C be at an end, and the land become defolate (M). And in the fame year, being fhut up in prifon, he caused Baruch, who was his fcribe, to write from his mouth the tenor of the fame threatenings, and to go and read them in the hearing of all the people, who were then affembled at the temple, it seems, upon fome folemn faft (N). Baruch obeyed, and fome of the chief minifters, being informed of it, got the roll from him, and brought it to the king, who had scarce read a column or two in it, Jehoiabefore he cut it in pieces, and flung it into the fire, not- kim's imwithstanding the endeavours of those that were prefent to piety; prevent it. Jeremiah and his meffenger had, doubtless, felt the effects of his fury, had they not, as it were by a miracle, been kept out of his reach; however, his impiety did not go long unpunished. The prophet was ordered to write the fame denuntiations again, d, which were soon after fulfilled by the coming of the Babylonish punished, ̧ king with a powerful army, and a more effectual commiffion from GOD, against him, and his whole kingdom; as we shall fee in due time. © Jerem. xxv. 1, 2, & feq. & feq. lem, or Jeboahaz went out against him to Carchemifh, they are not agreed; tho' either of these was enough to induce the conqueror not only to dethrone, but to carry him away prifoner, left he should, in time, undertake the fame exploit, against him (44). (M) This captivity was likewife foretold, though not in fuch plain terms, by Ifaiah (45), under the type of Tyre; and alfo by Habakkuk. This laft, expoftulating with GoD about the incorrigible hardnefs of the Jews, is anfwered, that they would be fnortly invaded and captivated by the - Chaldeans (46). He likewise d Ibid. xxx. i. 1, foretold the vaft fucceffes of (N) Probably, that of expia- NEITHER were idolatry, and contempt of GOD' worship, the only crimes with which Jehoiakim's re is branded; he added to them the mott horrid cruelt and tyrannics, rapine and bloodshed; building and ador ing the moft fumptuous palaces by violence and oppr fion; perverting juftice, inventing charges against the nocent to put them to death, and many more fuchimpieties; befides his being deaf to the admonitions fo many prophets. For thefe, Jeremiah pronounced laft this dreadful fentence against him; That he should given up into the hands of his moft dreaded enemy, ev of Nebuchadnezzar; that he fhould die unpitied and lamented; that he fhould have the fepulture of an as and that his carcafe fhould rot upon the ground. this time alfo, two fingular predictions of that prop had been fulfilled, which ought both to have added weig to the reft, and opened the infatuated prince's eyes to h imminent danger. Jeremiah had fome time before for warned him from relying upon the affiftance of the king of Egypt, whofe army was ftill at Carchemish, fince it would be totally overthrown by the more fuccefsfarms of the young Nebuchadnezzar, the prince pointed out by Providence to fubdue, among many other nations that rebellious one of the Jews. This happened accord ingly in the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign, when the young victorious prince was fent against the king of Egy and gave him an intire defeat at Carchemija, took th place, put the whole garifon to the fword, and beat bac the troops that came to its affistance §. THIS victory proved the unhappy prelude of Judd Jerufalem misfortunes the conqueror marched directly against taken. rufalem, and took it(0); rifled the temple of its m precious furniture, and the royal palace of its moft hop ful and beautiful young princes, to be made eunuchs his own court, according to Ifaiah's prophecy to H Jer. xxxvi. 30, 31. comp. with ch. xxii. ver. 13. the end. (O) This Uber proves to have happened in the ninth xxiv. See befor calamity. This is the m worth obferving, because th month from the anniversary seventy years captivity, foretok faft, which the Jews have kept by Jeremiah, must be reckone ever fince, in memory of that from this epocha (48). ah 8; and the city of all its choiceft youths, whether or blood, learning, wit, or beauty, to be likewise sent > Babylon. Among these laft were Daniel and his three ompanions: Jehoiakim was at firft put into bonds, and efigned to be fent away with the reft; but, upon his fubiffion, and promife of paying a yearly tribute to him, he king changed his mind, and left him as a kind of viceoy under him over the kingdom. But, whilft Nebuchadjezzar was taken up with his other conquefts, he found neans to rebel against him, after a three years fubjection, and continued about three years without paying him any ribute; which fo exafperated that monarch, that he sent n army into Judæa, confifting of Syrians, Chaldeans, Ammonites, and Moabites, who wafted the whole kingom, carried away 3023 prifoners (among whom, Josebus fays, was the prophet Ezekiel; but it is more likely, hat he ftaid at Jerufalem till the next reign); took and Jehoianurdered the unfortunate Jehoiakim, and dragged his kim's arcase out of the city-gates, where they left it unburied, death. ccording to Jeremiah's prediction. HE was fucceeded by his fon Jehoiachin, called alfo Jehoiafechoniah, and in contempt Coniah (P), who was then but chin's wicEighteen years old; whether he took the crown contrary ked reign, o Nebuchadnezzar's mind, or had endeavoured to fhake Year of off his yoke, the text doth not fay, but only obferves, the flood hat he was as wicked as his father. However, that mo- 1749. march advanced against him before he had reigned three Bef. Chr., months: Jehoiachin came out to him, not in an hoftile, but fubmiffive manner, attended by his mother, and his whole court; but they found him inexorable, and were ill fent away captives into Babylon, and died there, accordng to the prophet's prediction. The temple, palace, treaury, and the whole city, were a fecond time ranfacked ind ftripped of all that was valuable in them; he likewise 599. 