King James Version · The divided kingdom
2 Chronicles 17
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And his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against Israel. And he placed forces in all the fenced cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of , which his had taken. And was with , because he walked in the first ways of his , and sought not unto ; But sought to of his , and walked in his , and not after the doings of Israel. Therefore stablished in his hand; and all Judah brought to presents; and he had riches and in abundance. And was lifted up in the ways of : moreover he took away the and groves out of Judah. Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Ben–hail, and to , and to , and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. And with them he sent , even , and , and , and , and , and Jehonathan, and , and Tobijah, and –adonijah, ; and with them and , priests. And they taught in Judah, and had the book of of with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people. And the fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were round about Judah, so that they made no war against . Also some of the brought presents, and tribute silver; and the brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he goats. And waxed great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles, and cities of store. And he had much business in the cities of Judah: and the men of war, of valour, were in . And these are the numbers of them according to the house of their fathers: Of Judah, the captains of thousands; Adnah the chief, and with him of valour three hundred thousand. 15And next to him was the captain, and with him two hundred and fourscore thousand. And next him was Amasiah the son of , who willingly offered himself unto ; and with him two hundred thousand of valour. And of ; Eliada a , and with him armed men with bow and shield two hundred thousand. 18And next him was , and with him an hundred and fourscore thousand ready prepared for the war. These waited on the king, beside those whom the king put in the fenced cities throughout all Judah.
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 divided kingdom, 931 BC to 745 BC ›
Israel in the north and Judah in the south, often at odds, with Aram of Damascus as the immediate threat and Assyria growing in the distance.
- Aram of Damascus
- The immediate enemy for most of two centuries, close enough to raid every campaigning season and strong enough to take territory. Most of the wars in Kings that read like national emergencies are border wars with Damascus.
- Assyria
- Growing steadily in the distance. Shalmaneser III fights a coalition at Qarqar in 853 BC and his own inscription lists King Ahab of Israel among his opponents with two thousand chariots, the earliest Assyrian mention of an Israelite king. A later monument shows Jehu bowing and paying tribute. Assyria is not yet the destroyer, but it is already taking notes.
- Egypt
- Divided and unreliable, capable of the occasional raid, such as Shishak stripping the temple in Rehoboam's fifth year, but no longer an empire that governs the Levant.
- Further afield
- The Greeks adopt the alphabet, hold the first Olympiad by tradition in 776 BC, and begin to compose the Homeric poems. Rome is founded by tradition in 753 BC, a village of huts at this point. This is the century in which the classical world begins.