Thematic Bible: Statecraft


Thematic Bible



And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now the kingdom shall return to the house of David! If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. And the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold and said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt! read more.
And he set the one in Bethel, and he put the other in Dan. And this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one, even to Dan. And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, who were not the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordered a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah. And he offered on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. And he offered on the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised out of his own heart. And he ordered a feast for the sons of Israel. And he offered on the altar, and burned incense.


And the people said to Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men so that we may put them to death. And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day, for today Jehovah has worked salvation in Israel. Then Samuel said to the people, Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there. read more.
And all the people went to Gilgal, and made Saul king before Jehovah in Gilgal, and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before Jehovah. And there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.


And Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord does not know? And now come, please let me give you counsel, and save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go up and go in to King David, and say to him, My lord, O king, did you not swear to your handmaid, saying, Surely your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign? read more.
Behold, while you are still talking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.


And when silver failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the silver has failed. And Joseph said, Give your cattle, and I will give you for your cattle, if silver has failed. And they brought their cattle to Joseph. And Joseph gave them food for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses. And he fed them with food for all their cattle for that year. read more.
When that year was ended, they came to him the second year and said, We will not hide it from my lord, that our silver has failed, also our herds of cattle, going to my lord. Nothing is left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies and our lands. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants for Pharaoh. And give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land be not desolate. And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them and the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he caused them to go into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end of it. Only he did not buy the land of the priests, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore they did not sell their land. And Joseph said to the people, Behold, I have bought you this day, and your land, for Pharaoh. Lo, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And it shall be, as you gather you shall give the fifth part to Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for those of your household, and for food for your little ones. And they said, You have saved our lives. Let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law of the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, excepting only the land of the priests, which did not become Pharaoh's.


And the king spoke to Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs that he should bring some of the sons of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the rulers; sons in whom was no blemish, but who were handsome and skillful in all wisdom; and who had knowledge and understanding, even those who were able to stand in the king's palace, and to whom they might teach the writing and the language of the Chaldeans. And the king gave them the portion of a day in its day from the king's food, and the wine which he drank, even to rear them three years, so that at their end they might stand before the king.


Because of the transgression of a land, many are its rulers; but it is prolonged by a man of discernment who knows right.