King James Version · The united kingdom
2 Samuel 15
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And it came to pass after this, that prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. And rose up early, and stood beside of the : and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for , then called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. And said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice! And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him. And on this manner did to all Israel that came to the king for : so stole the of the men of Israel. And it came to pass after forty years, that said unto the king, I thee, let me go and pay my , which I have unto , in . For thy servant a while I abode at Geshur in , saying, If shall bring me again indeed to , then I will . 9And the king said unto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to . But sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the , then ye shall say, reigneth in . And with went two hundred men out of , that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing. And sent for the , ’s counsellor, from his city, even from , while he offered . And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with . And there came a to , saying, The of the men of Israel are after . And said unto all his servants that were with him at , Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from : make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of . And the king’s servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my the king shall appoint. And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which were , to keep the house. And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off. And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the , and all the , and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from , passed on before the king. Then said the king to the , Wherefore goest thou also with us? return to thy place, and with the king: for thou art a , and also an . Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: be with thee. And answered the king, and said, As liveth, and as my the king liveth, surely in what place my the king shall be, whether in or life, even there also will thy servant be. 22And said to , Go and pass over. And the passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him. And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the brook , and all the people passed over, toward of . And lo also, and all the were with him, bearing the of : and they set down the ; and went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. And the king said unto , Carry back the into the city: if I shall find in the eyes of , he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: But if he thus say, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. The king said also unto the priest, Art not thou a ? return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, thy son, and the son of . See, I will tarry in the plain of , until there come word from you to certify me. 29 therefore and carried the again to : and they tarried there. And went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up. And one told , saying, is among the conspirators with . And said, O , I thee, turn the of into foolishness. And it came to pass, that when was come to the top of the mount, where he , behold, the came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head: Unto whom said, If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me: But if thou return to the city, and say unto , I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy ’s servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant: then mayest thou for me defeat the of . And hast thou not there with thee and the priests? therefore it shall be, that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thou shalt tell it to and the priests. Behold, they have there with them their two sons, ’s son, and ’s son; and by them ye shall send unto me every thing that ye can hear. So ’s friend came into the city, and came into .
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.