Introduction


This is an online journal created as a personal reminder and keepsake from my trip to Israel with Liberty University, led by Dr. Ergun Caner, in the spring semester of 2009 (3/9/2009-3/18/2009). This will also serve as my online journal in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Israel Intensive course for OBST592 with Dr. Gary Yates, along with being a means to share the experience with friends and family.

There is no possible way that I could include all my photos and video from this trip in a online format, or convey the emotion and feeling that would be necessary to somewhat detail the power of this trip. However, I hope that this journal provides a picture of how incredible this experience was and how significant a role it played in my life Spiritually, and to strengthen my faith and knowledge in Jesus Christ.

Also, in this section I want to thank my sister Tara for attending the trip with me, my mother for helping support us financially, and Dr. Ergun Caner and Dr. Gary Yates for enduring freezing waters to baptise me in the Jordan River. Of course, my greatest thanks and praise goes out to our Lord and Savior for putting me in the position to be able to have this experience.

The Mount of Beatitudes


This stop was an incredibly powerful one. With my born-again experience being relatively recent, I have been particularly receptive to the working of the Spirit in my life. Once we got off the bus, I could feel the Spirit working inside of me. We had a worship service at the Mount of Beatitudes, in which Jonathon Falwell led us in a portion of the Sermon on the Mount. Imagine, standing in the place where Jesus gave His famous sermon, and hearing these words actually being there! I could easily imagine being here with Jesus as he spoke. In a way, I guess I was, with Him speaking through Mr. Falwell.

The location was amazing, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The breeze off the sea was perfect for the delivery of a sermon, carrying the speaker's words to the rest of the crowd, which probably explains why this site was used in ancient times for an assembly. The overall experience was incredibly powerful. During worship I was overcame, kneeling down to worship with tears running down my face. This was the first moment on the trip that it would hit me, the significance of land in which we were walking. These are the actual areas of Jesus' footsteps and ministry. That statement seems like an obvious one, but it has a whole new meaning when actually being there. The reality of the bible has a whole new significance after the experience, and I will never read of the footsteps of Jesus the same way, because I can now picture the locations that I am reading about, making it all the more real by providing a new level of depth that never would have been possible if it were not for being here personally
.

Tabgha

Tabgha is the traditional site of the feeding of the 5,000 (the multiplication of loaves and fishes). The pictures here are of the Church of the Multiplication. In the picture directly below, the rock in the middle of the floor is said to be where Jesus stood while performing the miracle. Interestingly enough, there is also an adjacent church that also claims to be on the exact site, so I guess what really matters it that we are traditionally in the correct general area. It really isn't important to me if I am standing 80 yards off.

Capernaum

Capernaum: Home of Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, John, & Matthew.

"Jesus came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days." Luke 4:31

Capernaum was the center of Jesus' preaching. This site was really the first stop with ancient archaeological evidence so it was pretty incredible, but I supposed in may ways it would pale in comparison to some of the ancient ruins that were to come. The greatest impact here is the ancient synagogue. We know that Jesus came to the synagogue in Capernaum in his teachings. The synagogue pictured here is not actually the one that He would have taught in. These ruins are from around 300 A.D. However, this later synagogue was built upon the older one that Jesus would went to, so it remains as being the site where Jesus preached. We were allowed to go in the synagogue, so when we say that we walked in the footsteps of Jesus, there is a high probability of that being literally true in this place!
.
Pictured below is an ancient olive press. The rectangle block beside it was used to squeeze more oil out of the olives. This block actually rests on a screw-type structure that aided in raising the it. I found it surprising that they had developed screw equipment back in this era.



The Sea of Galilee

“Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.” Luke 8:33

There are really countless scriptures that I could list referring to the Sea of Galilee. I chose the one above for sentimental value because there was probably about about 10 times when our tour guide, Avi, said something about the mountain where this verse may have taken place, and every time all of us in the bus were wondering where exactly he was talking about. The picture above is the only cliff that I saw that runs into the Sea of Galilee, and this view was directly across the water when he referred to this verse multiple times over the course of a few days.
.
The picture below was taken from my hotel room, overlooking the Sea of Galilee, which didn't seem like it could be real, and is hard to believe even now that I am back home.

