o ſo ro me, and more alſo, or let the Lord that gave me this Soul take it from me, if I do either of theſe things. Thus he ſecures - ang -x to any hard meaſure for his telling him the truth, = 5" ould be what might be interpreted a capital crime to
17 Then ſaid Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus ſaich the LORD, the God of hoſts, the God of Iſrael, if thou wilt aſſuredly go forth unto the king of Bibylons Princes, then thy foul ſhall live z,and this city ſhall not be burnt wich fire,and thou ſhalt live and thine houſe . : ? That is, thou ſhalt live. « And thou ſhalt ſave the City from
eing burned with fire, and thy Wives and Children from Death God did certainly know that Z:dekiah would not do this, thouoh 7 - S
xhort him to do it, and to an 'omitſe ; ; as left inexcuſable,in his not favin ge nk rag ar Cy he I8 Buc if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Ba- bylon's princes, then ſhall this City be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they ſhall burn it with fice,
and thou ſhalt not eſcape out of their hand w.
w As he before had uſed Exhorations and Promiſes, ſo here he uſeth Threatnings to perſwade him to that which indeed wis in his power to do, but God infallibly knew that he would not do The end of God in which could be no other than to leave him with out excuſe, in not obeying what God commanded, | 19 And Zedekiah the king ſaid unco Jeremiah, F ; am afraid of the Jews, that are fallen ro the Chalde- ans, leſt they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me x.
x But if Zedekiah went out according to the Prophet's advice, _ delivered himſelf, what needed he to tear his Subjetts fear _ deſerted the City ) delivering of him ? Ir ſeems rather there= - 96g to be the ſence, leſt the Chaldeans when I have vielded my = to them, ſhould deliver me into the hands of thoſe Jews which —_ fallen to them, and they ſhould mock me, ſo as he ſeems to
e more concerned for his Honour than for his own Life, and his Families, and the whole City ; thus often great Perſons are more patient of Death, than of Reproach and Dithonour,
20 But Jeremiah ſaid, They ſhall nor deliver zhee y; Obey, I beſeech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I ſpeak unto thee: ſo it ſhall be well unto thee,and thy
ſoul ſhall live.
y The Chaldeans ſhall not do ſo baſe an at, but deal with thee as with a Prince. z Let not this therefore be a Temptation to thee ro diſobey the Command of God, - which if thou docſt thou ſhale live,though not in that ſplendor jn which thou now liveſt, yet in a much more comfortable ſtate, than thou wilt do if they take the City by ſtorming.
21 But if thou refuſe to go forth, this is the word
chat the LORD hath ſhewed me :
22\ And behold all the women that are left in the king of Judah's houſe, ſþ2/7 be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes z, and thoſe women ſhall ſay, f Thy friends have ſer thee on, and have prevailed + Heb. againſt thee, thy feet are ſunk in the mire a, and they 2 of
Ire turned away back b. | Ps - 2 Thou that art afraid of the inſultings of Men that are thy >SubjeCts,ſbalr fall under the Inſultings and Taunts of the Women ; either the Court Ladi:s who were left when Fehojakin was carried away, or the Women belonging to thine own Court ſhall be taken and brought forth to the King of Babylen's Princes, to be diſpoſed of at their pleaſure, and theſe Women ſhall deride thee, and tell thee, for this thou maiſt thank thy hearkening to thy Prieſts and falſe Prophets called in the Hebrew, the Men of thy peace, be- cauſe they ſoothed up the King with the promiſes of peace. a Now they have left thee in evils out of which thou canſt not eſcape. b And as for them whom thou believedſt and truſtedit to, and by whoſe words thou art brought into theſe Snares, they have for. faken thee, every one ſhifting for himſelf. 23 So they ſhall bring out all thy wives and thy chil- dren to the Chaldeans, and thou ſhalt not efcape out of their hands, but ſhall be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon : and Þ thou ſhale caufe this cicy,to be + jq,s.
Hurnt with fire c. thou ſhalt c This is no more than wht was ſaid b:fore,only here repeated, burn, &c-
as an Argument to periwade his obedience in furrendring himſelf,
if not for the Cities 1ake, yet for his own ſake,and for his Childrens
ſake, for he aſſures the King thar not himſclf only, but his Wives
Nor in his power to do it, yet he doth not judge it vain for him to
—
8 | and Children alſo would otherwiſe fall into the hands of the Babylo=
1ians.& their Reffle&ion upon him tor the Mitery he had brought apon them, would be no ſmall aggravation of his AfliQtion. 24 CT Then ſaid Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no
man know of theſe words, and thou ſhalt not die 9. 4 Theſe words ſufficiently let us know that Zedekiah ſtood in wwe of his Courtiers, and we might probably think, that had ir nor
been for them, he would have 'done better. "This is the righteous judgment
Ch
+ He They (lent him,
a 19 0,Q.4 Le etets Akbar AT Ware ILL Cs
Chap XXXIX.
+ Heb. They were (lent from him,
T7ERME
Judgment of God, thoſe that will not ſanfifie the Lord of Hoſts, and make him their fear, ſhall fear Men whom to fear is much more
baſe and ignoble. 25 Butif che princes hear that I have talked with thee,
and they come unto thee, and ſay unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou haſt ſaid unto the king, vide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death ; alſo
what the king ſaid unto thee e.
e It could hardly be imagined that Zedckiah ſhould have this private Di:courſe with Jeremia-, but ſome or other of his Courtiers would take notice of it, but yet it argues that this poor Prince was in a m:ſerable ſubje&ion to them, that he could diſcourſe with no body, but they muſt come and inquire what he ſaid.
26 Then thou ſhalt ſay unto rhem, 1 preſented m ſupplication before the king, that he would not cauſe me tO return to Jonathans houſe to die taere f.
f The King inſtrufs the Prophet in caſe the Princes ſhould be inquiſitive to know what diſcourie piſſed betwixt the King and him, to tell them, that he petitioned him that he might be ſentno more to the Priſon in the Houſe of Jonathan, of which he complained, and petitioned the King to be freed from it, Chap. 37. 20.
' 27 Then cameall the princes to Jeremiahg, and asked
him h, and he told them according to all theſe words that
the king had commanded 3: So they lefc # off ſpeaking
with him,for the matter was not perceived &.