World English Bible · The united kingdom
1 Chronicles 21
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stood up against Israel, and moved to take a census of Israel. said to and to the princes of the people, "Go, count Israel from even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know how many there are." said, "May make his people a hundred times as many as they are. But, my the king, aren't they all my servants? Why does my require this thing? Why will he be a cause of to Israel?" Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against . Therefore departed and went throughout all Israel, then came to . gave the sum of the census of the people to . All those of Israel were one million one hundred thousand men who drew a ; and in Judah were four hundred seventy thousand men who drew a . But he didn't count and among them, for the king's word was to . was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel. said to , "I have greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now , I beg you, the of , for I have done very foolishly." spoke to Gad, seer, saying, "Go and speak to , saying, ' says, "I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you."'" So Gad came to and said to him, " says, 'Take your choice: either three years of ; or three months to be consumed before your , while of your overtakes you; or else three days of of , even pestilence in the land, and destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.'" said to Gad, "I am in distress. Let me fall, I , into hand, for his are very great. Don't let me fall into man's hand." So sent a pestilence on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. sent to to destroy it. As he was about to destroy, saw, and he relented of the disaster, and said to the destroying , "It is enough. Now withdraw your hand." was standing by the of the . lifted up his eyes, and saw standing between earth and , having a drawn in his hand stretched out over . Then and the , clothed in , fell on their faces. said to , "Isn't it I who commanded the people to be counted? It is even I who have and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O my , be against me and against house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued." Then commanded Gad to tell that should go up and raise an to on the of the . went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in name. turned back and saw ; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. Now was wheat. As came to , looked and saw , and went out of the , and bowed himself to with to the ground. Then said to , "Sell me the place of this , that I may build an to on it. You shall sell it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people." said to , "Take it for yourself, and let my the king do that which is good in his eyes. Behold, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the instruments for wood, and the wheat for the . I give it all." King said to , "No, but I will most certainly buy it for the full price. For I will not take that which is yours for , nor offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing." So gave to six hundred of gold by weight for the place. built an to there, and offered burnt offerings and , and called on ; and he answered him from by on the of burnt offering. Then commanded , and he put his back into its sheath. 28At that time, when saw that had answered him in the of the , then he there. For , which made in , and the of burnt offering, were at that time in the at . But couldn't go before it to inquire of , for he was afraid because of of .
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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.