This next picture was taken from a boat that we boarded and went out on the Sea of Galilee. I really like this picture because it shows the wake of the boat that I was on as we went out on the water. I suppose it is somewhat of an active picture in this sense because it reminds me of actually being there and being on a boat on the Sea of Galilee! We had a worship service while on this boat. This is probably stating the obvious, but it was really amazing to be able to worship while on the Sea of Galilee.

Lunch at the Sea of Galilee

On the second day of our trip we stopped at a restaurant called "Docks", if I remember correctly. Apparently to the amusement of the leaders of trip, we were all served a fish for lunch (not fish, a fish - the entire thing). No, it wasn't gutted, and the bones were a pain as you could imagine, literally. I gouged myself a few times, and one of them was a good one. Once the shock value went away though, the fish was actually really good if you could get over looking at it. The pictures alone are worth the having this meal. My journal would not be complete without mentioning it.


(Okay, I admit it, this isn't my plate after the lunch. This is actually a picture of Nick Brown's plate. Nick is another Liberty student that was on the trip. I have to give credit where it is due.)

Baptism in the Jordan River


This was another of the great highlights of the trip, quite possibly the best one of all. We visited a site called Yardenit that is a Jordan River baptismal site for Christians. I suppose that some could miss the significance of this event since it is clearly a tourist trap to make tons of money off of Christians touring the Holy Land. They have a monopoly on Jordan River baptism and that comes with the expected gift shop as well. Also, I heard some people complain that there was a sort of amusement park feel to it with the guardrails and waiting lines through which people were herded like sheep. I did not feel this at all. I guess that Yardenit is what you make of it.

Personally, this was a very important step in my life and Spiritual journey. There was not a single time that I had any negative feelings toward the site. I actually liked seeing the long lines of Christians in white robes that were seeking to follow Christ with a baptism in the Jordan River. My original baptism was at a time in my life that I was very young and I am not really sure that I comprehended what I was doing. This was my chance to do it over, knowing that my heart was in the right place, and fully rededicating my life to our Lord and Saviour.

The picture above is my baptism. My sister Tara took this awesome picture. Performing the baptism is Dr. Ergun Caner (for those of you that do not know, he is a former Muslim, born in Turkey, that found Christ and now shines in his love and service of Jesus). The person assisting in the baptism is Dr. Gary Yates. I am infinitely thankful to both of these men for making this possible, and to the Lord for working through them and for making this entire trip a reality.

An interesting story that comes with this baptism is that when I was next in line, I took my first step into the water, which went about ankle deep, and realized that the water was freezing! It was ice cold. I said a quick prayer to our Lord asking if he could help me a little in this ice water that I was about to plunge into as I recognize Him as my savior and rededicate my life to Him in an event that would serve to glorify His name. When I was stepping out of the water after the baptism, it occurred to me that I never felt the cold water from the time I stepped in past my ankles and throughout the entire baptism. Praise the Lord! Of course, the emotion going through me during the baptism was so great that it is possible that it overwhelmed me to the point where I wouldn't notice the water, but I am not sure that any level of emotion could overpower water that cold! Imagine, the Lord answered my prayer as I followed in His steps, to be baptised in the Jordan River, and by a former Muslim that had also found Jesus Christ! Our Lord is an awesome God!


“And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.” Mark 1:9





Caesarea Maritima


Caesarea Maritima was once a major port city of Israel. This is the site of Paul's imprisonment before being sent to Rome to eventually meet his execution. He would have left by ship from this city as well. The ruins are from the time of Herod the Great. This was also the headquarters of Pontius Pilate.

Pictured above is an ancient amphitheater. The bottom half is original and the top was reconstructed with added guardrails. We were able to have a worship service while seated in the amphitheater. The acoustics and entire worship service was awesome. It seems to have a sense of irony that thousands of years after the Roman persecution of Christians that we would gather here in worship of Jesus.

This picture (above) shows what is left of a Roman hippodrome (imaging the chariot races from Ben-Hur), which explains the oval shape and seating.

Pictured above is a replica of a slab that was uncovered during the excavation here. The second line bears the name of Pontius Pilate. Prior to this discovery, bible critics held that this man could not be considered as real (or that he went by this name) because there was no evidence anywhere in Roman records that made reference to him. The discovery of this slab proved the bible to be correct once again. Imagine, a debate going on over Pilate for over a thousand years, and God reveals proof that his Word stands correct once again! Every generation He reveals signs to prove that He is real, but only to those that are looking for the answer!

