King James Version · The united kingdom
1 Samuel 26
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And the Ziphites came unto to , saying, Doth not hide himself in the hill of , which is before Jeshimon? Then arose, and went down to of , having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek in of . And pitched in the hill of , which is before Jeshimon, by . But abode in , and he saw that came after him into . therefore sent out spies, and understood that was come in very deed. And arose, and came to the place where had pitched: and beheld the place where lay, and the son of , the captain of his host: and lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him. Then answered and said to the , and to the son of , brother to , saying, Who will go down with me to to the camp? And said, I will go down with thee. So and came to the people by night: and, behold, lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but and the people lay round about him. Then said to , hath thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. And said to , Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against ’s , and be guiltless? said furthermore, As liveth, shall smite him; or his day shall come to ; or he shall descend into battle, and . forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against ’s : but, I thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go. So took the spear and the cruse of water from ’s bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from was fallen upon them. Then went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them: 14And cried to the people, and to the son of , saying, Answerest thou not, ? Then answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king? 15And said to , Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy . This thing is not good that thou hast done. As liveth, ye are worthy to , because ye have not kept your master, ’s . And now see where the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster. And knew ’s voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son ? And said, It is my voice, my , O king. And he said, Wherefore doth my thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand? Now therefore, I thee, let my the king hear the words of his servant. If have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an : but if they be the children of men, be they before ; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the of , saying, Go, other gods. Now therefore, let not my fall to the earth before : for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains. Then said , I have : return, my son : for I will no more do thee harm, because was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. 22And answered and said, Behold the king’s spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it. render to every man his and his : for thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against ’s . And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of , and let him me out of all tribulation. Then said to , be thou, my son : thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So went on his way, and returned to his place.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. 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.