191 And it cometh to pass, at king Hezekiah's hearing, that he rendeth his garments, and covereth himself with sackcloth, and entereth the house of Jehovah, 2 and sendeth Eliakim, who 'is' over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covering themselves with sackcloth, unto Isaiah the prophet, son of Amoz, 3 and they say unto him, 'Thus said Hezekiah—A day of distress, and rebuke, and despising 'is' this day; for come have sons unto the birth, and power there is not to bring forth. 4 'It may be Jehovah thy God doth hear all the words of the chief of the butlers with which the king of Asshur his lord hath sent him to reproach the living God, and hath decided concerning the words that Jehovah thy God hath heard, and thou hast lifted up prayer for the remnant that is found.' 5 And the servants of king Hezekiah come in unto Isaiah, 6 and Isaiah saith to them, 'Thus do ye say unto your lord: Thus said Jehovah, Be not afraid because of the words that thou hast heard, with which the servants of the king of Asshur have reviled Me. 7 Lo, I am giving in him a spirit, and he hath heard a report, and hath turned back to his land, and I have caused him to fall by the sword in his land.'
8 And the chief of the butlers turneth back and findeth the king of Asshur fighting against Libnah, for he hath heard that he hath journeyed from Lachish. 9 And he heareth concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, saying, 'Lo, he hath come out to fight with thee;' and he turneth and sendeth messengers unto Hezekiah, saying, 10 'Thus do ye speak unto Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God lift thee up in whom thou art trusting, saying, Jerusalem is not given into the hand of the king of Asshur. 11 Lo, thou hast heard that which the kings of Asshur have done to all the lands—to devote them; and thou art delivered! 12 did the gods of the nations deliver them whom my fathers destroyed—Gozan, and Haran, and Rezeph, and the sons of Eden, who 'are' in Thelassar? 13 Where 'is' the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?' 14 And Hezekiah taketh the letters out of the hand of the messengers, and readeth them, and goeth up to the house of Jehovah, and Hezekiah spreadeth it before Jehovah. 15 And Hezekiah prayeth before Jehovah, and saith, 'O Jehovah, God of Israel, inhabiting the cherubs, Thou 'art' God Himself—Thyself alone—to all the kingdoms of the earth: Thou hast made the heavens and the earth. 16 Incline, O Jehovah, Thine ear, and hear; open, O Jehovah, Thine eyes, and see; and hear Thou the words of Sennacherib with which he hath sent him to reproach the living God. 17 'Truly, O Jehovah, kings of Asshur have laid waste the nations, and their land, 18 and have put their gods into fire, for they 'are' no gods, but work of the hands of man, wood and stone, and destroy them. 19 And now, O Jehovah our God, save us, we pray Thee, out of his hand, and know do all kingdoms of the earth that Thou 'art' Jehovah God—Thyself alone.'
20 And Isaiah son of Amoz sendeth unto Hezekiah, saying, 'Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed unto Me concerning Sennacherib king of Asshur I have heard: 21 this 'is' the word that Jehovah spake concerning him: 'Trampled on thee—laughed at thee, Hath the virgin daughter of Zion Behind thee shaken the head—Hath the daughter of Jerusalem? 22 Whom hast thou reproached and reviled? And against whom lifted up a voice? Yea, thou dost lift up on high thine eyes—Against the Holy One of Israel! 23 By the hand of thy messengers Thou hast reproached the Lord, and sayest: In the multitude of my chariots I have come up to a high place of mountains—The sides of Lebanon, And I cut down the height of its cedars, The choice of its firs, And I enter the lodging of its extremity, The forest of its Carmel. 24 I have digged, and drunk strange waters, And I dry up with the sole of my steps All floods of a bulwark. 25 Hast thou not heard from afar, it I made, From days of old that I formed it? Now I have brought it in, And it becometh a desolation, Ruinous heaps 'are' fenced cities, 26 And their inhabitants 'are' feeble-handed, They were broken down, and are dried up, They have been the herb of the field, And the greenness of the tender grass, Grass of the roofs, And blasted corn—before it hath risen up! 27 And thy sitting down, and thy going out, And thy coming in, I have known, And thine anger towards Me; 28 Because of thine anger towards Me, And thy noise—it came up into Mine ears, I have put My hook in thy nose, And My bridle in thy lips, And have caused thee to turn back, In the way in which thou camest. 29 And this to thee 'is' the sign, Food of the year 'is' the spontaneous growth, And in the second year the self-produced, And in the third year sow ye, and reap, And plant vineyards, and eat their fruits. 30 And it hath continued—The escaped of the house of Judah That hath been left—to take root beneath, And hath made fruit upward. 31 For from Jerusalem goeth out a remnant, And an escape from mount Zion; The zeal of Jehovah 'of Hosts' doth this. 32 Therefore, thus said Jehovah, Concerning the king of Asshur: He doth not come in unto this city, Nor doth he shoot there an arrow, Nor doth he come before it with shield. Nor doth he pour out against it a mount. 33 In the way that he cometh in—In it he turneth back, And unto this city he doth not come in, The affirmation of Jehovah— 34 And I have covered over this city, To save it, for Mine own sake, And for the sake of David My servant.'
