World English Bible · The united kingdom
2 Samuel 19
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was told, "Behold, the king weeps and mourns for ." The victory that day was turned into among all the people, for the people heard it said that day, "The king grieves for his son." The people sneaked into the city that day, as people who are steal away when they flee in battle. The king covered , and the king cried with a loud voice, "My son , , my son, my son!" came into the house to the king, and said, "Today you have shamed the faces of all your servants who today have your life, and the lives of your sons and of your daughters, and the lives of your wives, and the lives of your ; in that you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have declared today that princes and servants are nothing to you. For today I perceive that if had lived and we had all today, then it would have pleased you well. Now therefore arise, go out and speak to comfort your servants; for I by , if you don't go out, not a man will stay with you this night. That would be worse to you than all the evil that has happened to you from your youth until now." Then the king arose and sat in the . The people were all told, "Behold, the king is sitting in the ." All the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled every man to his tent. All the people were at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, "The king us out of the hand of our , and he us out of the hand of the ; and now he has fled out of the land from . , whom we over us, is in battle. Now therefore why don't you speak a word of bringing the king back?" King sent to and to the priests, saying, "Speak to the of Judah, saying, 'Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the speech of all Israel has come to the king, to return him to his house? You are my brothers. You are my bone and my . Why then are you the last to bring back the king?' Say to , 'Aren't you my bone and my ? do so to me, and more also, if you aren't captain of the army before me continually instead of .'" He bowed of all the men of Judah, even as one man, so that they sent to the king, saying, "Return, you and all your servants." So the king returned, and came to . Judah came to , to go to meet the king, to bring the king over . the son of , the , who was of Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King . There were a thousand men of with him, and the house, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him; and they went through in the of the king. A ferry boat went to bring over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. the son of fell down before the king when he had come over . He said to the king, "Don't let my impute to me, or remember that which did perversely the day that my the king went out of , that the king should take it to . For knows that I have . Therefore behold, I have come today as the first of all the to go down to meet my the king." But the son of answered, "Shouldn't be put to for this, because he ?" said, "What have I to do with you, you sons of , that you should be to me today? Shall any man be put to today in Israel? For don't I know that I am king over Israel today?" The king said to , "You will not ." The king to him. the son of came down to meet the king; and he had neither groomed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace. When he had come to to meet the king, the king said to him, "Why didn't you go with me, ?" He answered, "My , O king, my servant deceived me. For said, 'I will saddle a donkey for myself, that I may ride on it and go with the king,' because is lame. He has slandered to my the king, but my the king is as of . Therefore do what is good in your eyes. For all house were but men before my the king; yet you set among those who ate at your own table. What right therefore have I yet that I should appeal any more to the king?" The king said to him, "Why do you speak any more of your matters? I say, you and divide the land." said to the king, "Yes, let him take all, because my the king has come in peace to his own house." the Gileadite came down from Rogelim; and he went over with the king to conduct him over . Now was a very aged man, even eighty years old. He had provided the king with sustenance while he stayed at , for he was a very great man. The king said to , "Come over with me, and I will sustain you with me in ." said to the king, "How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to ? I am eighty years old, today. Can I discern between good and bad? Can taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear the voice of singing men and singing women any more? Why then should be a burden to my the king? will go over with the king. Why should the king me with such a reward? Please let again, that I may in my own city, by the of and my mother. But behold, ; let him go over with my the king; and do to him what shall seem good to you." 38The king answered, " shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good to you. Whatever you request of me, that I will do for you." All the people went over , and the king went over. Then the king kissed and him; and he returned to his own place. So the king went over to , and went over with him. All the people of Judah brought the king over, and also half the people of Israel. Behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, "Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away, and brought the king and his household, over , and all men with him?" All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, "Because the king is a close relative to us. Why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's cost? Or has he given us any gift?" The men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, "We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more claim to than you. Why then did you despise us, that our should not be first had in bringing back our king?" The words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
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.