321 After these acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged e the fortified cities , and thought to break into them for himself. 2 Now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem , 3 he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside e the city , and they helped him. 4 So many people assembled and stopped up all the springs and the stream which flowed through the region , saying , "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water ?" 5 And he took courage and rebuilt all the wall that had been broken down and erected towers on it, and built another outside wall and strengthened the Millo in the city of David , and made weapons and shields in great number . 6 He appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate , and spoke encouragingly e to them, saying , 7 " Be strong and courageous , do not fear or be dismayed because e of the king of Assyria nor because e of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him. 8 "With him is only an arm of flesh , but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles ." And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah .
9 After this Sennacherib king of Assyria sent his servants to Jerusalem while he was besieging Lachish with all his forces with him, against Hezekiah king of Judah and against all Judah who were at Jerusalem , saying , 10 "Thus says Sennacherib king of Assyria , 'On what are you trusting that you are remaining in Jerusalem under siege ? 11 'Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give yourselves over to die by hunger and by thirst , saying , "The Lord our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria "? 12 ' Has not the same Hezekiah taken away His high places and His altars , and said to Judah and Jerusalem , "You shall worship before one altar , and on it you shall burn incense "? 13 'Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands ? Were the gods of the nations of the lands able at all to deliver their land from my hand ? 14 ' Who was there among all the gods of those nations which my fathers utterly destroyed who could deliver his people out of my hand , that your God should be able to deliver you from my hand ? 15 'Now therefore, do not let Hezekiah deceive you or mislead you like this , and do not believe him, for no e god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers . How much e less will your God deliver you from my hand ?' " 16 His servants spoke further against the Lord God and against His servant Hezekiah . 17 He also wrote letters to insult the Lord God of Israel , and to speak against Him, saying , " As the gods of the nations of the lands have not delivered their people from my hand , so the God of Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand ." 18 They called this out with a loud voice in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall , to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city . 19 They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as of the gods of the peoples of the earth , the work of men's hands .
20 But King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet , the son of Amoz , prayed about this and cried out to heaven . 21 And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior , commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria . So he returned in shame e to his own land . And when he had entered the temple of his god , some of his own children e killed him there with the sword . 22 So the Lord saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side . 23 And many were bringing gifts to the Lord at Jerusalem and choice presents to Hezekiah king of Judah , so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter e e .
24 In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill ; and he prayed to the Lord , and the Lord spoke to him and gave him a sign . 25 But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received , because his heart was proud ; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem . 26 However, Hezekiah humbled the pride of his heart , both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem , so that the wrath of the Lord did not come on them in the days of Hezekiah .
27 Now Hezekiah had immense riches and honor ; and he made for himself treasuries for silver , gold , precious stones , spices , shields and all kinds of valuable articles , 28 storehouses also for the produce of grain , wine and oil , pens for all kinds of cattle and sheepfolds for the flocks . 29 He made cities for himself and acquired flocks and herds in abundance , for God had given him very great wealth . 30 It was Hezekiah who stopped the upper outlet of the waters of Gihon and directed them to the west side of the city of David . And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did . 31 Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon , who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land , God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart .
32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah and his deeds of devotion , behold , they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet , the son of Amoz , in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel . 33 So Hezekiah slept with his fathers , and they buried him in the upper section of the tombs of the sons of David ; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death . And his son Manasseh became king in his place .
331 Manasseh was twelve e years old when he became king , and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem . 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord dispossessed before e the sons of Israel . 3 For he rebuilt e the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down ; he also erected altars for the Baals and made Asherim , and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He built altars in the house of the Lord of which the Lord had said , "My name shall be in Jerusalem forever ." 5 For he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord . 6 He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom e ; and he practiced witchcraft , used divination , practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists . He did much evil in the sight of the Lord , provoking Him to anger. 7 Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God , of which God had said to David and to Solomon his son , " In this house and in Jerusalem , which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel , I will put My name forever ; 8 and I will not again remove the foot of Israel from the land which I have appointed for your fathers , if only they will observe to do all that I have commanded them according to all the law , the statutes and the ordinances given through Moses ." 9 Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before e the sons of Israel . 10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people , but they paid no attention .
11 Therefore the Lord brought the commanders of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they captured Manasseh with hooks , bound him with bronze chains and took him to Babylon . 12 When he was in distress , he entreated the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before e the God of his fathers . 13 When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication , and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom . Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God . 14 Now after this he built the outer wall of the city of David on the west side of Gihon , in the valley , even to the entrance of the Fish Gate ; and he encircled the Ophel with it and made it very high . Then he put army commanders in all the fortified cities of Judah . 15 He also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of the Lord , as well as all the altars which he had built on the mountain of the house of the Lord and in Jerusalem , and he threw them outside the city . 16 He set up the altar of the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings and thank offerings on it; and he ordered Judah to serve the Lord God of Israel . 17 Nevertheless the people still sacrificed in the high places , although only to the Lord their God . 18 Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh even his prayer to his God , and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel , behold , they are among the records of the kings of Israel . 19 His prayer also and how God was entreated by him, and all his sin , his unfaithfulness , and the sites on which he built high places and erected the Asherim and the carved images , before he humbled himself, behold , they are written in the records of the Hozai . 20 So Manasseh slept with his fathers , and they buried him in his own house . And Amon his son became king in his place .
