes, yes!

They want your word,

there will be no more forced labor,

and the taxes will be fair!

Crowd: Yes, yes!

Otherwise, they refuse to become your subjects.

They refuse?

I will discuss these matters with my council.

We'll meet again in three days.

I beg you, my lord,

consider carefully.

Your noble father always preferred peace to war.

Of all wars that can be waged, the worst,

the most bloody, is a civil war.

It would be the end of the kingdom.

( uproar )

You are King!

Any sign of weakness, if you give way to their demands,

they will walk over you like cattle over a meadow!

I say, stand firm!

Why listen to these old graybeards?

( applause )

I have heard the young men of Judah.

They acknowledge me King.

As for you,

you thought my father's yoke was heavy?

Wait until you feel mine.

You thought my father's taxes too high.

Mine will crush you.

How dare you speak out against your lawful King?

My father chastised you with whips,

I shall use scorpions!

I am your King!

This finger is thicker than my father's thigh!

( muttering )

That is your final word?

I have nothing more to say.

So be it.

You have heard your King!

Will you serve him?

Crowd: No!

Then we are no longer one nation! The prophesy was true.

The glory of Solomon is gone forever.

The prophesy was indeed true.

Jeroboam ruled the ten tribes of Israel.

Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to Rehoboam.

But Solomon's prayer was answered.

For 360 years, the Temple remained a place. . .

where God and His people would come together,

where He would hearken to the prayers of mankind. . .

and forgive.