211 And it cometh to pass, after these things, a vineyard hath been to Naboth the Jezreelite, that 'is' in Jezreel, near the palace of Ahab king of Samaria, 2 and Ahab speaketh unto Naboth, saying, 'Give to me thy vineyard, and it is to me for a garden of green herbs, for it 'is' near by my house, and I give to thee in its stead a better vineyard than it; if good in thine eyes, I give to thee silver—its price.' 3 And Naboth saith unto Ahab, 'Far be it from me, by Jehovah, my giving the inheritance of my fathers to thee;' 4 and Ahab cometh in unto his house, sulky and wroth, because of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite hath spoken unto him when he saith, 'I do not give to thee the inheritance of my fathers,' and he lieth down on his bed, and turneth round his face, and hath not eaten bread.
5 And Jezebel his wife cometh in unto him, and speaketh unto him, 'What 'is' this?—thy spirit sulky, and thou art not eating bread!' 6 And he saith unto her, 'Because I speak unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and say to him, Give to me thy vineyard for money, or if thou desire, I give to thee a vineyard in its stead; and he saith, I do not give to thee my vineyard.' 7 And Jezebel his wife saith unto him, 'Thou now dost execute rule over Israel! rise, eat bread, and let thy heart be glad,—I do give to thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.' 8 And she writeth letters in the name of Ahab, and sealeth with his seal, and sendeth the letters unto the elders, and unto the freemen, who are in his city, those dwelling with Naboth, 9 and she writeth in the letters, saying, 'Proclaim a fast, and cause Naboth to sit at the head of the people, 10 and cause two men—sons of worthlessness—to sit over-against him, and they testify of him, saying, Thou hast blessed God and Melech; and they have brought him out, and stoned him, and he dieth.' 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the freemen who are dwelling in his city, do as Jezebel hath sent unto them, as written in the letters that she sent unto them, 12 they have proclaimed a fast, and caused Naboth to sit at the head of the people, 13 and two men—sons of worthlessness—come in, and sit over-against him, and the men of worthlessness testify of him, even Naboth, before the people, saying, 'Naboth blessed God and Melech;' and they take him out to the outside of the city, and stone him with stones, and he dieth; 14 and they send unto Jezebel, saying, 'Naboth was stoned, and is dead.' 15 And it cometh to pass, at Jezebel's hearing that Naboth hath been stoned, and is dead, that Jezebel saith unto Ahab, 'Rise, possess the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, that he refused to give to thee for money, for Naboth is not alive but dead.' 16 And it cometh to pass, at Ahab's hearing that Naboth is dead, that Ahab riseth to go down unto the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to possess it.
17 And the word of Jehovah is unto Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 'Rise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who 'is' in Samaria,—lo, in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he hath gone down to possess it, 19 and thou hast spoken unto him, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Hast thou murdered, and also possessed? and thou hast spoken unto him, saying, Thus said Jehovah, In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth, do the dogs lick thy blood, even thine.' 20 And Ahab saith unto Elijah, 'Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?' and he saith, 'I have found—because of thy selling thyself to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah; 21 lo, I am bringing in unto thee evil, and have taken away thy posterity, and cut off to Ahab those sitting on the wall, and restrained, and left, in Israel, 22 and given up thy house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, for the provocation with which thou hast provoked 'Me', and dost cause Israel to sin. 23 'And also of Jezebel hath Jehovah spoken, saying, The dogs do eat Jezebel in the bulwark of Jezreel; 24 him who dieth of Ahab in a city do the dogs eat, and him who dieth in a field do fowl of the heavens eat; 25 surely there hath none been like Ahab, who sold himself to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wife hath moved, 26 and he doth very abominably to go after the idols, according to all that the Amorite did whom Jehovah dispossessed from the presence of the sons of Israel.' 27 And it cometh to pass, at Ahab's hearing these words, that he rendeth his garments, and putteth sackcloth on his flesh, and fasteth, and lieth in sackcloth, and goeth gently. 28 And the word of Jehovah is unto Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 'Hast thou seen that Ahab hath been humbled before Me? because that he hath been humbled before Me, I bring not in the evil in his days; in the days of his son I bring in the evil on his house.'
