Carried Captive Into Babylon
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sins, and was to be no more restored to them. That sacred ark is yet
hidden. It has never been disturbed since it was secreted.
For many years Jeremiah had stood before the people as a faithful
witness for God; and now, as the fated city was about to pass into the
hands of the heathen, he considered his work done and attempted to
leave, but was prevented by a son of one of the false prophets, who
reported that Jeremiah was about to join the Babylonians, to whom
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he had repeatedly urged the men of Judah to submit. The prophet
denied the lying charge, but nevertheless “the princes were wroth with
Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison.”
Verse 15
.
The hopes that had sprung up in the hearts of princes and people
when the armies of Nebuchadnezzar turned south to meet the Egyp-
tians, were soon dashed to the ground. The word of the Lord had been,
“Behold, I am against thee, Pharaoh king of Egypt.” The might of
Egypt was but a broken reed. “All the inhabitants of Egypt,” Inspira-
tion had declared, “shall know that I am the Lord, because they have
been a staff of reed to the house of Israel.” “I will strengthen the arms
of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and
they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall put My sword into
the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the
land of Egypt.”
Ezekiel 29:3, 6
;
30:25
.
While the princes of Judah were still vainly looking toward Egypt
for help, King Zedekiah with anxious foreboding was thinking of the
prophet of God that had been thrust into prison. After many days the
king sent for him and asked him secretly, “Is there any word from
the Lord?” Jeremiah answered, “There is: for, said He, thou shalt be
delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.
“Moreover Jeremiah said unto King Zedekiah, What have I of-
fended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people,
that ye have put me in prison? Where are now your prophets which
prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babylon shall not come
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against you, nor against this land? Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O
my lord the king: let my supplication, I pray thee, be accepted before
thee; that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jonathan the
scribe, lest I die there.”
Jeremiah 37:17-20
.
At this Zedekiah commanded that they “commit Jeremiah into the
court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread