World English Bible · The united kingdom
Proverbs 21
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The king's is in hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he . Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but weighs the . To do and justice is more acceptable to than . A high look and a proud , the lamp of , is . The plans of the diligent surely lead to profit; and everyone who is hasty surely rushes to . Getting by a lying is a fleeting vapor for those who seek . The of will drive them away, because they refuse to do what is right. of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright. It is better to in the corner of the housetop than to share a house with a contentious woman. The of evil; his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes. When the mocker is punished, the simple gains . When is instructed, he receives knowledge. One considers the house of , and brings to . Whoever stops his ears at the cry of , he will also cry out, but shall not be heard. A gift in secret pacifies , and a bribe in the cloak, strong . It is joy to to do justice; but it is a to the workers of . The man who wanders out of of shall rest in of the departed spirits. He who loves pleasure will be a man. He who loves and oil won't be rich. is a for , the treacherous for the upright. It is better to in a land, than with a contentious and fretful woman. There is precious and oil in the dwelling of , but a foolish man swallows it up. He who follows after and kindness finds life, , and . A man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the strength of its confidence. Whoever guards his and his keeps his from troubles. The proud and arrogant man—"Scoffer" is his name— he works in the arrogance of pride. The of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor. There are those who greedily all day long; but give and don't withhold. The of is an — how much more, when he brings it with a ! A false will . A man who listens speaks to eternity. A man hardens ; but as for the upright, he establishes his ways. There is no nor nor against . The horse is prepared for the day of battle; but victory is with .
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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.