221 And they sit still three years, there is no war between Aram and Israel, 2 and it cometh to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat king of Judah cometh down unto the king of Israel, 3 and the king of Israel saith unto his servants, 'Have ye not known that ours 'is' Ramoth-Gilead? and we are keeping silent from taking it out of the hand of the king of Aram!' 4 And he saith unto Jehoshaphat, 'Dost thou go with me to battle 'to' Ramoth-Gilead?' and Jehoshaphat saith unto the king of Israel, 'As I am, so thou; as my people, so thy people; as my horses, so thy horses.' 5 And Jehoshaphat saith unto the king of Israel, 'Seek, I pray thee, to-day, the word of Jehovah;' 6 and the king of Israel gathereth the prophets, about four hundred men, and saith unto them, 'Do I go against Ramoth-Gilead to battle, or do I forbear?' and they say, 'Go up, and the Lord doth give 'it' into the hand of the king.' 7 And Jehoshaphat saith, 'Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, and we seek by him?' 8 And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, 'Yet—one man to seek Jehovah by him, and I have hated him, for he doth not prophesy concerning me good, but evil—Micaiah son of Imlah;' and Jehoshaphat saith, 'Let not the king say so.' 9 And the king of Israel calleth unto a certain eunuch, and saith, 'Hasten Micaiah son of Imlah.' 10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah are sitting, each on his throne, clothed with garments, in a threshing-floor, at the opening of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets are prophesying before them. 11 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah maketh for himself horns of iron, and saith, 'Thus said Jehovah, By these thou dost push the Aramaeans till they are consumed;' 12 and all the prophets are prophesying so, saying, 'Go up to Ramoth-Gilead, and prosper, and Jehovah hath given 'it' into the hand of the king.' 13 And the messenger who hath gone to call Micaiah hath spoken unto him, saying, 'Lo, I pray thee, the words of the prophets, with one mouth, 'are' good towards the king; let it be, I pray thee, thy word as the word of one of them—and thou hast spoken good.' 14 And Micaiah saith, 'Jehovah liveth; surely that which Jehovah saith unto me—it I speak.'
15 And he cometh in unto the king, and the king saith unto him, 'Micaiah, do we go unto Ramoth-Gilead, to battle, or do we forbear?' and he saith unto him, 'Go up, and prosper, and Jehovah hath given 'it' into the hand of the king.' 16 And the king saith unto him, 'How many times am I adjuring thee that thou speak nothing unto me but truth in the name of Jehovah?' 17 And he saith, 'I have seen all Israel scattered on the hills as sheep that have no shepherd, and Jehovah saith, These have no master; they turn back each to his house in peace.' 18 And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat, 'Have I not said unto thee, He doth not prophesy of me good, but evil?' 19 And he saith, 'Therefore, hear a word of Jehovah; I have seen Jehovah sitting on His throne, and all the host of the heavens standing by Him, on His right and on His left; 20 and Jehovah saith, Who doth entice Ahab, and he doth go up and fall in Ramoth-Gilead? and this one saith thus, and that one is saying thus. 21 'And the spirit goeth out, and standeth before Jehovah, and saith, I—I do entice him; and Jehovah saith unto him, By what? 22 and he saith, I go out, and have been 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. 23 And now, lo, Jehovah hath put a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and Jehovah hath spoken concerning thee—evil.' 24 And Zedekiah son of Chenaanah draweth nigh, and smiteth Micaiah on the cheek, and saith, 'Where 'is' this—he hath passed over—the Spirit of Jehovah—from me to speak with thee?' 25 And Micaiah saith, 'Lo, thou art seeing on that day, when thou goest in to the innermost chamber to be hidden.' 26 And the king of Israel saith, 'Take Micaiah, and turn him back unto Amon head of the city, and unto Joash son of the king, 27 and thou hast said, Thus said the king, Place ye this one in the house of restraint, and cause him to eat bread of oppression, and water of oppression, till my coming in peace.' 28 And Micaiah saith, 'If thou at all return in peace—Jehovah hath not spoken by me;' and he saith, 'Hear, O peoples, all of them.'
