The "farmer" could have given a good account of himself in a square
fight with these men, but he knew better than to start a fight with
them. They were the foreguards to a splendid pleasure outfit--the
outfit of a very rich Samarian merchant. A fight meant arrest and
punishment at the hands of Samarian judges, whether he was in the
right or not. The rich of Samaria had the judges under their thumbs. A
stranger or a poor man, in fact, anyone who had no influence in
Samaria, stood little chance of getting justice.

So the farmer cleared the way. Standing aside, he watched the chariot
drawn by four Egyptian steeds, surrounded by guards, slaves and
hangers-on, make its way through the crowded market place, paying no
attention to the rights and privileges of any one. The wealthy
merchant in the chariot held his head up proudly. He greeted only the
prosperous looking; upon the curious crowds and small merchants, he
looked down with contempt.

The merchant whose attendants had so grossly insulted the "farmer"
drew up before a great palace. Rich carpets were spread from the
chariot to the steps of the mansion. The rich man's followers bowed
low as he passed up the steps and through the door held open by
attendants. Some followed him into the house; others mingled with the
people in the market place; the slaves went to their quarters by a
rear entrance.

The stranger in the woolen robe was not as green as he looked. He had
witnessed the growth and prosperity of Samaria during the last twenty
years of Jeroboam II's reign until it became the busiest trade center
in the Empire.