King James Version · The united kingdom
Proverbs 21
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The king’s is in the hand of , as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but pondereth the . To do justice and is more acceptable to than . An high look, and a proud , and the plowing of , is . The of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want. The getting of by a lying is a tossed to and fro of them that seek . The robbery of shall destroy them; because they refuse to do . of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right. It is better to in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house. The of desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no in his eyes. When the scorner is punished, the simple is made : and when is instructed, he receiveth knowledge. man wisely considereth the house of : but overthroweth for their wickedness. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of , he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard. A gift in secret pacifieth : and a reward in the strong . It is joy to the to do : but shall be to the workers of . The man that wandereth out of of shall in of . He that loveth pleasure shall be a man: he that loveth and oil shall not be rich. shall be a for , and the transgressor for the upright. It is better to in , than with a contentious and an angry woman. There is to be and oil in the dwelling of ; but a foolish man spendeth it up. He that followeth after and mercy findeth life, , and . A man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof. Whoso keepeth his and his keepeth his from troubles. Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud . The of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. He coveteth greedily all the day long: but giveth and spareth not. The of is : how much more, when he bringeth it with a ? A false shall : but the man that heareth speaketh constantly. A man hardeneth : but as for the upright, he directeth his way. There is no nor nor against . The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of .
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.