Thematic Bible: Kings of


Thematic Bible



So King Adoni-Zedek of Jerusalem sent this message to King Hoham of Hebron, King Piram of Jarmuth, King Japhia of Lachish, and King Debir of Eglon: "Come to my aid so we can attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites." So the five Amorite kings (the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon) and all their troops gathered together and advanced. They deployed their troops and fought against Gibeon. read more.
The men of Gibeon sent this message to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, "Do not abandon your subjects! Rescue us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings living in the hill country are attacking us." So Joshua and his whole army, including the bravest warriors, marched up from Gilgal. The Lord told Joshua, "Don't be afraid of them, for I am handing them over to you. Not one of them can resist you." Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal. The Lord routed them before Israel. Israel thoroughly defeated them at Gibeon. They chased them up the road to the pass of Beth Horon and struck them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled from Israel on the slope leading down from Beth Horon, the Lord threw down on them large hailstones from the sky, all the way to Azekah. They died -- in fact, more died from the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword. The day the Lord delivered the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua prayed to the Lord before Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon! O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon!" The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day. There has not been a day like it before or since. The Lord obeyed a man, for the Lord fought for Israel! Then Joshua and all Israel returned to the camp at Gilgal. The five Amorite kings ran away and hid in the cave at Makkedah. Joshua was told, "The five kings have been found hiding in the cave at Makkedah." Joshua said, "Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and post guards in front of it. But don't you delay! Chase your enemies and catch them! Don't allow them to retreat to their cities, for the Lord your God is handing them over to you." Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities. Then the whole army safely returned to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah. No one dared threaten the Israelites. Joshua said, "Open the cave's mouth and bring the five kings out of the cave to me." They did as ordered; they brought the five kings out of the cave to him -- the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. When they brought the kings out to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the troops who accompanied him, "Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came up and put their feet on their necks. Then Joshua said to them, "Don't be afraid and don't panic! Be strong and brave, for the Lord will do the same thing to all your enemies you fight. Then Joshua executed them and hung them on five trees. They were left hanging on the trees until evening.


Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: "Thus says your brother Israel: 'You know all the hardships we have experienced,

These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom; the name of his city was Dinhabah. When Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place. read more.
When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. When Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab, reigned in his place; the name of his city was Avith. When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place. When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth by the River reigned in his place. When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. When Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, Hadad reigned in his place; the name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.

These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor; the name of his city was Dinhabah. When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah, succeeded him. When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites succeeded him. read more.
When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad succeeded him. He struck down the Midianites in the plains of Moab; the name of his city was Avith. When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him. When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river succeeded him. When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Achbor succeeded him. When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him; the name of his city was Pai. His wife was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.

"Edom is there with her kings and all her princes. Despite their might they are laid with those killed by the sword; they lie with the uncircumcised and those who descend to the pit.

This is what the Lord says: "Because Moab has committed three crimes -- make that four! -- I will not revoke my decree of judgment. They burned the bones of Edom's king into lime.


When those days were completed, the king then provided a seven-day banquet for all the people who were present in Susa the citadel, for those of highest standing to the most lowly. It was held in the court located in the garden of the royal palace.

in the third year of his reign he provided a banquet for all his officials and his servants. The army of Persia and Media was present, as well as the nobles and the officials of the provinces.

Drinks were served in golden containers, all of which differed from one another. Royal wine was available in abundance at the king's expense.


"Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast in my behalf. Don't eat and don't drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law. If I perish, I perish!"

"All the servants of the king and the people of the king's provinces know that there is only one law applicable to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court -- that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared. Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!"



He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time -- a hundred and eighty days, to be exact!


The couriers who were riding the royal horses went forth with the king's edict without delay. And the law was presented in Susa the citadel as well.

In those days, as King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa the citadel,


During all this time I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes of Babylon, I had gone back to the king. After some time I had requested leave of the king,


When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval. The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.


"Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven:


They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the Lord had given them joy and had changed the opinion of the king of Assyria toward them, so that he assisted them in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.


So on that day David arose and fled from Saul. He went to King Achish of Gath. The servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one that they sing about when they dance, saying, 'Saul struck down his thousands, But David his tens of thousands'?" David thought about what they said and was very afraid of King Achish of Gath. read more.
He altered his behavior in their presence. Since he was in their power, he pretended to be insane, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting his saliva run down his beard. Achish said to his servants, "Look at this madman! Why did you bring him to me? Do I have a shortage of fools, that you have brought me this man to display his insanity in front of me? Should this man enter my house?"

In those days the Philistines gathered their troops for war in order to fight Israel. Achish said to David, "You should fully understand that you and your men must go with me into the battle." David replied to Achish, "That being the case, you will come to know what your servant can do!" Achish said to David, "Then I will make you my bodyguard from now on."

So David left and crossed over to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath accompanied by his six hundred men. David settled with Achish in Gath, along with his men and their families. David had with him his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the Carmelite, Nabal's widow. When Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he did not mount a new search for him. read more.
David said to Achish, "If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the country towns so that I can live there. Why should your servant settle in the royal city with you?" So Achish gave him Ziklag on that day. (For that reason Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah until this very day.) The length of time that David lived in the Philistine countryside was a year and four months. Then David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (They had been living in that land for a long time, from the approach to Shur as far as the land of Egypt.) When David would attack a district, he would leave neither man nor woman alive. He would take sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and would then go back to Achish. When Achish would ask, "Where did you raid today?" David would say, "The Negev of Judah" or "The Negev of Jeharmeel" or "The Negev of the Kenites." Neither man nor woman would David leave alive so as to bring them back to Gath. He was thinking, "This way they can't tell on us, saying, 'This is what David did.'" Such was his practice the entire time that he lived in the country of the Philistines. So Achish trusted David, thinking to himself, "He is really hated among his own people in Israel! From now on he will be my servant."




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