241 In his days hath Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon come up, and Jehoiakim is to him a servant three years; and he turneth and rebelleth against him, 2 and Jehovah sendeth against him the troops of the Chaldeans, and the troops of Aram, and the troops of Moab, and the troops of the sons of Ammon, and He sendeth them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of Jehovah, that He spake by the hand of His servants the prophets; 3 only, by the command of Jehovah it hath been against Judah to turn 'them' aside from His presence, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did, 4 and also the innocent blood that he hath shed, and he filleth Jerusalem with innocent blood, and Jehovah was not willing to forgive. 5 And the rest of the matters of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 6 And Jehoiakim lieth with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigneth in his stead. 7 And the king of Egypt hath not added any more to go out from his own land, for the king of Babylon hath taken, from the brook of Egypt unto the river Phrat, all that had been to the king of Egypt.
8 A son of eighteen years 'is' Jehoiachin in his reigning, and three months he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother 'is' Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem, 9 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers did. 10 At that time come up have servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and the city goeth into siege, 11 and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon cometh against the city, and his servants are laying siege to it, 12 and Jehoiachin king of Judah goeth out unto the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his chiefs, and his eunuchs, and the king of Babylon taketh him in the eighth year of his reign, 13 and bringeth out thence all the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the house of the king, and cutteth in pieces all the vessels of gold that Solomon king of Israel made in the temple of Jehovah, as Jehovah had spoken. 14 And he hath removed all Jerusalem, and all the chiefs, and all the mighty ones of valour—ten thousand 'is' the removal—and every artificer and smith, none hath been left save the poor of the people of the land. 15 And he removeth Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the mother of the king, and the wives of the king, and his eunuchs, and the mighty ones of the land—he hath caused a removal to go from Jerusalem to Babylon, 16 and all the men of valour seven thousand, and the artificers and the smiths a thousand, the whole 'are' mighty men, warriors; and the king of Babylon bringeth them in a captivity to Babylon. 17 And the king of Babylon causeth Mattaniah his father's brother to reign in his stead, and turneth his name to Zedekiah.
18 A son of twenty and one years 'is' Zedekiah in his reigning, and eleven years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother 'is' Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah, 19 and he doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah according to all that Jehoiakim did, 20 for, by the anger of Jehovah it hath been against Jerusalem and against Judah, till he cast them out from His presence, that Zedekiah rebelleth against the king of Babylon.
251 And it cometh to pass, in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth of the month, come hath Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, he and all his force, against Jerusalem, and encampeth against it, and buildeth against it a fortification round about. 2 And the city entereth into siege till the eleventh year of king Zedekiah, 3 on the ninth of the month—when the famine is severe in the city, and there hath not been bread for the people of the land, 4 then the city is broken up, and all the men of war 'go' by night the way of the gate, between the two walls that 'are' by the garden of the king, and the Chaldeans 'are' against the city round about, and 'the king' goeth the way of the plain. 5 And the force of the Chaldeans pursue after the king, and overtake him in the plains of Jericho, and all his force have been scattered from him; 6 and they seize the king, and bring him up unto the king of Babylon, to Riblah, and they speak with him—judgment. 7 And the sons of Zedekiah they have slaughtered before his eyes, and the eyes of Zedekiah he hath blinded, and bindeth him with brazen fetters, and they bring him to Babylon.
