The Bible Story Part 318

Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, "If I declare it unto thee wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, thou wilt not hearken unto me."

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So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, "As the Lord liveth, that made us, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life."

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, "Thus saith the Lord, the G.o.d of hosts, the G.o.d of Israel: 'If thou wilt go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house: but if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.'"

And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews that deserted to the Chaldeans, lest the Chaldeans deliver me into their hand, and they mock me."

But Jeremiah said, "They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the Lord, in that which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well with thee, and thy soul shall live. But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the Lord hath shewed me: Behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire."

Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, "Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die."

So Jeremiah abode in the court of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was taken.

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V

CONFUSION IN THE LAND

(Jerusalem is taken and Jeremiah is kindly treated by the victors. The people who remain in the land, now a royal colony, take courage, but the a.s.sa.s.sination of the governor throws everything into confusion.)

And it came to pa.s.s when Jerusalem was taken, in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and besieged it; in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the walls of the city. Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate.

And it came to pa.s.s that when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate between the two walls. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he gave judgment upon him.

Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the n.o.bles of Judah.

Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

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[Ill.u.s.tration]

ANATHOTH, THE HOME OF JEREMIAH.

From a photograph taken by Prof. D. G. Lyon, and used by his kind permission.

[End ill.u.s.tration]

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And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.

Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remainder of the people that stayed in the city, the deserters also, that came to him, and the remainder of the people that stayed.

But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, "Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee."

So the king's princes sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the guard, and committed him to Gedaliah the royal governor, commanding that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.

Now the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the guard, saying, "Go, and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the G.o.d of Israel: Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished before thee in that day. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely save thee, and thou {318} shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord.'"

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon. And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, "The Lord thy G.o.d p.r.o.nounced this evil upon this place: and the Lord hath brought it, and done according as he spake; because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which are upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will look well unto thee; but if it seem ill unto thee to come to Babylon, forbear. All the land is before thee; whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go."

Again he said: "Go back to Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go."

So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a present, and let him go. Then went Jeremiah to Gedaliah the royal governor to Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.

Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the {319} king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poorest of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon; then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men.

And Gedaliah spoke earnestly unto them and to their men, saying, "Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans, which shall come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken."

Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah, they returned out of all places whither they were driven and came to the land of Judah and gathered much wine and summer fruits.

Then Jonathan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and said to him, "Dost thou know that Baalis of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take thy life?"

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But Gedaliah the royal governor believed them not. Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, "Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he take thy life, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?"

But Gedaliah the royal governor said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael."

Now it came to pa.s.s in the seventh month, that Ishmael, one of the chief officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah the royal governor at Mizpah; and there they ate bread together in Mizpah.

Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the royal governor, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.

Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, even the men of war. And it came to pa.s.s the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it, that there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their beards shaven and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with oblations and frankincense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the Lord.

And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah weeping as he went and it came to pa.s.s as he met them he said to them, "Come to Gedaliah."

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When they came into the city Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.

But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, "Slay us not: for we have stores hidden in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey." So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.

Now the pit wherein Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, by the side of Gedaliah, (the same was that which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel,) Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled with them that were slain.

Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the royal governor: Ishmael carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the children of Ammon.

But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael had done, they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.

Now it came to pa.s.s that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad. So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah deserted and returned, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah.

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But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the children of Ammon.