21 Amon was twenty-two e years old when he became king , and he reigned two years in Jerusalem . 22 He did evil in the sight of the Lord as Manasseh his father had done , and Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made , and he served them. 23 Moreover, he did not humble himself before e the Lord as his father Manasseh had done , but Amon multiplied guilt . 24 Finally his servants conspired against him and put him to death in his own house . 25 But the people of the land killed all the conspirators against King Amon , and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his place .
19 The high priest then questioned Jesus about His disciples , and about His teaching . 20 Jesus answered him, "I have spoken openly to the world ; I always taught in synagogues and in the temple , where all the Jews come together ; and I spoke nothing in secret . 21 "Why do you question Me? Question those who have heard what I spoke to them; they know what I said ." 22 When He had said this , one of the officers standing nearby struck e Jesus , saying , "Is that the way You answer the high priest ?" 23 Jesus answered him, "If I have spoken wrongly , testify of the wrong ; but if rightly , why do you strike Me?" 24 So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest .
25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, " You are not also one of His disciples , are you?" He denied it, and said , "I am not." 26 One of the slaves of the high priest , being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off , said , "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?" 27 Peter then denied it again , and immediately a rooster crowed .
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas into the Praetorium , and it was early ; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium so that they would not be defiled , but might eat the Passover . 29 Therefore Pilate went out to them and said , "What accusation do you bring against this Man ?" 30 They answered and said to him, "If this Man were not an evildoer , we would not have delivered Him to you." 31 So Pilate said to them, "Take Him yourselves , and judge Him according to your law ." The Jews said to him, "We are not permitted to put anyone to death ," 32 to fulfill the word of Jesus which He spoke , signifying by what kind of death He was about to die . 33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium , and summoned Jesus and said to Him, " Are You the King of the Jews ?" 34 Jesus answered , "Are you saying this on your own initiative , or did others tell you about Me?" 35 Pilate answered , "I am not a Jew , am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done ?" 36 Jesus answered , " My kingdom is not of this world . If My kingdom were of this world , then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews ; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm ." 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king ?" Jesus answered , " You say correctly that I am a king . For this I have been born , and for this I have come into the world , to testify to the truth . Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice ." 38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth ?" And when he had said this , he went out again to the Jews and said to them, " I find no guilt in Him.
39 " But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover ; do you wish then that I release for you the King of the Jews ?" 40 So they cried out again , saying , " Not this Man , but Barabbas ." Now Barabbas was a robber .
(Read John 18:13-27)
Simon Peter denied his Master. The particulars have been noticed in the remarks on the other Gospels. The beginning of sin is as the letting forth of water. The sin of lying is a fruitful sin; one lie needs another to support it, and that another. If a call to expose ourselves to danger be clear, we may hope God will enable us to honour him; if it be not, we may fear that God will leave us to shame ourselves. They said nothing concerning the miracles of Jesus, by which he had done so much good, and which proved his doctrine. Thus the enemies of Christ, whilst they quarrel with his truth, wilfully shut their eyes against it. He appeals to those who heard him. The doctrine of Christ may safely appeal to all that know it, and those who judge in truth bear witness to it. Our resentment of injuries must never be passionate. He reasoned with the man that did him the injury, and so may we.
(Read John 18:28-32)
It was unjust to put one to death who had done so much good, therefore the Jews were willing to save themselves from reproach. Many fear the scandal of an ill thing, more than the sin of it. Christ had said he should be delivered to the Gentiles, and they should put him to death; hereby that saying was fulfilled. He had said that he should be crucified, lifted up. If the Jews had judged him by their law, he had been stoned; crucifying never was used among the Jews. It is determined concerning us, though not discovered to us, what death we shall die: this should free us from disquiet about that matter. Lord, what, when, and how, thou hast appointed.
(Read John 18:33-40)
Art thou the King of the Jews? that King of the Jews who has been so long expected? Messiah the Prince; art thou he? Dost thou call thyself so, and wouldest thou be thought so? Christ answered this question with another; not for evasion, but that Pilate might consider what he did. He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid to him. Christ gave an account of the nature of his kingdom. Its nature is not worldly; it is a kingdom within men, set up in their hearts and consciences; its riches spiritual, its power spiritual, and it glory within. Its supports are not worldly; its weapons are spiritual; it needed not, nor used, force to maintain and advance it, nor opposed any kingdom but that of sin and Satan. Its object and design are not worldly. When Christ said, I am the Truth, he said, in effect, I am a King. He conquers by the convincing evidence of truth; he rules by the commanding power of truth. The subjects of this kingdom are those that are of the truth. Pilate put a good question, he said, What is truth? When we search the Scriptures, and attend the ministry of the word, it must be with this inquiry, What is truth? and with this prayer, Lead me in thy truth; into all truth. But many put this question, who have not patience to preserve in their search after truth; or not humility enough to receive it. By this solemn declaration of Christ's innocence, it appears, that though the Lord Jesus was treated as the worst of evil-doers, he never deserved such treatment. But it unfolds the design of his death; that he died as a Sacrifice for our sins. Pilate was willing to please all sides; and was governed more by worldly wisdom than by the rules of justice. Sin is a robber, yet is foolishly chosen by many rather than Christ, who would truly enrich us. Let us endeavour to make our accusers ashamed as Christ did; and let us beware of crucifying Christ afresh.
