171 And Jehoshaphat his son reigneth in his stead, and he strengtheneth himself against Israel, 2 and putteth a force in all the fenced cities of Judah, and putteth garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. 3 And Jehovah is with Jehoshaphat, for he hath walked in the first ways of David his father, and hath not sought to Baalim, 4 for to the God of his father he hath sought, and in His commands he hath walked, and not according to the work of Israel. 5 And Jehovah doth establish the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah give a present to Jehoshaphat, and he hath riches and honour in abundance, 6 and his heart is high in the ways of Jehovah, and again he hath turned aside the high places and the shrines out of Judah. 7 And in the third year of his reign he hath sent for his heads, for Ben-Hail, and for Obadiah, and for Zechariah, and for Nethaneel, and for Michaiah, to teach in cities of Judah, 8 and with them the Levites, Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijath, and Tob-Adonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. 9 And they teach in Judah, and with them 'is' the Book of the Law of Jehovah, and they go round about into all cities of Judah, and teach among the people.
10 And here is a fear of Jehovah on all kingdoms of the lands that 'are' round about Judah, and they have not fought with Jehoshaphat; 11 and of the Philistines they are bringing in to Jehoshaphat a present, and tribute silver; also, the Arabians are bringing to him a flock, rams seven thousand an seven hundred, and he-goats seven thousand and seven hundred. 12 And Jehoshaphat is going on and becoming very great, and he buildeth in Judah palaces and cities of store, 13 and he hath much work in cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty of valour, 'are' in Jerusalem. 14 And these 'are' their numbers, for the house of their fathers: Of Judah, heads of thousands, Adnah the head, and with him mighty ones of valour, three hundred chiefs. 15 And at his hand 'is' Jehohanan the head, and with him two hundred and eighty chiefs. 16 And at his hand 'is' Amasiah son of Zichri, who is willingly offering himself to Jehovah, and with him two hundred chiefs, mighty of valour. 17 And of Benjamin: mighty of valour, Eliada, and with him, armed with bow and shield, two hundred chiefs. 18 And at his hand 'is' Jehozabad, and with him a hundred and eighty chiefs, armed ones of the host. 19 These 'are' those serving the king, apart from those whom the king put in the cities of fortress, in all Judah.
181 And Jehoshaphat hath riches and honour in abundance, and joineth affinity to Ahab, 2 and goeth down at the end of 'certain' years unto Ahab to Samaria, and Ahab sacrificeth for him sheep and oxen in abundance, and for the people who 'are' with him, and persuadeth him to go up unto Ramoth-Gilead. 3 And Ahab king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 'Dost thou go with me 'to' Ramoth-Gilead?' And he saith to him, 'As I—so thou, and as thy people—my people, even with thee in battle.'
4 And Jehoshaphat saith unto the king of Israel, 'Seek, I pray thee, this day, the word of Jehovah.' 5 And the king of Israel gathereth the prophets, four hundred men, and saith unto them, 'Do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' And they say, 'Go up, and God doth give 'it' into the hand of the king.' 6 And Jehoshaphat saith, 'Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah still, and we seek from him?' 7 And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, 'Still—one man to seek Jehovah from him, and I—I have hated him, for he is not prophesying concerning me of good, but all his days of evil, he 'is' Micaiah son of Imlah;' and Jehoshaphat saith, 'Let not the king say so.' 8 And the king of Israel calleth unto a certain officer, and saith, 'Hasten Micaiah son of Imlah.' 