World English Bible · The united kingdom
Psalms 45
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. Set to "The Lilies." A contemplation by the sons of . A song. overflows with a noble theme. I recite my verses for the king. My is like the pen of a skillful writer. You are the most excellent of the sons of men. has your , therefore has you . Strap your on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your majesty. In your majesty ride on victoriously on behalf of truth, humility, and . Let your display awesome deeds. Your arrows are sharp. fall under you, with arrows in of the king's . Your , , is and ever. A of equity is the of your kingdom. You have loved , and hated wickedness. Therefore , your , has you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. All your garments smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia. Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made you glad. Kings' daughters are among your honorable women. At your the queen stands in gold of . Listen, daughter, consider, and turn your ear. Forget your own people, and also your house. So the king will your beauty, him, for he is your . The daughter of comes with a gift. The rich among the people entreat your . The princess inside is all . Her clothing is interwoven with gold. She shall be led to the king in embroidered work. The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to you. With gladness and rejoicing they shall be led. They shall enter into the king's palace. Your sons will take the place of your fathers. You shall make them princes in all the earth. I will make your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore the peoples shall give you thanks and ever.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. 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.
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