35 And it cometh to pass, in that night, that a messenger of Jehovah goeth out, and smiteth in the camp of Asshur a hundred eighty and five thousand, and they rise early in the morning, and lo, all of them 'are' dead corpses. 36 And Sennacherib king of Asshur journeyeth, and goeth, and turneth back, and dwelleth in Nineveh; 37 and it cometh to pass, he is bowing himself in the house of Nisroch his god, and Adramelech and Sharezar 'his sons' have smitten him with the sword, and they have escaped to the land of Ararat, and Esar-Haddon his son reigneth in his stead.
201 In those days hath Hezekiah been sick unto death, and come unto him doth Isaiah son of Amoz the prophet, and saith unto him, 'Thus said Jehovah: Give a charge to thy house, for thou art dying, and dost not live.' 2 And he turneth round his face unto the wall, and prayeth unto Jehovah, saying, 3 'I pray Thee, O Jehovah, remember, I pray Thee, how I have walked habitually before Thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and that which 'is' good in Thine eyes I have done;' and Hezekiah weepeth—a great weeping. 4 And it cometh to pass—Isaiah hath not gone out to the middle court—that the word of Jehovah hath been unto him, saying, 5 'Turn back, and thou hast said unto Hezekiah, leader of My people: Thus said Jehovah, God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tear, lo, I give healing to thee, on the third day thou dost go up to the house of Jehovah; 6 and I have added to thy days fifteen years, and out of the hand of the king of Asshur I deliver thee and this city, and have covered over this city for Mine own sake, and for the sake of David My servant.' 7 And Isaiah saith, 'Take ye a cake of figs;' and they take and lay 'it' on the boil, and he reviveth. 8 And Hezekiah saith unto Isaiah, 'What 'is' the sign that Jehovah doth give healing to me, that I have gone up on the third day to the house of Jehovah?' 9 And Isaiah saith, 'This 'is' to thee the sign from Jehovah, that Jehovah doth the thing that He hath spoken—The shadow hath gone on ten degrees, or it doth turn back ten degrees?' 10 And Hezekiah saith, 'It hath been light for the shadow to incline ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow turn backward ten degrees.' 11 And Isaiah the prophet calleth unto Jehovah, and He bringeth back the shadow by the degrees that it had gone down in the degrees of Ahaz—backward ten degrees.
12 At that time hath Berodach-Baladan son of Baladan king of Babylon sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah, for he heard that Hezekiah had been sick; 13 and Hezekiah hearkeneth unto them, and sheweth them all the house of his treasury, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the good ointment, and all the house of his vessels, and all that hath been found in his treasuries; there hath not been a thing that Hezekiah hath not shewed them, in his house, and in all his dominion. 14 And Isaiah the prophet cometh in unto king Hezekiah, and saith unto him, 'What said these men? and whence come they unto thee?' And Hezekiah saith, 'From a land afar off they have come—from Babylon.' 15 And he saith, 'What saw they in thy house?' and Hezekiah saith, 'All that 'is' in my house they saw; there hath not been a thing that I have not shewed them among my treasures.' 16 And Isaiah saith unto Hezekiah, 'Hear a word of Jehovah: 17 Lo, days are coming, and borne hath been all that 'is' in thy house, and that thy father have treasured up till this day, to Babylon; there is not left a thing, said Jehovah; 18 and of thy sons who go out from thee, whom thou begettest, they take away, and they have been eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.' 19 And Hezekiah saith unto Isaiah, 'Good 'is' the word of Jehovah that thou hast spoken;' and he saith, 'Is it not—if peace and truth are in my days?'
20 And the rest of the matters of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the pool, and the conduit, and bringeth in the waters to the city, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 21 And Hezekiah lieth with his fathers, and reign doth Manasseh his son in his stead.