9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah are sitting, each on his throne, clothed with garments, and they are sitting in a threshing-floor at the opening of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets are prophesying before them. 10 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah maketh for himself horns of iron, and saith, 'Thus said Jehovah, 11 With these thou dost push Aram till thou hast consumed them.' And all the prophets are prophesying so, saying, 'Go up 'to' Ramath-Gilead and prosper, and Jehovah hath given 'it' into the hand of the king.' 12 And the messenger who hath gone to call for Micaiah hath spoken unto him, saying, 'Lo, the words of the prophets—one mouth—'are' good towards the king, and let, I pray thee, thy word be like one of theirs: and thou hast spoken good.' 13 And Micaiah saith 'Jehovah liveth, surely that which my God saith, it I speak.' 14 And he cometh in unto the king, and the king saith unto him, 'Micaiah, do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' And he saith, 'Go ye up, and prosper, and they are given into your hand.' 15 And the king saith unto him, 'How many times am I adjuring thee, that thou speak unto me only truth in the name of Jehovah?' 16 And he saith, 'I have seen all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd, and Jehovah saith, There are no masters to these, they turn back each to his house in peace.' 17 And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, 'Did I not say unto thee, He doth not prophesy concerning me good, but rather of evil?' 18 And he saith, 'Therefore, hear ye a word of Jehovah: I have seen Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing on His right and His left; 19 and Jehovah saith, Who doth entice Ahab king of Israel, and he doth go up and fall in Ramoth-Gilead? And this speaker saith thus, and that speaker thus. 20 And go out doth the spirit, and stand before Jehovah, and saith, I do entice him; and Jehovah saith unto him, With what? 21 and he saith, I go out, and have become a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets. And He saith, Thou dost entice, and also, thou art able; go out and do so. 22 And, now, lo, Jehovah hath put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of these thy prophets, and Jehovah hath spoken concerning thee—evil.' 23 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah cometh nigh, and smiteth Micaiah on the cheek, and saith, 'Where 'is' this—the way the Spirit of Jehovah passed over from me to speak with thee?' 24 And Micaiah saith, 'Lo, thou dost see in that day, that thou dost enter into the innermost chamber to be hidden.' 25 And the king of Israel saith, 'Take ye Micaiah, and turn him back unto Amon head of the city, and unto Joash son of the king, 26 and ye have said, Thus said the king, Put ye this 'one' in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat bread of oppression, and water of oppression, till my return in peace.' 27 And Micaiah saith, 'If thou dost certainly return in peace, Jehovah hath not spoken by me;' and he saith, 'Hear ye, O peoples, all of them!'
28 And the king of Israel goeth up, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, unto Ramoth-Gilead; 29 and the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat to disguise himself, and to go into battle, 'And thou, put on thy garments.' And the king of Israel disguiseth himself, and they go into battle. 30 And the king of Aram hath commanded the heads of the charioteers whom he hath, saying, 'Ye do not fight with small or with great, except with the king of Israel by himself.' 31 And it cometh to pass at the heads of the charioteers seeing Jehoshaphat, that they have said, 'The king of Israel he is,' and they turn round against him to fight, and Jehoshaphat crieth out, and Jehovah hath helped him, and God enticeth them from him, 32 yea, it cometh to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing that it hath not been the king of Israel—they turn back from after him. 33 And a man hath drawn with a bow, in his simplicity, and smiteth the king of Israel between the joinings and the coat of mail, and he saith to the charioteer, 'Turn thy hand, and thou hast brought me out of the camp, for I have become sick.' 34 And the battle increaseth on that day, and the king of Israel hath been stayed up in the chariot over-against Aram till the evening, and he dieth at the time of the going in of the sun.