29 And the king of Israel goeth up, and Jehoshaphat king of Judah, to Ramoth-Gilead. 30 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 goeth into battle. 31 And the king of Aram commanded the heads of the charioteers whom he hath—thirty and two—saying, 'Ye do not fight with small or with great, but with the king of Israel by himself.' 32 And it cometh to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing Jehoshaphat, that they said, 'He 'is' only the king of Israel;' and they turn aside to him to fight, and Jehoshaphat crieth out, 33 and it cometh to pass, at the heads of the charioteers seeing that he 'is' not the king of Israel, that they turn back from after him. 34 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 his charioteer, 'Turn thy hand, and take me out from the camp, for I have become sick.' 35 And the battle increaseth on that day, and the king hath been caused to stand in the chariot, over-against Aram, and he dieth in the evening, and the blood of the wound runneth out unto the midst of the chariot, 36 and he causeth the cry to pass over through the camp, at the going in of the sun, saying, 'Each unto his city, and each unto his land.' 37 And the king dieth, and cometh into Samaria, and they bury the king in Samaria; 38 and 'one' rinseth the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs lick his blood—when the armour they had washed—according to the word of Jehovah that He spake. 39 And the rest of the matters of Ahab, and all that he did, and the house of ivory that he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40 And Ahab lieth with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigneth in his stead.
41 And Jehoshaphat son of Asa hath reigned over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel, 42 Jehoshaphat 'is' a son of thirty and five years in his reigning, and twenty and five years he hath reigned in Jerusalem, and the name of his mother 'is' Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 43 And he walketh in all the way of Asa his father, he hath not turned aside from it, to do that which 'is' right in the eyes of Jehovah; only the high places have not turned aside, yet are the people sacrificing and making perfume in high places. 44 And Jehoshaphat maketh peace with the king of Israel; 45 and the rest of the matters of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he got, and with which he fought, are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah? 46 And the remnant of the whoremongers who were left in the days of Asa his father he took away out of the land; 47 and there is no king in Edom; he set up a king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships at Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, and they went not, for the ships were broken in Ezion-Geber. 49 Then said Ahaziah son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, 'Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships;' and Jehoshaphat was not willing. 50 And Jehoshaphat lieth with his fathers, and is buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigneth in his stead.
51 Ahaziah son of Ahab hath reigned over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigneth over Israel two years, 52 and doth the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and walketh in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat who caused Israel to sin, 53 and serveth the Baal, and boweth himself to it, and provoketh Jehovah, God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.
26 And as they led him away, having taken hold on Simon, a certain Cyrenian, coming from the field, they put on him the cross, to bear 'it' behind Jesus. 27 And there was following him a great multitude of the people, and of women, who also were beating themselves and lamenting him, 28 and Jesus having turned unto them, said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but for yourselves weep ye, and for your children; 29 for, lo, days do come, in which they shall say, Happy the barren, and wombs that did not bare, and paps that did not give suck; 30 then they shall begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Cover us;— 31 for, if in the green tree they do these things—in the dry what may happen?'
32 And there were also others—two evil-doers—with him, to be put to death; 33 and when they came to the place that is called Skull, there they crucified him and the evil-doers, one on the right hand and one on the left. 34 And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they have not known what they do;' and parting his garments they cast a lot. 35 And the people were standing, looking on, and the rulers also were sneering with them, saying, 'Others he saved, let him save himself, if this be the Christ, the choice one of God.' 36 And mocking him also were the soldiers, coming near and offering vinegar to him, 37 and saying, 'If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.' 38 And there was also a superscription written over him, in letters of Greek, and Roman, and Hebrew, 'This is the King of the Jews.' 39 And one of the evil-doers who were hanged, was speaking evil of him, saying, 'If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us.' 40 And the other answering, was rebuking him, saying, 'Dost thou not even fear God, that thou art in the same judgment? 41 and we indeed righteously, for things worthy of what we did we receive back, but this one did nothing out of place;' 42 and he said to Jesus, 'Remember me, lord, when thou mayest come in thy reign;' 43 and Jesus said to him, 'Verily I say to thee, To-day with me thou shalt be in the paradise.'
44 And it was, as it were, the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land till the ninth hour, 45 and the sun was darkened, and the vail of the sanctuary was rent in the midst, 46 and having cried with a loud voice, Jesus said, 'Father, to Thy hands I commit my spirit;' and these things having said, he breathed forth the spirit. 47 And the centurion having seen what was done, did glorify God, saying, 'Really this man was righteous;' 48 and all the multitudes who were come together to this sight, beholding the things that came to pass, smiting their breasts did turn back; 49 and all his acquaintances stood afar off, and women who did follow him from Galilee, beholding these things.
