World English Bible · The united kingdom
1 Chronicles 12
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Now these are those who came to to while he was a fugitive from the son of . They were among the , his helpers in war. They were armed with bows, and could use both and the left in slinging stones and in shooting arrows from the bow. They were of relatives of the tribe of . The chief was , then , the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of ; Beracah; the ; Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among and a leader of ; ; ; ; the Gederathite; 5Eluzai; ; Bealiah; ; Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6, , , Joezer, and , the ; and Joelah and , the sons of of Gedor. Some joined in the in , of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear; whose faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains: 9 the chief, the second, Eliab the third, 10Mishmannah the fourth, the fifth, 11Attai the sixth, the seventh, 12 the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 the tenth, and Machbannai the eleventh. These of the sons of Gad were captains of the army. He who was least was equal to one hundred, and the greatest to one thousand. These are those who went over in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all who lived in the valleys, both toward the east and toward the west. 16Some of the children of and Judah came to the to . went out to meet them, and answered them, "If you have come peaceably to me to help me, will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my , since there is no wrong in my hands, may the of our fathers see this and rebuke it." Then came on , who was chief of , and he said, "We are yours, , and on your side, you son of . Peace, peace be to you, and peace be to your helpers; for your helps you." Then received them and made them captains of the band. Some of also joined when he came with the against to battle, but they didn't help them, for the lords of the sent him away after consultation, saying, "He will to his master to the jeopardy of our heads." As he went to , some from joined him: Adnah, , , , , , and Zillethai, captains of thousands who were of . They helped against the band of raiders, for they were all of valor and were captains in the army. For from day to day men came to to help him, until there was a great army, like army. These are the numbers of the heads of those who were armed for war, who came to to to turn of to him, according to word. 24The children of Judah who bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, armed for war. 25Of the children of , of valor for the war: seven thousand one hundred. 26Of the children of : four thousand six hundred. was the leader of the household of ; and with him were three thousand seven hundred, and , a young man mighty of valor, and of his house twenty-two captains. Of the children of , relatives: three thousand, for until then, the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to house. Of the children of : twenty thousand eight hundred, of valor, famous men in their fathers' houses. Of the half-tribe of : eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make king. Of the children of , men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their heads were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their command. Of , such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array with all kinds of instruments of war: fifty thousand who could command and were not of double . 34Of : one thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty-seven thousand. 35Of the who could set the battle in array: twenty-eight thousand six hundred. Of Asher, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array: forty thousand. On the other side of , of the , the , and of the half-tribe of , with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle: one hundred twenty thousand. All these were men of war who could order the battle array, and came with a perfect to to make king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one to make king. They were there with three days, eating and drinking; for their brothers had supplied provisions for them. Moreover those who were near to them, as far as , , and , brought bread on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen: supplies of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, , oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance; for there was joy in Israel.
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The world at this moment · The united kingdom, 1050 BC to 931 BC ›
Saul, David, and Solomon. A rare window when both Egypt and Mesopotamia are weak, which is how a small kingdom in the corridor between them could briefly become a regional power.
- The power vacuum
- This is the whole political explanation for the united kingdom. Egypt is fragmented, Assyria is recovering but still local, the Hittites are gone, and nobody is in a position to object to a strong state in the corridor. It lasts about a century, and Israel's golden age fits exactly inside it.
- Phoenicia
- Tyre under Hiram is the commercial power of the coast, and supplies the cedar, the craftsmen, and the shipping for Solomon's building programme. The alliance is trade, not charity: Israel had grain and a land route, Tyre had timber and ships.
- Egypt
- Weak enough that a pharaoh gives a daughter in marriage to an Israelite king, which is the opposite of Egyptian practice in stronger centuries. Late in the era it recovers under a new house, and Shishak will invade within five years of Solomon's death.
- Further afield
- Greece is still in its dark age but beginning to recover, and will adopt the Phoenician alphabet within a century or two. Carthage is founded by settlers from Tyre by tradition in 814 BC. In the Americas the Olmec centre shifts to La Venta.