Har-Megiddo (Armageddon)

“For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” – Revelation 16:14,16


This site has tremendous personal value to me. Of course, who hasn't heard of Armageddon, the final battle, and to actually be standing in the place where it will occur! The picture below was taken from the top of Megiddo, over looking the plains of Armageddon, where this battle will occur.

This site has a personal value to me in that I was called upon to lead our group in prayer on top of Armageddon. I think that our tour guide called upon me for the prayer since I am one of the older ones in the group and he may have thought that I was a pastor. That couldn't be further from the truth. I have NEVER led a group prayer, and to be called to do so at such an important site! Of course, I could not say no so I did my best to glorify God and just prayed from the heart. Looking back on this, it is something that I will never forget and will always treasure.


Old Testament Reference:
As a site with such a rich history (multiple civilizations / battles, and a vital location for trade between Assyria and Egpyt) there are also many references to Megiddo throughout the O.T. Some references are listed below:

"In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him." 2 Kings 23:29

The following is from Zechariah 12:8-11:
8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
11 In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon.

Mount of Precipice / Mount Tabor


“They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.” Luke 4:29

The picture above is Nazareth from the Mount of Precipice, the hill discussed in Luke 4:29. Below is a picture of Mount Tabor, which is believed to be the mount of Jesus' transfiguration.

“After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them.” Matthew 17:1-2

Old Testament Reference:
Tabor and more specifically Mount Tabor, are referenced several times throughout the O.T., most notably as the site where Barak and Deborah were gathered with ten thousand men in Judges 4.

“Tabor and Hermon shall rejoice in thy name.” Psalms 89:12

Chorazin

"Woe unto thee, Chorazin!" Matthew 11:21

This is a photo of what is believed to be the remains of Chorazin (Korazim), one of the three cities that Jesus cursed. They were destroyed by the Romans and were never restored.

Caesarea Phillippi

Not to be confused with Caesarea Maritima. This location is the remains of an ancient city that worshipped the Greek god Pan. Caesarea Phillipi is mentioned in the New Testament and was the location that Jesus came close to but never entered. Nearby, was were he asked his disciples whom the people thought that he was.


Old Testament Reference: Psalm 42:7



"Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me." Psalm 42:7

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

According to our tour guide, this spring (pictured) is what is being referred to here in Psalm 42:7. Also, later in the New Testament when Jesus is nearby Ceasarea Phillipi, our guide gave the impression that that the arch seen in the rock cutout in the pictures are what is referred to as "the gates of hell" in Matthew 16:18, saying that the worshippers of this pagan religion will not prevail over his church. This explanation seriously limits how we interpret this verse. Perhaps there is a double meaning in this passage.

Bet She'an

What you see here are the ruins from the Roman period at Bet She'an (Beth Shan). This is another amazing find and excavation because this entire area was completely underground due to earthquakes and erosion, and it was just recently unearthed. In the bottom picture with myself standing in the middle of it, if you look in the distance you can see the ground level where the trees are. If you extend this ground all the way to where I am standing, then it is not hard to imagine how this entire area was underground. The story of the discovery is that a farmer was plowing his land and struck one of the pillars. Because of the thousands of years of history in this land, when such an event like that happens, it is the law to immediately stop whatever is being done and have the professionals come in to excavate. Imagine finding this in your backyard.



While here at Bet She'an, I was able to walk down the main street (lined with the pillars) and eventually into the center of the amphitheater. This came with mixed emotions because it had a very cool Gladiator-type feel to it, but at the same time it was bone chilling to think of all the Christians that would have been killed here.





Another interesting point of this stop was that it served to be my first real contact with an Israeli. This man intercepted me on my way back to the bus. His English was terrible, and I have no Hebrew skills so it became interesting. I think he probably saw my beard and my ball cap (head covering) and thought that I was an American Jew. His first words were, "You American?" We went back and forth trying to understand each other until eventually we worked out "Christian" pointing to myself, "Jewish" pointing to him, and then badly attempting to say each other's names. I couldn't even begin to say what his name was, but his wife was Rachel, so that was easy enough even though I am sure I messed up the guttural "ch" sound. We both smiled and parted ways. Both of us made a friend that neither of us can even talk to.





Old Testament Reference:
“But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan.” Judges 1:27

“And [the Philistines] fastened [Saul’s] body to the wall of Beth-shan.” I Sam. 31:10


Bet She'an is one of the cities that was instructed by God to have been completely cleared out of all non-Jews (Israelites), but that commandment was not followed and eventually the Canaanites took over the city and drove out and persecuted the Jews. Eventually, this would be the location that King Saul's body would be hung on the city walls.

