World English Bible · The united kingdom
Psalms 68
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. A Psalm by . A song. Let arise! Let his be scattered! Let them who hate him also flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the , so let at the of . But let be glad. Let them rejoice before . Yes, let them rejoice with gladness. Sing to ! Sing to his name! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to , his name! Rejoice before him! A of , and a defender of the , is in his habitation. sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious in a sun-scorched land. , when you went out before your people, when you marched through ... . The earth trembled. also poured down at the of the of Sinai— at the of , the of Israel. You, , sent a plentiful . You confirmed your when it was weary. Your lived therein. You, , prepared your goodness for . announced the word. The ones who proclaim it are a great company. "Kings of armies flee! They flee!" She who waits at home divides the plunder, while you sleep among the camp fires, the of a sheathed with silver, her feathers with shining gold. When scattered kings in her, it snowed on . The mountains of are majestic mountains. The mountains of are rugged. Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where chooses to reign? Yes, will there . The chariots of are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. is among them, from Sinai, into . You have ascended on high. You have led away . You have received gifts among people, yes, among the rebellious also, that might there. be , who daily bears our burdens, even the who is our . . is to us a of . To , , belongs escape from . But will strike through the head of his , the hairy scalp of such a one as still continues in his guiltiness. said, "I will bring you again from , I will bring you again from the depths of the sea, that you may crush them, dipping your foot in , that the of your dogs may have their from your ." They have seen your processions, , even the processions of my , my King, into . The singers went before, the minstrels followed after, among the ladies playing with tambourines, " in the congregations, even in of Israel!" There is little , their ruler, the princes of Judah, their council, the princes of , and the princes of . Your has commanded your strength. Strengthen, , that which you have done for us. Because of your temple at , kings shall bring presents to you. Rebuke the wild animal of the reeds, of the bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot the bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war. Princes shall come out of . shall hurry to stretch out her hands to . Sing to , you kingdoms of the earth! Sing to — — to him who rides on the , which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice. Ascribe strength to ! His excellency is over Israel, his strength is in the skies. You are awesome, , in your sanctuaries. The of Israel gives strength and to his people. be to !
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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