World English Bible · The united kingdom
Proverbs 1
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The of , , king of Israel: to know and ; to discern the words of ; to receive in dealing, in , justice, and equity; to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man— that man may hear, and increase in learning; that the man of may attain to sound ; to understand a and , the words and of . The is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise and . My son, listen to your , and don't forsake your mother's teaching; for they will be a garland to your head, and chains around your neck. My son, if entice you, don't consent. If they say, "Come with us. Let's lie in wait for . Let's lurk secretly for the innocent without cause. Let's swallow them up alive like , and whole, like those who go down into . We'll find all valuable wealth. We'll fill our houses with plunder. 14You shall cast your lot among us. We'll all have one purse"— my son, don't walk on with them. Keep your foot from their path, for their feet run to evil. They hurry to shed . For the net is spread in in the sight of any bird; but these lay in wait for their own . They lurk secretly for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners. calls aloud in the street. She utters her voice in the public squares. She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city , she utters her words: "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge? Turn at my . Behold, I will pour out on you. I will make known my words to you. Because I have called, and you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention; but you have ignored all my , and wanted none of my ; I also will laugh at your disaster. I will mock when calamity overtakes you, when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when your disaster comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me, because they hated knowledge, and didn't choose the . They wanted none of my . They despised all my . Therefore they will eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own schemes. For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will securely, and will be at ease, without fear of harm."
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.