3 and capti vity. Zedeki ah's reign. Year of the flood 1749. Bef. Chr. 599 transported 10.000 men, famed either for their valour 1 whjudm; belides 1000 of the beft artificers in goid,filver,2: other metals and materiais; in a word, he left fcarcely z behind but the very common people, to cultivate the h Among his captries of mote, was the famed Moric and, as is moft generally believed, the prophet Ezt After this he fet Metromich, who was the fon of 7and uncle to the unhappy Jebusashi, upon the throt and changed his name into that of Ziditiah; and, hav laid him under a certain tribute, and taken an oath fidelity and fubjection 1, returned into his dominions. ZEDEKIAH began to reign in the 21ft year of his g and proved as impious as his late predeceffors: however, t continued faithful to the king of Babylon some few years during which, he received fome empathies from the king of Ammen, Miab, Edim, Tyre, and Siden, who were a under the fame yoke with him; feemingly indeed to congratulate him upon his acceffion to the crown, but in fac to enter into a confederacy with him against the Chaldaans *. The young prince gave but too much heed to their proposal; but Jeremiah, who was warned of it, fent to every one of the embaffadors chains and yoke, which he bid them carry to their respective mafters, a vifing them, in the name of GOD, to fubmit themfelv willingly to the king of Babyism, and not provoke him t lay a much feverer yoke upon them, by giving credit their lying foothfayers and ftar-gazers. There wer Deceived at the fame time in Jerufalem, feveral pretended prophes by his falfe who endeavoured to perfuade the too credulous king, the prophets. the captivity would be fhortly at an end, and that th facred veffels, which had been carried away, would all restored to the temple; to which Jeremiah replie that those few, on the contrary, which had been left be hind, would be carried off with the reft. Thus, for for years, there was nothing scarcely to be heard, but predictions of victory and deliverance on the part of the fa prophets, and of defolation and ruin from the mouth feremiah. This raifed him many a bitter enemy, г ly in Judea, but even in Babylon: for he had tak opportunity, as often as Zedekiah sent his yearly tribe her, to write letters to the captives, exhorting the ear their yoke patiently, and not to expect a deliv before the feventy years were expired; and they, return, wrote letters into Judæa, to defire that he might be apprehended and punished as a dangerous enemy to his country, who uttered, not what the GOD of Ifrael, but the king of Babylon, dictated to him '. THIS conteft lafted fome years, during which, his ene- Rebels amies caused him to be imprifoned. The infatuated king gainft Newas at length perfuaded, by his falfe prophets, to shake off buchadthe Babylonish yoke; and that rafh enterprize haftened the nezzar. total destruction of the temple and city. He was then in the ninth year of his reign, when Nebuchadnezzar came with a powerful army, wasted the whole country, seized upon his fortreffes, and at length laid close siege to Jeru- Jerufalem falem, before Zedekiah could make any provision, either befieged. for his own defence, or escape ". It was then, that, seeing his error too late, he fent privately for Jeremiah, to confult with him what to do; but the prophet only told him, that the city and temple would certainly be destroyed, and himself and all his fubjects carried into captivity "(Q). In the mean time Pharaoh Hophra, or Apries, came with an army against the befiegers. Jofephus fays, that Zedekiah had made an alliance with him, before he ventured to throw off the yoke : if so, he was the only one that kept it with him; for, as for all those other princes, who fent their embaffadors to him at the firft, it is plain that they were so far from affifting him, that they rather be-. came his enemies and accufers. However, Nebuchadnezzar did not think fit to let the Egyptians come up to him, but raised the fiege for the prefent, and marched directly m 2 Kings xxv. 1, & feq. Jerem. 1 Jerem. xxvii. xxxix. 1. & JOSEPH. ant. 1. x. c. 10. & feq. • Ant. ibid. & fup. p. 86, & feq. (Q) About the fame time, Ezekiel prophesied at the captivity (54) much the fame things that Jeremiah did at Jerufalem; only with this difference feemingly, that the one faid, the king fhould never fee Babylon; whereas the other faid exprefly, that he fhould be carried thither prifoner, and end his days there. This feeming contra diction, Jofephus tells us (55), staggered the king's faith, and made him give the lefs heed to them; but the difficulty was rather how to reconcile Ezekiel to himself, who adds, that he should die there, though he did not fee it. However, Nebuchadnezzar found out the way of doing it, by putting that unfortunate prince's eyes (54) Exek, xii. 13. xxiv. 1, & feq. out. (55) Ant. 1. x. c. 10. |