King James Version · The united kingdom
Proverbs 31
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The words of king Lemuel, the that his mother taught him. What, my son? and what, the son of my ? and what, the son of my ? Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink ; nor for princes : Lest they drink, and forget , and pervert the of any of . Give unto him that is ready to , and unto those that be of heavy . Let him drink, and forget his , and remember his misery no more. Open thy for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to . Open thy , judge righteously, and plead the cause of and needy. Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. of her husband doth safely in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a . She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to ; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to . She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known , when he sitteth among the of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her with ; and in her is of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her ; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. is deceitful, and beauty is : but a woman that feareth , she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works her .
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.