emacy; Abimelech,
Jephihdh._
_The Philistines, their political organisation, their army and
fleet--Judah, Dan, and the story of Samson--Benjamin on the Philistine
frontier--Eli and the ark of the covenant--The Philistine dominion over
Israel; Samuel, Saul, the Benjamite monarchy--David, his retreat to the
desert of Judah and his sojourn at Zilclag--The battle of Gilboa and the
death of Saul--The struggle between Ish-bosheth and David--David sole
king, and the final defeat of the Philistines--Jerusalem becomes
the capital; the removal of the ark--Wars with the peoples of the
East--Absalom's rebellion; the coronation of Solomon._
_Solomon's government and his buildings--Phoenician colonisation in
Spain: Hiram I. and the enlargement of Tyre--The voyages to Ophir and
Tarshish--The palace at Jerusalem, the temple and its dedication: the
priesthood and prophets--The death of Solomon; the schism of the ten
tribes and the division of the Hebrew kingdom._
_The XXIst Egyptian dynasty: the Theban high priests and the Tanite
Pharaohs--The Libyan mercenaries and their predominance in the state:
the origin of the XXIInd (Bubastite) dynasty--Sheshonq I. as king
and his son Auputi as high priest of Amon; the hiding-place at Deir
el-Bahari--Sheshonq's expedition against Jerusalem._
_The two Hebrew "kingdoms"; the fidelity of Judah to the descendants
of Solomon, and the repeated changes of dynasty in Israel--Asa and
Baasha--The kingdom of Damascus and its origin--Bezon, Tabrimmon,
Benhadad I.--Omri and the foundation of Samaria: Ahab and the Tyrian
alliance--The successors of Hiram I. at Tyre: Ithobaal I.--The prophets,
their struggle against Phonician idolatry, the story of Elijah--The wars
between Israel and Damascus up to the time of the Assyrian invasion._
[Illustration: 253.jpg PAGE IMAGE]
CHAPTER III--THE HEBREWS AND THE PHILISTINES--DAMASCUS
_The Israelites in the land of Canaan: the judges--The Philistines
and the Hebrew kingdom--Saul, David, Solomon, the defection of the ten
tribes--the XXIst Egyptian dynasty--Sheshonq--Damascus._
After reaching Kadesh-barnea, the Israelites in their wanderings had
come into contact with various Bedawin tribes--Kenites, Jerahmelites,
Edomites, and Midianites, with whom they had in turn fought or allied
themselves, according to the exigencies of their pastoral life.
Continual skirmishes had taught them the art of war, their numbers had
rapidly increased, and with this
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