World English Bible · The united kingdom
2 Samuel 16
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When was a little past the top, behold, the met him with a couple of donkeys saddled, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, and one hundred clusters of raisins, and one hundred summer fruits, and a container of . The king said to , "What do you mean by these?" said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the , that those who are faint in may drink." The king said, "Where is your master's son?" said to the king, "Behold, he is staying in ; for he said, 'Today the will restore me of .'" Then the king said to , "Behold, all that belongs to is yours." said, "I . Let me find in your sight, my , O king." When King came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of house came out, whose name was , the son of . He came out and as he came. 6He cast stones at and at all the servants of King , and all the people and all the were hand and on his left. said when he , "Be gone, be gone, you man of , and fellow! has returned on you all of house, in whose place you have reigned! has into the hand of your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of !" Then the son of said to the king, "Why should this dog my the king? Please let me go over and take off his head." The king said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of ? Because he , and because has said to him, ' ,' who then shall say, 'Why have you done so?'" said to and to all his servants, "Behold, my son, who came out of my bowels, seeks my life. How much more this , now? Leave him alone, and let him ; for has invited him. It may be that will look on the wrong done to me, and that will me good for the of me today." So and his men went by ; and went along on the hillside opposite him and as he went, threw stones at him, and threw . 14The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary; and he refreshed himself there. and all the people, the men of Israel, came to , and with him. When the , friend, had come to , said to , "Long live the king! Long live the king!" said to , "Is this your kindness to your friend? Why didn't you go with your friend?" said to , "No; but whomever and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, I will be his, and I will stay with him. Again, whom should I ? Shouldn't I in the of his son? As I have in your , so I will be in your ." Then said to , "Give your what we shall do." said to , "Go in to your that he has left to keep the house. Then all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your . Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong." So they spread a tent for on the top of the house, and went in to his in the sight of all Israel. The of , which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the inner sanctuary of . All the of was like this both with and with .
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.