131 And before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing that his hour hath come, that he may remove out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own who 'are' in the world—to the end he loved them. 2 And supper being come, the devil already having put 'it' into the heart of Judas of Simon, Iscariot, that he may deliver him up, 3 Jesus knowing that all things the Father hath given to him—into 'his' hands, and that from God he came forth, and unto God he goeth, 4 doth rise from the supper, and doth lay down his garments, and having taken a towel, he girded himself; 5 afterward he putteth water into the basin, and began to wash the feet of his disciples, and to wipe with the towel with which he was being girded. 6 He cometh, therefore, unto Simon Peter, and that one saith to him, 'Sir, thou—dost thou wash my feet?' 7 Jesus answered and said to him, 'That which I do thou hast not known now, but thou shalt know after these things;' 8 Peter saith to him, 'Thou mayest not wash my feet—to the age.' Jesus answered him, 'If I may not wash thee, thou hast no part with me;' 9 Simon Peter saith to him, 'Sir, not my feet only, but also the hands and the head.' 10 Jesus saith to him, 'He who hath been bathed hath no need save to wash his feet, but he is clean altogether; and ye are clean, but not all;' 11 for he knew him who is delivering him up; because of this he said, 'Ye are not all clean.' 12 When, therefore, he washed their feet, and took his garments, having reclined (at meat) again, he said to them, 'Do ye know what I have done to you? 13 ye call me, The Teacher and The Lord, and ye say well, for I am; 14 if then I did wash your feet—the Lord and the Teacher—ye also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 'For an example I gave to you, that, according as I did to you, ye also may do; 16 verily, verily, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his lord, nor an apostle greater than he who sent him; 17 if these things ye have known, happy are ye, if ye may do them;
18 not concerning you all do I speak; I have known whom I chose for myself; but that the Writing may be fulfilled: He who is eating the bread with me, did lift up against me his heel. 19 'From this time I tell you, before its coming to pass, that, when it may come to pass, ye may believe that I am 'he'; 20 verily, verily, I say to you, he who is receiving whomsoever I may send, doth receive me; and he who is receiving me, doth receive Him who sent me.'
(Read John 13:1-17)
Our Lord Jesus has a people in the world that are his own; he has purchased them, and paid dear for them, and he has set them apart for himself; they devote themselves to him as a peculiar people. Those whom Christ loves, he loves to the end. Nothing can separate a true believer from the love of Christ. We know not when our hour will come, therefore what we have to do in constant preparation for it, ought never to be undone. What way of access the devil has to men's hearts we cannot tell. But some sins are so exceedingly sinful, and there is so little temptation to them from the world and the flesh, that it is plain they are directly from Satan. Jesus washed his disciples' feet, that he might teach us to think nothing below us, wherein we may promote God's glory, and the good of our brethren. We must address ourselves to duty, and must lay aside every thing that would hinder us in what we have to do. Christ washed his disciples' feet, that he might signify to them the value of spiritual washing, and the cleansing of the soul from the pollutions of sin. Our Lord Jesus does many things of which even his own disciples do not for the present know the meaning, but they shall know afterward. We see in the end what was the kindness from events which seemed most cross. And it is not humility, but unbelief, to put away the offers of the gospel, as if too rich to be made to us, or too good news to be true. All those, and those only, who are spiritually washed by Christ, have a part in Christ. All whom Christ owns and saves, he justifies and sanctifies. Peter more than submits; he begs to be washed by Christ. How earnest he is for the purifying grace of the Lord Jesus, and the full effect of it, even upon his hands and head! Those who truly desire to be sanctified, desire to be sanctified throughout, to have the whole man, with all its parts and powers, made pure. The true believer is thus washed when he receives Christ for his salvation. See then what ought to be the daily care of those who through grace are in a justified state, and that is, to wash their feet; to cleanse themselves from daily guilt, and to watch against everything defiling. This should make us the more cautious. From yesterday's pardon, we should be strengthened against this day's temptation. And when hypocrites are discovered, it should be no surprise or cause of stumbling to us. Observe the lesson Christ here taught. Duties are mutual; we must both accept help from our brethren, and afford help to our brethren. When we see our Master serving, we cannot but see how ill it becomes us to domineer. And the same love which led Christ to ransom and reconcile his disciples when enemies, still influences him.
(Read John 13:18-30)
Our Lord had often spoken of his own sufferings and death, without such trouble of spirit as he now discovered when he spake of Judas. The sins of Christians are the grief of Christ. We are not to confine our attention to Judas. The prophecy of his treachery may apply to all who partake of God's mercies, and meet them with ingratitude. See the infidel, who only looks at the Scriptures with a desire to do away their authority and destroy their influence; the hypocrite, who professes to believe the Scriptures, but will not govern himself by them; and the apostate, who turns aside from Christ for a thing of naught. Thus mankind, supported by God's providence, after eating bread with Him, lift up the heel against Him! Judas went out as one weary of Jesus and his apostles. Those whose deeds are evil, love darkness rather than light.
