« You now fee what kin of Prophets they are who fed you with hopes that the King of Babylon's Army ſhould return no moretothe Siege of the City. I told you they would return; you had other Prophets that told you they ſhould not judge,now who were the true Prophets. The Devil in all Ages had ſome that con» cradicted the true Prophets of the Lore : Three hundred falſe Pro- phets contradifted one Mic4izh, as to Abab's g01ng upto Ramoth G:lead, and profpering in that Expedition. There were many that contradicted Iſaiah and Feremiah, and other true Prophets, as to the King of Babylon's coming to befiege Hieruſalem, and his re- turn again to the Siege waen he had riſen up from it, to mzet the Egyptian Army ; and as to the length of time in which the Fews thouid be in Captivity ; yet, ( to jer us fee Mens madnels upon their Luſts ) as there ſtill have riſen up in other Generations, talſe Teachers, and Flatterers, f'» they have always found more favour _ thoſe that have dealt more faithfully in revealing God's
111»
20 Therefore hear now I pray thee, O my Lord
the King w, | let my Suyplication I pray thee be ac- + Heb. /t cepted before thee ; that thou cauſe me not to re- my ſapplicd- turn to the houſe of Jonathan the Scribe, leſt I die #97 ſalt.
there x. w Though Feremith had dealt very faithfully with the King
this Irijah, was the falſe Prophet we read of, chap. 28. who died \and Princes, and they had dealt very hardly and cruelly with him, according to Feremiah's Prophecy, and this hls Grandchild ap- |caſting him tor no juſt cauſe into a naſty Priſon, and F-rzmiz> prehended Feremiah in ſome revenge of his Grandfather, is but | knew well engugh that Zedekizh was very ſoonto be difarmed of
uncertainly gueſſed. But Feremiah's ſo frequent propheſying chat the Chaldeans ſhould take the City, expoſed him to this ſuſpicion probably.
14 Then ſaid Jeremiah, 7: zz Þ falſe, I fall not
him. So Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to
the Princes. Though Feremiah, as the Lord's Prophet, faithfully revealed the Will of God, that the Chaldeans ſhould take the City, to
warn the People ( if poſſible ) to prevent it by ſolemn Addrefl-s
his power, yet (to learn us our duty) he ſpeaks with all due reſpect and reverence to his Soveraign, though a very bad Man, an one who had dealt very il with him. x This Petition of Feremiah, ſpeaks the Priſon he was in, was ina very inconvenient place, Where he was in danger of his Life.
21 Then Zedekiah the King commanded that they
ſhould commit Jeremiah inro * che court of the Pri- * Chap, ſon y, and that they ſhould give him daily a piece of 32-3
bread our of the bakers ſtreet, until ail the bread 1n
} - = < * | -# 1 . = . unto God, or at leaſt to prevent what miſchiet might be preven-| tbe City were ſpent z. Thus Jeremiah remained 1n
ted by a timely Surrender to the King of Babylon, yet he had no! the court of the Prifon #.
defign to fly to them ; he was fo far from delighting in their com-
pany, that when the City was taken, and the Captain of the Guard offered him either to go along with him to Bubylon, promiſing
to look well to him, Chap. 40. 4,5. Or to go back to Gedaliah, whom the King of Babylon had left as Deputy Governour in Fudea, he choſe rather to go and dwell under Gedaliah's Government ina poor condition,than to mend his Commons in an Idolatrous Coun- try, but the Captain would not believe him but carrieth him be
fore the Princes»
15 Wherefore the Princes were wroth with Jere- miah, and ſmote him, and put him in priſon, in the houſe of Jonathan the Scribe; for they had made
that the Priſon p.
p Thele Princes ſeem more fierce againſt the Propher than thoſe that were in the time of Fehorakim, for they proceed here upon the Captain's Information, caule the Prophet to be beaten, and ſend him to Priſon, a Prifon within the compaſs of the Courrt, bad enough, as appeareth by Feremiah's Complaint of his Condi- tion there to the King, Yer. 20. and by what followeth in the next Verſe.
16 Þ When Jeremiah was entred iato the Dun-
} Or,6/l7.peon, and into the || Cabins, and Jeremiah had re-
mained there many days 9, |
q The Hebrew Words which we Tranſlate Dungeon, fignifie the bouje of the lah? ; they certainly ftgnifie fome Pit, or deep hole, or place in the Priſon, where were ſome Cells or Apartments, in which they were wont to keep thoſe whom they judged great Ma- lefaCtors, or againſt whom they had ſome ſpecial anger. How ma- ny days the Prophet was forced to abide in this miſerable place it js not ſaid, but it ſhould ſeem by Yerſe 19. that it was until the Chaldean Army was returned to the Siege.
17 Then Zedekiah the King ſent and took him out, aud the King asked him ſecretly in his houſe, and ſaid, Is there any word from the LORD-y ? and Jere- miah ſaid, There is : for, ſaid he, thou ſhalr be deli- vered 1nto the hand of the King of Babylon /.
r That is, Hath God revealed any thing to thee, concerning _m - be the iflue of the return of the Chaldean Army tothe '. "ſs:
y So as he was a Priſoner {ti1!, but in a freer Air, where he did not ſuffer thoſe Inconvenieaces which he endwed in the Hole or Dungeon. 7 lt is of no great moment to know whether the por- tion of Bread aliowed the Prophet by the King, were a Loaf ( as ſome think ) or a piece of a Loaf; ir was ſuch a proportion as could be allowed according to the proportion which others had, and the ſtraits which the City was in,and ſo much as ſerved to keep
him alive. 4 Feremiah remained here till upon the Suggeſtion oi the Princes, he was removed toa worſe place, as we ſhall 1ead4 inthe ſixth Verſe of the next Chapter ; where he ſtaid not long, but was again removed to the Court of the Priſon. as we ſhall read there, Verſe 13. where (as it followeth there Yerſe 28. ) lie continued until the City was taken.
CH A P. XXXVIII.
Jeremiah Propheſyeth ; & by the Princes, with the Kinz's Pevr- miſſion, caſt into a Dungeon ; but i by Ebed-melech, »#h the King's Conſent, taken out again, 1, — 13. He hath 4 ſecret Conference with the King, in which he counſclLeth lim by yielding to fave his Life, 14, —— 23. By theKing's Comman4 be concealeth the Conference from the Princes, 24, —— 27. He abideth in Priſon till Jeruſalem js taken, 2e,