Masada

Masada. The last stand of the Jewish revolt against Rome. Ironically, the fort on the top of this flat topped mountain was built by Herod the Great. The story of the Masada is not biblical, but it comes shortly after the time of Christ and is very important to the history of Israel.
.
The only way that Rome count launch an attack against this stronghold was to build a ramp all the way up to the top, and it had to be gradual enough to raise a siege ram up it. Romans used Jewish slaves to build this ramp because the Jews held up in the Masada would not shoot their own people with arrows, throw boulders down onto them, or pour boiling oils down onto them. Eventually Rome would break through the walls. only to find that all of the Jewish resistance committed mass suicide, rather to dishonor God by the enslavement of his people, or to continue to exist in a state of suffering that would eventually lead to death by slave labor and having their wives and daughters forced into a life of prostitution.
As you can see from these pictures, reaching the top without wasting a large amount of time required a ride in a cable car, and then once reaching the top, there were still large walls for the Roman armies to have had to contend with. Mounting an attack against this place must have seemed almost impossible!


Qumran

The site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea was directly behind me as I took this photo. The Dead Sea Scrolls are the oldest known manuscripts of several writings. Some of them date back to the 3rd century BC. A major significance is that the book of Isaiah was found in the first cave (pictured here). That is, the ENTIRE book of Isaiah containing all 66 chapters on a single scroll, a find that helps to counter critics that have claimed for the last two thousand years that Isaiah was actually three books that were later combined, and could not have all been written by Isaiah.

Bomb Hatch

I don't really have any idea what this is. There is a picture on the sign of a manhole with a cartoon image bomb inside it. The sign is sticking out of the ground next to a manhole cover. I found it amusing.

The Dead Sea

The Dead Sea was actually beautiful which surprised me for a body of water that no life can live in (that reminds me of a humorous conversation that I was having with a lady in our group, questioning exactly what point life ceased to exist when referring to the Jordan River which flows into the Dead Sea, and every time but with increasing frustration, she would say, "nothing can live in the Dead Sea"). We had a chance to swim in the Dead Sea which was a pretty amazing experience. We were all told how the water is so rich in minerals that you can practically sit on it. This was true for most people. I however, typically sink like rock when in water. If I take a deep breath and lie motionless vertically in the water, my entire head still goes under when trying to float. However, in the Dead Sea, I could float with my arms and legs completely out of the water. In fact, I couldn't even swim because I could not keep my legs under water in order to kick and move myself along. This really felt like it defied the laws of physics. Below is a completely dorky picture of me in the Dead Sea followed by one of myself and my sister, Tara.


The Mount of Olives / Eastern Gate

In this picture you can see the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, and the Eastern Gate. A further significance is that this picture was taken from the Mount of Olives.

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Matthew 24:3
.
This day was cold and raining (a very cold rain). That being said, the entire experience was amazing and there was never a time that I wanted to leave despite being freezing and wet, which is a pretty bad combination.

“And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem.” Zechariah 14:4, 8.
.
This verse from Zechariah probably has never made much sense to many people before, except in sense that God is all powerful and if he wants to make living waters flow out from Jerusalem he can certainly do so by some great miracle, but it doesnt really make sense to imagine water flowing out from a large dry mountain. According to our guide, very recently a large body of water has been discovered under the area on which the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives now stand. Imagine, thousands of years of confusion as to how this prophecy would come to be, and now it becomes clear! There is no possible way that the men that recorded the Old Testament could have known or understood this. Once again, the bible proves itself through prophecy! Certainly, when the Mount of Olives is split in two, water will flow out from Jerusalem on that glorious day!
.
Also, if you can see in front of the Eastern Gate, there are a number of tombs blocking the path that Jesus will follow at his return. These are not Jewish tombs, but Muslim ones, which were startegically placed there during the time of Islamic control to block the path of Jesus, because he would not defile himself by passing through a cemetary on the way to the temple. Little did they know that when these living waters flow out from Jerusalem, the tombs will be washed away, thus clearing the path for the messiah!
.
One of the most memorable sites on this trip for me was our stop at the Mount of Olives, but not just because of the significance of the ascension or being the site of Jesus' return. It is because when we got off our bus, there was a hunched over crippled man holding himself up with a cane begging for money. The image was heartbreaking. I gave him a few dollars and recieved a "God bless you" in return. In a way, I felt that God did bless me at that moment.
On the Mount of Olives we had a short worship service in the misting rain then posed for our group picture. After the service we closed in prayer, then after a group "Amen", there was a very short subtle thunder. It was as if God was saying that he heard our prayer. Maybe it was.

