World English Bible · The united kingdom
1 Chronicles 22
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Then said, "This is the , and this is the of burnt offering for Israel." gave orders to gather together the who were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to cut dressed stones to build house. prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the and for the couplings, and bronze in abundance without weight, and cedar trees without number, for the and the people of brought cedar trees in abundance to . said, " my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be built for must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and of throughout all countries. I will therefore make preparation for it." So prepared abundantly before his . Then he called for his son, and commanded him to build a house for , the of Israel. said to his son, "As for me, it was in to build a house to the name of my . But word came to me, saying, 'You have shed abundantly and have made great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed much on the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of peace. I will give him rest from all his all around; for his name shall be , and I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name; and he will be my son, and I will be his ; and I will establish of over Israel .' Now, my son, may be with you and prosper you, and build the your , as he has spoken concerning you. May give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel, so that you may keep of your . Then you will prosper, if you observe to do the and the ordinances which gave concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid and don't be dismayed. Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for house one hundred thousand of gold, one million of silver, and bronze and iron without weight; for it is in abundance. I have also prepared timber and stone; and you may add to them. There are also workmen with you in abundance—cutters and workers of stone and timber, and all kinds of men who are skillful in every kind of work; of the gold, the silver, the bronze, and the iron, there is no number. Arise and be doing, and may be with you." also commanded all the princes of Israel to help his son, saying, "Isn't your with you? Hasn't he given you rest on every side? For he has the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before and before his people. Now set and your to follow your . Arise therefore, and build of , to bring the and the vessels of into the house that is to be built for name."
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
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.