World English Bible · The united kingdom
Proverbs 28
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flee when no one pursues; but are as bold as a lion. In rebellion, a land has many , but order is maintained by a man of and knowledge. A needy man who oppresses is like a driving which leaves no crops. Those who forsake ; but those who keep contend with them. Evil men don't understand justice; but those who seek understand it fully. Better is who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his ways, and he is rich. Whoever keeps is a son; but he who is a companion of gluttons shames his . He who increases his wealth by excessive interest gathers it for one who has on . He who turns away his ear from hearing , even his is an . Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, he will fall into his own trap; but the blameless will good. The rich man is in his own eyes; but who has sees through him. When triumph, there is great ; but when rise, men hide themselves. He who conceals his doesn't prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. is the man who always fears; but one who hardens falls into trouble. As a roaring lion or a charging bear, so is a ruler over helpless people. A tyrannical ruler lacks . One who hates ill-gotten gain will have long days. A man who is tormented by will be a fugitive until . No one will support him. Whoever walks blamelessly is kept safe; but one with perverse ways will fall suddenly. One who works his land will have an abundance of food; but one who chases fantasies will have his fill of . A man is rich with ; but one who is eager to be rich will not go unpunished. To show partiality is not good, yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread. A stingy man hurries after riches, and doesn't know that waits for him. One who rebukes a man will afterward find more than one who flatters with . Whoever robs his or his mother and says, "It's not wrong," is a partner with a . One who is greedy stirs up strife; but one who trusts in will prosper. One who trusts in himself is a fool; but one who walks in is kept safe. One who gives to has no lack; but one who closes his eyes will have many . When rise, men hide themselves; but when they , thrive.
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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.