The Garden of Gethsemane

On the path from the Mount of Olives to the Eastern Gate, right in between lies the Garden of Gethsemane, which gives every indication that this must the correct place where Jesus knelt and prayed, and was betrayed and taken into custody.

Of course, the landscaping has been done by the groundskeepers of the Catholic church next to it, but the trees that you see had been dormant for centuries and this area bloomed for the first time of our modern age in 1948, the year Israel was declared a nation once again, and without any human support. Incredible!

The Upper Room

This is one location where we do not know of the exact location. This is an ancient upper room in the exact area of the city that it should be located. However, despite being ancient, the architecture still appears to be from a time after the time of Jesus. Could this be the same room and it was remodeled? I suppose, but there is no way to know for certain. That being said, being in the correct area, there was still great significance in visited this spot.


The Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock is one of the icons of Israel and Jerusalem. To me however, I was not real enthused to see it. To be fair, its architecture is pretty amazing in that the color comes from thousands upon thousands of tiny squares (ceramic?). However, it is hard to be excited over an Islamic building that was built on the Temple Mount after torturing Jewish priests in order to obtain the exact location of the Holy of Holies of the Temple. However, it appears that the Dome of the Rock is not built exactly on the correct spot. As we were told, one of the Jewish priests confessed the location where the Dome of the Rock stands now, but it was later found that he lied, and of course, was tortured and executed.

I was hesitant to include these pictures, but being of some personal significance, my journal would not be complete without them. If you look at the top picture, to the right of the far right column, stands this ornate slab of limestone. Over years of weathering, this image of the texture of the limestone has become apparent. A close up is posted below. Take what you will from this, but it certainly bears the image of a demon to me (eyes, horns, big teeth, etc), and keep in mind that this is on an mosque built upon one of, if not, the most important Judeo-Christian location there is. Of course, we have no real way of knowing what the devil or a demon looks like, but a sign would have to fit our idea of what to relate it to. Again, take what you will from this.

The Western Wall

The Western Wall (Wailing Wall) is the closest original site to the site of the Holy of Holies of the Temple, and a sacred site where millions from around the world come to pray. Although, this is a traditionally Jewish practice, Christians are welcome to come and pray.

The most interesting thing to me is the acceptance that the Jewish people have for Christians, especially considering that their history includes persecution by those coming in the name of Christ Jesus. A man praying next to me at the wall was approached by a rabbi that wished to pray with him. The man shook his head and said, "I am a Christian". The rabbi looked at him witha strange look and said, "We pray to the same father." Then he wrapped a prayer shawl around the Christian's shoulders and they continued to pray together. Amazing. Of course, the rabbi prayed in hebrew, which really deepens the impact.


The Shrine of the Book

The Shrine of the Book is the building that houses many of the scrolls found at Qumran. The oldest manuscript of the book of Isaiah is normally on display here. Unfortunately, it was touring the world during the time of our visit, so we only saw a replica, but it was generated to look exactly the same. The size is amazing, as could be imaged, since it contains ALL 66 CHAPTERS OF ISAIAH AS ONE UNIT.

The House of Caiaphas

This is apparently one of the sites that they know to be the right place. This is the house of Caiaphas. Of course, you can tell by the excellent shape that it is in that it has been restored. Going inside it looks like a Catholic church following the restoration, but that quickly changes as you go further down into the tunnels under the house. This is where the pit is found that Jesus was likely held the night after he was brought before the high priest, and before the crucifixion.
This is a picture of the pit that Jesus' would have been lowered down into. In this picture is our group from Liberty down in the pit. The picture below shows the hole in ceiling by which those held captive would have been lowered down by rope (taken with flash on). According to a member in our group, those not being held for crucifixion were likely to be thrown into the pit instead of lowered, thus breaking their legs in the process, but because Jesus would have to carry his cross (and so that he would die with no bone broken), he would have been lowered.


O.T. Reference:
Consider the parallels with Psalm 88:
1 O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
And Zechariah 9:11:
"As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water."