World English Bible · The united kingdom
Psalms 59
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. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy." A poem by , when sent, and they watched the house to kill him. me from , my . Set me on high from those who rise up against me. me from the workers of . me from the bloodthirsty men. For, behold, they lie in wait for . The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my , nor for my , . I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Rise up, behold, and help me! You, of Armies, the of Israel, rouse yourself to punish the nations. Show no mercy to traitors. . They return at evening, howling like dogs, and prowl around the city. Behold, they spew with their . are in their , "For", they say, "who hears us?" But you, , laugh at them. You scoff at all the nations. Oh, my Strength, I watch for you, for is my high tower. My will go before me with his . will let me look at in triumph. Don't kill them, or my people may forget. Scatter them by your , and bring them down, our shield. For the of their , and the words of their , let them be caught in their pride, for the and lies which they utter. Consume them in . Consume them, and they will be no more. Let them know that rules in , to the ends of the earth. . At evening let them return. Let them howl like a dog, and go around the city. They shall wander up and down for food, and wait all night if they aren't satisfied. But I will sing of your strength. Yes, I will sing aloud of your in the morning. For you have been my high tower, a refuge in the day of my distress. To you, my strength, I will sing . For is my high tower, the of my mercy.
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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