50 And lo, a man, by name Joseph, being a counsellor, a man good and righteous, 51 —he was not consenting to their counsel and deed—from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who also himself was expecting the reign of God, 52 he, having gone near to Pilate, asked the body of Jesus, 53 and having taken it down, he wrapped it in fine linen, and placed it in a tomb hewn out, where no one was yet laid. 54 And the day was a preparation, and sabbath was approaching, 55 and the women also who have come with him out of Galilee having followed after, beheld the tomb, and how his body was placed, 56 and having turned back, they made ready spices and ointments, and on the sabbath, indeed, they rested, according to the command.
(Read Luke 23:26-31)
We have here the blessed Jesus, the Lamb of God, led as a lamb to the slaughter, to the sacrifice. Though many reproached and reviled him, yet some pitied him. But the death of Christ was his victory and triumph over his enemies: it was our deliverance, the purchase of eternal life for us. Therefore weep not for him, but let us weep for our own sins, and the sins of our children, which caused his death; and weep for fear of the miseries we shall bring upon ourselves, if we slight his love, and reject his grace. If God delivered him up to such sufferings as these, because he was made a sacrifice for sin, what will he do with sinners themselves, who make themselves a dry tree, a corrupt and wicked generation, and good for nothing! The bitter sufferings of our Lord Jesus should make us stand in awe of the justice of God. The best saints, compared with Christ, are dry trees; if he suffer, why may not they expect to suffer? And what then shall the damnation of sinners be! Even the sufferings of Christ preach terror to obstinate transgressors.
(Read Luke 23:32-43)
As soon as Christ was fastened to the cross, he prayed for those who crucified him. The great thing he died to purchase and procure for us, is the forgiveness of sin. This he prays for. Jesus was crucified between two thieves; in them were shown the different effects the cross of Christ would have upon the children of men in the preaching the gospel. One malefactor was hardened to the last. No troubles of themselves will change a wicked heart. The other was softened at the last: he was snatched as a brand out of the burning, and made a monument of Divine mercy. This gives no encouragement to any to put off repentance to their death-beds, or to hope that they shall then find mercy. It is certain that true repentance is never too late; but it is as certain that late repentance is seldom true. None can be sure they shall have time to repent at death, but every man may be sure he cannot have the advantages this penitent thief had. We shall see the case to be singular, if we observe the uncommon effects of God's grace upon this man. He reproved the other for railing on Christ. He owned that he deserved what was done to him. He believed Jesus to have suffered wrongfully. Observe his faith in this prayer. Christ was in the depth of disgrace, suffering as a deceiver, and not delivered by his Father. He made this profession before the wonders were displayed which put honour on Christ's sufferings, and startled the centurion. He believed in a life to come, and desired to be happy in that life; not like the other thief, to be only saved from the cross. Observe his humility in this prayer. All his request is, Lord, remember me; quite referring it to Jesus in what way to remember him. Thus he was humbled in true repentance, and he brought forth all the fruits for repentance his circumstances would admit. Christ upon the cross, is gracious like Christ upon the throne. Though he was in the greatest struggle and agony, yet he had pity for a poor penitent. By this act of grace we are to understand that Jesus Christ died to open the kingdom of heaven to all penitent, obedient believers. It is a single instance in Scripture; it should teach us to despair of none, and that none should despair of themselves; but lest it should be abused, it is contrasted with the awful state of the other thief, who died hardened in unbelief, though a crucified Saviour was so near him. Be sure that in general men die as they live.
(Read Luke 23:44-49)
We have here the death of Christ magnified by the wonders that attended it, and his death explained by the words with which he breathed out his soul. He was willing to offer himself. Let us seek to glorify God by true repentance and conversion; by protesting against those who crucify the Saviour; by a sober, righteous, and godly life; and by employing our talents in the service of Him who died for us and rose again.
(Read Luke 23:50-56)
Many, though they do not make any show in outward profession, yet, like Joseph of Arimathea, will be far more ready to do real service, when there is occasion, than others who make a greater noise. Christ was buried in haste, because the sabbath drew on. Weeping must not hinder sowing. Though they were in tears for the death of their Lord, yet they must prepare to keep holy the sabbath. When the sabbath draws on, there must be preparation. Our worldly affairs must be so ordered, that they may not hinder us from our sabbath work; and our holy affections so stirred up, that they may carry us on in it. In whatever business we engage, or however our hearts may be affected, let us never fail to get ready for, and to keep holy, the day of sacred rest, which is the Lord's day.
