World English Bible · The united kingdom
Proverbs 31
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The words of King Lemuel—the which his mother taught him: "Oh, my son! Oh, son of my ! Oh, son of my ! Don't give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink , nor for princes to say, 'Where is ?' lest they drink, and forget , and pervert the justice due to anyone who is afflicted. Give to him who is ready to , and to the bitter in . Let him drink, and forget his , and remember his misery no more. Open your for the mute, in the cause of all who are left desolate. Open your , judge righteously, and justice to and needy." Who can find a worthy woman? For her value is far above rubies. of her husband trusts in her. He shall have no lack of gain. 12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands. She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar. She rises also while it is yet night, gives food to her household, and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a . She arms her waist with strength, and makes her arms strong. She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp doesn't go out by night. She lays her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. She opens her arms to ; yes, she extends her hands to . She is not afraid of the snow for her household, for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She makes for herself carpets of tapestry. Her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected , when he sits among the of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and delivers sashes to the merchant. Strength and dignity are her clothing. She laughs at the time to come. She opens her with . Kind is on her . She looks well to the ways of her household, and doesn't eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her . Her husband also her: "Many women do noble things, but you excel them all." Charm is deceitful, and beauty is ; but a woman who fears , she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands! Let her works her !
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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.