211 A son of twelve years 'is' Manasseh in his reigning, and fifty and five years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother 'is' Hephzi-Bah; 2 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, according to the abominations of the nations that Jehovah dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel, 3 and he turneth and buildeth the high places that Hezekiah his father destroyed, and raiseth altars for Baal, and maketh a shrine, as did Ahab king of Israel, and boweth himself to all the host of the heavens, and serveth them. 4 And he hath built altars in the house of Jehovah, of which Jehovah said, 'In Jerusalem I put My name.' 5 And he buildeth altars to all the host of the heavens in the two courts of the house of Jehovah; 6 and he hath caused his son to pass through fire, and observed clouds, and used enchantment, and dealt with a familiar spirit and wizards; he hath multiplied to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah—to provoke to anger. 7 And he setteth the graven image of the shrine that he made in the house of which Jehovah said unto David and unto Solomon his son, 'In this house, and in Jerusalem, that I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I put My name—to the age; 8 and I do not add to cause the foot of Israel to move from the ground that I gave to their fathers, only, if they observe to do according to all that I commanded them, and to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.' 9 And they have not hearkened, and Manasseh causeth them to err, to do the evil thing above the nations that Jehovah destroyed from the presence of the sons of Israel.
10 And Jehovah speaketh by the hand of his servants the prophets, saying, 11 'Because that Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations—he hath done evil above all that the Amorites have done who 'are' before him, and causeth also Judah to sin by his idols; 12 therefore thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Lo, I am bringing in evil on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever heareth of it, tingle do his two ears. 13 And I have stretched out over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and wiped Jerusalem as one wipeth the dish—he hath wiped, and hath turned 'it' on its face. 14 'And I have left the remnant of Mine inheritance, and given them into the hand of their enemies, and they have been for a prey and for a spoil to all their enemies, 15 because that they have done the evil thing in Mine eyes, and are provoking Me to anger from the day that their fathers came out of Egypt, even unto this day.' 16 And also, innocent blood hath Manasseh shed very much, till that he hath filled Jerusalem—mouth to mouth; apart from his sin that he hath caused Judah to sin, to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah. 17 And the rest of the matters of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 18 And Manasseh lieth with his fathers, and is buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza, and reign doth Amon his son in his stead.
19 A son of twenty and two years 'is' Amon in his reigning, and two years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother 'is' Meshullemeth daughter of Haruz of Jotbah, 20 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, as did Manasseh his father, 21 and walketh in all the way that his father walked in, and serveth the idols that his father served, and boweth himself to them, 22 and forsaketh Jehovah, God of his fathers, and hath not walked in the way of Jehovah. 23 And the servants of Amon conspire against him, and put the king to death in his own house, 24 and the people of the land smite all those conspiring against king Amon, and the people of the land cause Josiah his son to reign in his stead. 25 And the rest of the matters of Amon that he did, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 26 and 'one' burieth him in his burying-place in the garden of Uzza, and reign doth Josiah his son in his stead.
41 When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees heard that Jesus more disciples doth make and baptize than John, 2 (though indeed Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples,) 3 he left Judea and went away again to Galilee,
4 and it was behoving him to go through Samaria. 5 He cometh, therefore, to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the place that Jacob gave to Joseph his son; 6 and there was there a well of Jacob. Jesus therefore having been weary from the journeying, was sitting thus on the well; it was as it were the sixth hour; 7 there cometh a woman out of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith to her, 'Give me to drink;' 8 for his disciples were gone away to the city, that they may buy victuals; 9 the Samaritan woman therefore saith to him, 'How dost thou, being a Jew, ask drink from me, being a Samaritan woman?' for Jews have no dealing with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, 'If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked him, and he would have given thee living water.' 11 The woman saith to him, 'Sir, thou hast not even a vessel to draw with, and the well is deep; whence, then, hast thou the living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who did give us the well, and himself out of it did drink, and his sons, and his cattle?' 13 Jesus answered and said to her, 'Every one who is drinking of this water shall thirst again; 14 but whoever may drink of the water that I will give him, may not thirst—to the age; and the water that I will give him shall become in him a well of water, springing up to life age-during.' 15 The woman saith unto him, 'Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw.' 16 Jesus saith to her, 'Go, call thy husband, and come hither;' 17 the woman answered and said, 'I have not a husband.' Jesus saith to her, 'Well didst thou say—A husband I have not; 18 for five husbands thou hast had, and, now, he whom thou hast is not thy husband; this hast thou said truly.' 19 The woman saith to him, 'Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet; 20 our fathers in this mountain did worship, and ye—ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where it behoveth to worship.' 21 Jesus saith to her, 'Woman, believe me, that there doth come an hour, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father; 22 ye worship what ye have not known; we worship what we have known, because the salvation is of the Jews; 23 but, there cometh an hour, and it now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also doth seek such to worship him; 24 God 'is' a Spirit, and those worshipping Him, in spirit and truth it doth behove to worship.' 25 The woman saith to him, 'I have known that Messiah doth come, who is called Christ, when that one may come, he will tell us all things;' 26 Jesus saith to her, 'I am 'he', who am speaking to thee.'
