World English Bible · The united kingdom
Proverbs 25
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These also are of , which the men of king of Judah copied out. It is the of to conceal a thing, but the of kings is to search out a matter. As for height, and the earth for depth, so the of kings are unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, and material comes out for the refiner. Take away from the king's , and his will be established in . Don't exalt yourself in the of the king, or claim a place among great men; for it is better that it be said to you, "Come up here," than that you should be put lower in the of the prince, whom your eyes have seen. Don't be hasty in bringing charges to court. What will you do in the end when your neighbor shames you? Debate your case with your neighbor, and don't betray the confidence of another, 10lest one who hears it put you to , and your bad reputation never depart. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a reprover to an obedient ear. As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a to those who send him; for he refreshes the of his masters. As clouds and wind without , so is he who boasts of gifts deceptively. By a ruler is persuaded. A soft breaks the bone. Have you found honey? Eat as much as is sufficient for you, lest you eat too much, and vomit it. 17Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor's house, lest he be weary of you, and hate you. A man who gives false against his neighbor is like a club, a , or a sharp arrow. Confidence in someone in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a lame foot. As one who takes away a garment in cold weather, or vinegar on soda, so is one who sings songs to a heavy . If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap coals of on his head, and will reward you. The north wind produces ; so a backbiting brings an angry . It is better to in the corner of the housetop than to share a house with a contentious woman. Like cold water to a thirsty , so is from a far country. Like a muddied spring and a polluted well, so is a man who gives way before . It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own . Like a city that is broken down and without walls is a man whose is without restraint.
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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.