February 8, 2004, Thursday of the fifth week in ordinary time.

A reading from the first book of kings.

When Solomon was old, his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,

and his heart was not entirely with the Lord, his God, as the heart of his father David had been. By adoring

Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcombe, the idol of the Ammonites, Solomon did

evil in the sight of the Lord. He did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.

Solomon then built a high place to Kimash, the idol of Moab, and to Molek, the idol of the

Ammonites, on the hill opposite Jerusalem. He did the same for all his foreign wives

who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. The Lord therefore became angry with Solomon,

because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.

For though the Lord had forbidden him this very act of following strange gods, Solomon had not

obeyed him. So the Lord said to Solomon,

since this is what you want, and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes which I enjoined on you,

I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant. I will not do this during your

lifetime, however, for the sake of your father David.

It is your son whom I will deprive, nor will I take away the whole kingdom.

I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.

The Word of the Lord.

The Responsorial Psalm.

The response is,

Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

Blessed are they who observe what is right,

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