8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh of the month (it 'is' the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), hath Nebuzaradan chief of the executioners, servant of the king of Babylon, come to Jerusalem, 9 and he burneth the house of Jehovah, and the house of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem, yea, every great house he hath burned with fire; 10 and the walls of Jerusalem round about have all the forces of the Chaldeans, who 'are' with the chief of the executioners, broken down. 11 And the rest of the people, those left in the city, and those falling who have fallen to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude, hath Nebuzaradan chief of the executioners removed; 12 and of the poor of the land hath the chief of the executioners left for vine-dressers and for husbandmen. 13 And the pillars of brass that 'are' in the house of Jehovah, and the bases, and the sea of brass, that 'is' in the house of Jehovah, have the Chaldeans broken in pieces, and bear away their brass to Babylon. 14 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they minister they have taken, 15 and the fire-pans, and the bowls that 'are' wholly of silver, hath the chief of the executioners taken. 16 The two pillars, the one sea, and the bases that Solomon made for the house of Jehovah, there was no weighing of the brass of all these vessels; 17 eighteen cubits 'is' the height of the one pillar, and the chapiter on it 'is' of brass, and the height of the chapiter 'is' three cubits, and the net and the pomegranates 'are' on the chapiter round about—the whole 'is' of brass; and like these hath the second pillar, with the net. 18 And the chief of the executioners taketh Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold, 19 and out of the city he hath taken a certain eunuch who is appointed over the men of war, and five men of those seeing the king's face who have been found in the city, and the head scribe of the host, who mustereth the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who are found in the city, 20 and Nebuzaradan chief of the executioners taketh them, and causeth them to go unto the king of Babylon, to Libnah, 21 and the king of Babylon smiteth them, and putteth them to death in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and he removeth Judah from off its land.
22 And the people that is left in the land of Judah whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon hath left—he appointeth over them Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan. 23 And all the heads of the forces hear—they and the men—that the king of Babylon hath appointed Gedaliah, and they come in unto Gedaliah, to Mizpah, even Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan son of Kareah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah son of the Maachathite—they and their men; 24 and Gedaliah sweareth to them, and to their men, and saith to them, 'Be not afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans, dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it is good for you.' 25 And it cometh to pass, in the seventh month, come hath Ishmael son of Nathaniah, son of Elishama of the seed of the kingdom, and ten men with him, and they smite Gedaliah, and he dieth, and the Jews and the Chaldeans who have been with him in Mizpah. 26 And all the people rise, from small even unto great, and the heads of the forces, and come in to Egypt, for they have been afraid of the presence of the Chaldeans.
27 And it cometh to pass, in the thirty and seventh year of the removal of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty and seventh of the month hath Evil-Merodach king of Babylon lifted up, in the year of his reigning, the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, out of the house of restraint, 28 and speaketh with him good things and putteth his throne above the throne of the kings who 'are' with him in Babylon, 29 and hath changed the garments of his restraint, and he hath eaten bread continually before him all days of his life, 30 and his allowance—a continual allowance—hath been given to him from the king, the matter of a day in its day, all days of his life.
51 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 2 and there is in Jerusalem by the sheep-'gate' a pool that is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porches, 3 in these were lying a great multitude of the ailing, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the moving of the water, 4 for a messenger at a set time was going down in the pool, and was troubling the water, the first then having gone in after the troubling of the water, became whole of whatever sickness he was held. 5 and there was a certain man there being in ailment thirty and eight years, 6 him Jesus having seen lying, and having known that he is already a long time, he saith to him, 'Dost thou wish to become whole?' 7 The ailing man answered him, 'Sir, I have no man, that, when the water may be troubled, he may put me into the pool, and while I am coming, another doth go down before me.' 8 Jesus saith to him, 'Rise, take up thy couch, and be walking;' 9 and immediately the man became whole, and he took up his couch, and was walking, and it was a sabbath on that day, 10 the Jews then said to him that hath been healed, 'It is a sabbath; it is not lawful to thee to take up the couch.' 11 He answered them, 'He who made me whole—that one said to me, Take up thy couch, and be walking;' 12 they questioned him, then, 'Who is the man who is saying to thee, Take up thy couch and be walking?' 13 But he that was healed had not known who he is, for Jesus did move away, a multitude being in the place. 14 After these things, Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said to him, 'Lo, thou hast become whole; sin no more, lest something worse may happen to thee.' 15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it is Jesus who made him whole, 16 and because of this were the Jews persecuting Jesus, and seeking to kill him, because these things he was doing on a sabbath.