27 And upon this came his disciples, and were wondering that with a woman he was speaking, no one, however, said, 'What seekest thou?' or 'Why speakest thou with her?' 28 The woman then left her water-jug, and went away to the city, and saith to the men, 29 'Come, see a man, who told me all things—as many as I did; is this the Christ?' 30 They went forth therefore out of the city, and were coming unto him.
(Read John 4:1-3)
Jesus applied himself more to preaching, which was the more excellent, 1 Corinthians 1:17, than to baptism. He would put honour upon his disciples, by employing them to baptize. He teaches us that the benefit of sacraments depends not on the hand that administers them.
(Read John 4:4-26)
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore Christ, having made himself a curse for us, submitted to it. Also, he was a poor man, and went all his journeys on foot. Being wearied, he sat thus on the well; he had no couch to rest upon. He sat thus, as people wearied with travelling sit. Surely, we ought readily to submit to be like the Son of God in such things as these. Christ asked a woman for water. She was surprised because he did not show the anger of his own nation against the Samaritans. Moderate men of all sides are men wondered at. Christ took the occasion to teach her Divine things: he converted this woman, by showing her ignorance and sinfulness, and her need of a Saviour. By this living water is meant the Spirit. Under this comparison the blessing of the Messiah had been promised in the Old Testament. The graces of the Spirit, and his comforts, satisfy the thirsting soul, that knows its own nature and necessity. What Jesus spake figuratively, she took literally. Christ shows that the water of Jacob's well yielded a very short satisfaction. Of whatever waters of comfort we drink, we shall thirst again. But whoever partakes of the Spirit of grace, and the comforts of the gospel, shall never want that which will abundantly satisfy his soul. Carnal hearts look no higher than carnal ends. Give it me, saith she, not that I may have everlasting life, which Christ proposed, but that I come not hither to draw. The carnal mind is very ingenious in shifting off convictions, and keeping them from fastening. But how closely our Lord Jesus brings home the conviction to her conscience! He severely reproved her present state of life. The woman acknowledged Christ to be a prophet. The power of his word in searching the heart, and convincing the conscience of secret things, is a proof of Divine authority. It should cool our contests, to think that the things we are striving about are passing away. The object of worship will continue still the same, God, as a Father; but an end shall be put to all differences about the place of worship. Reason teaches us to consult decency and convenience in the places of our worship; but religion gives no preference to one place above another, in respect of holiness and approval with God. The Jews were certainly in the right. Those who by the Scriptures have obtained some knowledge of God, know whom they worship. The word of salvation was of the Jews. It came to other nations through them. Christ justly preferred the Jewish worship before the Samaritan, yet here he speaks of the former as soon to be done away. God was about to be revealed as the Father of all believers in every nation. The spirit or the soul of man, as influenced by the Holy Spirit, must worship God, and have communion with him. Spiritual affections, as shown in fervent prayers, supplications, and thanksgivings, form the worship of an upright heart, in which God delights and is glorified. The woman was disposed to leave the matter undecided, till the coming of the Messiah. But Christ told her, I that speak to thee, am He. She was an alien and a hostile Samaritan, merely speaking to her was thought to disgrace our Lord Jesus. Yet to this woman did our Lord reveal himself more fully than as yet he had done to any of his disciples. No past sins can bar our acceptance with him, if we humble ourselves before him, believing in him as the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
(Read John 4:27-42)
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, words, and actions, of all the children of men. And the power of his word. He told her secret sins with power. She fastened upon that part of Christ's discourse, many would think she would have been most shy of repeating; but the knowledge of Christ, into which we are led by conviction of sin, is most likely to be sound and saving. They came to him: those who would know Christ, must meet him where he records his name. Our Master has left us an example, that we may learn to do the will of God as he did; with diligence, as those that make a business of it; with delight and pleasure in it. Christ compares his work to harvest-work. The harvest is appointed and looked for before it comes; so was the gospel. Harvest-time is busy time; all must be then at work. Harvest-time is a short time, and harvest-work must be done then, or not at all; so the time of the gospel is a season, which if once past, cannot be recalled. God sometimes uses very weak and unlikely instruments for beginning and carrying on a good work. Our Saviour, by teaching one poor woman, spread knowledge to a whole town. Blessed are those who are not offended at Christ. Those taught of God, are truly desirous to learn more. It adds much to the praise of our love to Christ and his word, if it conquers prejudices. Their faith grew. In the matter of it: they believed him to be the Saviour, not only of the Jews but of the world. In the certainty of it: we know that this is indeed the Christ. And in the ground of it, for we have heard him ourselves.
