World English Bible · The united kingdom
1 Samuel 26
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The Ziphites came to to , saying, "Doesn't hide himself in the hill of , which is before ?" Then arose and went down to of , having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek in of . encamped in the hill of , which is before , by . But stayed in , and he saw that came after him into . therefore sent out spies, and understood that had certainly come. Then arose and came to the place where had encamped; and saw the place where lay, with the son of , the captain of his army. lay within the place of the wagons, and the people were encamped around him. Then answered and said to the , and to the son of , brother of , saying, "Who will go down with me to to the camp?" said, "I will go down with you." So and came to the people by night; and, behold, lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and and the people lay around him. Then said to , " has up your enemy into your hand today. Now therefore please let me strike him with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time." said to , "Don't destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against , and be guiltless?" said, "As lives, will strike him; or his day shall come to , or he shall go down into battle and . forbid that I should stretch out my hand against ; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let's go." So took the spear and the jar of water from head, and they went away. No man saw it, or knew it, nor did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from had fallen on them. Then went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain far away, a great space being between them; 14and cried to the people, and to the son of , saying, "Don't you answer, ?" Then answered, "Who are you who calls to the king?" 15 said to , "Aren't you a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your the king. This thing isn't good that you have done. As lives, you are worthy to , because you have not kept watch over your , . Now see where the king's spear is, and the jar of water that was at his head." recognized voice, and said, "Is this your voice, my son ?" said, "It is my voice, my , O king." He said, "Why does my pursue his servant? For what have I done? What evil is in my hand? Now therefore, please let my the king hear the words of his servant. If it is so that has stirred you up against me, let him accept an . But if it is the children of men, they are before ; for they have driven me out today that I shouldn't cling to , saying, 'Go, other gods!' Now therefore, don't let my fall to the earth away from the of ; for the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains." Then said, "I have . Return, my son ; for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes today. Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly." 22 answered, "Behold the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and get it. will give to every man his and his ; because you into my hand today, and I wouldn't stretch out my hand against . Behold, as your life was respected today in my eyes, so let my life be respected in eyes, and let him me out of all ." Then said to , "You are , my son . You will both do mightily, and will surely prevail." So went his way, and returned to his place.
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.