17 And Jesus answered them, 'My Father till now doth work, and I work;' 18 because of this, then, were the Jews seeking the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the sabbath, but he also called God his own Father, making himself equal to God.
19 Jesus therefore responded and said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, The Son is not able to do anything of himself, if he may not see the Father doing anything; for whatever things He may do, these also the Son in like manner doth; 20 for the Father doth love the Son, and doth shew to him all things that He himself doth; and greater works than these He will shew him, that ye may wonder. 21 'For, as the Father doth raise the dead, and doth make alive, so also the Son doth make alive whom he willeth; 22 for neither doth the Father judge any one, but all the judgment He hath given to the Son, 23 that all may honour the Son according as they honour the Father; he who is not honouring the Son, doth not honour the Father who sent him. 24 'Verily, verily, I say to you—He who is hearing my word, and is believing Him who sent me, hath life age-during, and to judgment he doth not come, but hath passed out of the death to the life.
(Read John 5:1-9)
We are all by nature impotent folk in spiritual things, blind, halt, and withered; but full provision is made for our cure, if we attend to it. An angel went down, and troubled the water; and what disease soever it was, this water cured it, but only he that first stepped in had benefit. This teaches us to be careful, that we let not a season slip which may never return. The man had lost the use of his limbs thirty-eight years. Shall we, who perhaps for many years have scarcely known what it has been to be a day sick, complain of one wearisome night, when many others, better than we, have scarcely known what it has been to be a day well? Christ singled this one out from the rest. Those long in affliction, may comfort themselves that God keeps account how long. Observe, this man speaks of the unkindness of those about him, without any peevish reflections. As we should be thankful, so we should be patient. Our Lord Jesus cures him, though he neither asked nor thought of it. Arise, and walk. God's command, Turn and live; Make ye a new heart; no more supposes power in us without the grace of God, his distinguishing grace, than this command supposed such power in the impotent man: it was by the power of Christ, and he must have all the glory. What a joyful surprise to the poor cripple, to find himself of a sudden so easy, so strong, so able to help himself! The proof of spiritual cure, is our rising and walking. Has Christ healed our spiritual diseases, let us go wherever he sends us, and take up whatever he lays upon us; and walk before him.
(Read John 5:10-16)
Those eased of the punishment of sin, are in danger of returning to sin, when the terror and restraint are over, unless Divine grace dries up the fountain. The misery believers are made whole from, warns us to sin no more, having felt the smart of sin. This is the voice of every providence, Go, and sin no more. Christ saw it necessary to give this caution; for it is common for people, when sick, to promise much; when newly recovered, to perform only something; but after awhile to forget all. Christ spoke of the wrath to come, which is beyond compare worse than the many hours, nay, weeks and years of pain, some wicked men have to suffer in consequence of their unlawful indulgences. And if such afflictions are severe, how dreadful will be the everlasting punishment of the wicked!
(Read John 5:17-23)
The Divine power of the miracle proved Jesus to be the Son of God, and he declared that he worked with, and like unto his Father, as he saw good. These ancient enemies of Christ understood him, and became more violent, charging him not only with sabbath-breaking, but blasphemy, in calling God his own Father, and making himself equal with God. But all things now, and at the final judgment, are committed to the Son, purposely that all men might honour the Son, as they honour the Father; and every one who does not thus honour the Son, whatever he may think or pretend, does not honour the Father who sent him.
(Read John 5:24-29)
Our Lord declared his authority and character, as the Messiah. The time was come when the dead should hear his voice, as the Son of God, and live. Our Lord first refers to his raising those who were dead in sin, to newness of life, by the power of the Spirit, and then to his raising the dead in their graves. The office of Judge of all men, can only be exercised by one who has all knowledge, and almighty power. May we believe His testimony; thus our faith and hope will be in God, and we shall not come into condemnation. And may His voice reach the hearts of those dead in sin; that they may do works meet for repentance, and prepare for the solemn day.
