, TY Shephatiah the Son of Mattan, and Geda- y fy liah the Son of Paſhur, and Jucal the Son 0: Shelemiah, and Paſhur the Son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had ſpoken to all the People, ſaying a, | 4 Here are four of the Great Men, Counce!lors, or Great Officers to Zedekiah named, of whom we have no further men- tion in Holy Writ, nor are they worthy of much Inguiry after ; Feremiah being now removed into a little freer Air, where his Friends, or ſuch as had a defire to fee him, came to him, and is very likely were inquiſitive to know what God would do wit!
God in the Caſe, and adviſe them the beſt he could. Some of them go to thele Princes, and inform thers of what they had
heard from the Prophet, 2 Thus
L L--1
Chap. XXX VIIL
the City,he could not bur tell them what he knew of the Mind of -
v7 err wr
mY
wage *%.
_
5 GS. PRES ES Lites Oo rt a Sig Toe nor em IE ww -
* -
mW Po mY med | . p of On + 26a
oor, HE" *'& ar % han; ”
moe I Ire eee ary wane," ns Fo a_— ” 144
Chap. XXXVIII
+ Heb.
Peace.
Or, of the King.
* Chap. 29.16,
FEREMIAH
> Thus faith the LORD, He that remaiaeth injthat they have done to Jeremiah the Prophet, whom
tis City ſhall dye by the ſword, by the famine, andithey calt inco the dungeon, and Þ hes like to die + Heh, by the peſtilence, but he that goeth forth to the Chal-ſfor hunger in the place where he 1s, for there 75 nowill dye.
4; dye Mol pn, deans ſhall live : for he ſhall have his Life for a prey, |more bread in the City /. and ſhall live 6. ; ! The courage of this good Eunuch was very remarkable, he b As to what is Verſe 3. it is no more than had for ſome time !aid not ſtay till che King came in, but went ro the King, as he been the conſtant renour of this Prophet's Prophecies. The Crime |was titting in the Gate of Benjamin, adminiſtring Juſtice, or re- ſ-emeth to lie in this, that in ſuch a time of extream danger, he (ceiving and anſwering Peritions,where coubrieis he was not alone, ſhould repeat this Prophecy, and allo adviſe the People to leave and pcobably was atrended there by ſome of thole Princes, who the City, and ſhift for themielves, by going out to rhe Chaldeans, had thrown Feremiah into this milerable place : Ebe4melech was telling them that if they did fo, though che City would be loſt, and not atraidof them, but openly complains ot their Cruelry to the their Eſtates in it loſt, yet they ſhould ſave their Lives, which King, and tells him chat Feremiah would be ſtarved to ceath, words mightencourage many of low and cowardly {pirits tO defert |thole who were alive in the City could no longer jubfilt, tor the their Poſts ; which indeed had been Crime ſufficient 1n an ordinary |Stores were almoſt all ſpent, and though the King had appointed time, and under ordinary Circumſtances, but was no Crime now 'the Prophet an allowance, yer being 1n luch an hole, and there that God had revealed his Will tothe King, Princes and People, 'being fo little Bread letc in the City, it was not likely there would that the City ſhould be loſt : There lay now no iurther Duty upon be much care taken of him,
) ; OY : | 2nv to contribute to its defence, but they were obligec: to make as : | good Proviſions for themſelves as they could ; but theie wicked | 10 Then the King commanded Ehedmelech the
Princes believed no ſuch thing, theretore they make this a great Ethiopian, {faying, Take from : hence thirty Men f Heb. in '{ with thee, and take up Jeremiah the Prophet out ne band,
Charge. : 3 Thus ſaith the LORD, This city ſhall ſurely be of the Dungeon before hedye given into the hand of the King of Babylon's Army, | mThere are ſeveral Gueſſes why the King commandeth Ezedme- which ſhall take ir. | tech tO _ thirty "_ _ - _ - _ --o —agrvardg or tour + wo % .'s . were ſufficient. I think they judge beſt, who think it was to 4 Therefore the Princes ſaid unto the King, We gi1ard him againſt any eos. " hings were now in a great beſeech thee let this man be put to death : for thus he diſorder, the City being upon the matter taken, and the King weakneth the hands of the men of War that remain ' himſelf was much in the Government of his Princes, and, as may
in this City, and the Hands of all the People in ſpeak- eaſily be judged by what went before,and what we ſhall hereafter
- | | not i was in ſome fear of the ing ſuch words unto them : for this man ſeeketh not T7 with, could not rule them, but was in ſome fear of them,
4 my = and he did not know but fome of the moſt boitterous of them,
the -#- welfare of this People, but the hu L Ce Imight oppole the execution of this Command of his. This King c The Prophet now ſeemeth under fad Circumſtances, the; hjs whole Story {eemeth ro have been of a much better humouc Princes ſeek his Life, though for delivering no other Doctrine .1n this Predecefors, and to have hada kindneſs for the Propher, than he had been preaching for 20 years; their pretence was, his 'though he ſuffered himſelf ro be miterably over-ruled by his diſcouraging aud weakening the military part of the City, lecting Cur.jers, who were of a much fiercer Temper, and worle at-
Chap. XXX VII
them know that they laboured in vain, for the City was not defen- fible. This tkey interpret a feeking not the welfare of che People, but their kurt, though indeed their welfare was that alone which he ſought, knowing that there was no other way for any of them ro ſave their Lives, but by ſubmitting to the Chaldeans; though the great Men (being Perſons God had determined to ruine) would not believe it, and would have the welfare and hurt of the place determined by their Opinions.
s Then Zedekiah the Ring faid, Behold, he is in
fected to the Prophet.
11 So Ebedmelech took the Men with him, and weit into the hoaſe of the King under the Treaſury, and took thence old calt clouts, and o1d rotten rags, and let tnem down by cords 1ato the dungeon to [e- remiah,.
12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian ſ4id unto Je-
your hand 4, for the King zs not he that can do ay thing againſt you.