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HE word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah fent unto him Pafhur the fon of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of 2 Maafeiah the priest, saying, Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works which he did for our fathers, that he may go up from us.

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Then faid Jeremiah unto them, Thus fhall ye fay to 4 Zedekiah: Thus faith the LORD God of Ifrael; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that [are] in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and [againft] the Chaldeans, which befiege you without the walls, and I will affemble them into the midst of this city; your weapons of war instead of wounding the enemy shall hurt yourselves, as if a strong 5 wind fhould blow back your arrows into your faces. And I myself will fight against you with an out-stretched hand and with a ftrong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath; it shall plainly appear that I 6 am on your enemies' fide. And I will fmite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beaft: they, that is, 7 many of them, fhall die of a great peftilence. And afterward, faith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his fervants, and the people, and fuch as are left in this city from the peftilence, from the fword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life and he shall smite them with the edge of the fword; he fhall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy; Zedekiah's life fhall be preferved, but his fons and great officers fhall be flain.

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And unto this people thou,fhalt fay, Thus faith the LORD; Behold, I fet before you the way of life, and the way of death, how you may escape with your lives, or otherwife you fhall be flain; therefore choose the least of two 9 evils. He that abideth in this city fhall die by the fword, and by the famine, and by the peftilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that befiege

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you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey; he ball think himself happy if he escapes with his 10 life. For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, faith the LORD: it fhall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.

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And touching the house of the king of Judah, [fay,] 12 Hear ye the word of the LORD; O houfe of David, thus faith the LORD: Execute judgment in the morning, referring to their fitting early in the morning in their courts, and deliver [him that is] fpoiled out of the hand of the oppreffor, left my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench [it,] because of the evil of 13 your doings. Behold, I [am] against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, [and] rock of the plain, faith the LORD; which fay, Who fhall come down against us? 14 or who fhall enter into our habitations? But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, faith the LORD and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it fhall devour all things round about it; your numerous ftately buildings, which are like a forest, shall all be destroyed.

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CHAP. XXII. Thus faith the LORD; Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this 2 word, And fay, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that fitteft upon the throne of David, thou, and thy fervants, and thy people that enter in by these 3 gates: Thus faith the LORD; Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppreffor: and do no wrong, do no vio. lence to the ftranger, the fatherlefs, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place. For if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this houfe kings fitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horfes, he, and his fervants, 5 and his people. But if ye will not hear these words, I fwear

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f The people were proud of their fortifications; part of Jeru. falem lay in a valley, but mount Zion, which was their fortress, flood upon a rock; and they confided in its ftrength, as its antient inhabitants the Jebufites had done.

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fwear by myself, faith the LORD, that this house shall 6 become a defolation. For thus faith the LORD unto the king's houfe of Judah; Thou [art] Gilead unto me, for wealth and plenty, [and] the head of Lebanon, for ftatelinefs and magnificence: [yet] furely I will make thee a wilderness, [and] cities [which] are not inhabit7 ed. And I will prepare deftroyers against thee, every one with his weapons, that is, hewers with axes in their hands: and they shall cut down thy choice cedars, and 8 caft [them] into the fire. And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall fay every man to his neighbour, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this great city? he once delighted in it, but now it is burned 9 and destroyed. Then they fhall anfwer, Because they have forfaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshipped other gods, and ferved them.

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REFLECTION S.

E must not complain when things are bad with us, because they may mend. Jeremiah was in a very fretful, uneafy fituation at the conclufion of the laft chapter. Here we find him applied to by the king; an honourable meffage was fent him, and great refpect fhown him. Let us therefore not defpair when our troubles are great and heavy, but hope for better days; continue to honour God, and then he will honour us.

2. Those who defpife God's word and minifters in their profperity, will be glad of their help in the day of affliction. This was the cafe with Zedekiah and his people. Jeremiah had preached to them in vain, and they had not humbled themselves at the word of the Lord; but now they defire the prophet to enquire of God for them, and to pray for them; but the answer is a prediction of vengeance. Those who affront or forget God, when all goes well and fmooth, will be glad of his help and fly to him in the day of trouble: efpecially thofe who put the evil day far from them. Because he hath done wondrous works for others, they hope he will do the like for them: but yet they will not imitate their good example; and therefore they have no reafon

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reafon to expect it. Let us be ambitious to fecure the divine friendship, by obeying his word and hearkening to his ministers; then will he make our profperity fafe and comfortable, and be our fupport when trouble cometh upon us.

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3. See how vain all oppofition to God is, and how neceffary it is that we fubmit to him. This people trusted in the strength of their city, and infolently faid, Who fhall enter our habitations? but God threatens to fet his face against them, and to be their enemy; and then no fortification nor power could fave them. Thus confident are the hopes of finners. But if men will rebel against the Moft High, he will fight against them, v. 5. and who can tell the power of his anger? Let us therefore take hold of his ftrength, and be at peace with him. He fets before us the way of life and the way of death very plainly: let us then submit to him, obey his word, and live.

4. The great defign of all thefe difpenfations of providence, was to promote righteoufnefs. In all the meffages of Jeremiah and the other prophets to the people, this is infifted on, that they put away their iniquities; the reigning vices of the times; that they execute judgment and righteousness; do no wrong, but behave in an upright, confcientious manner. The intention of all God's precepts and threatenings is to promote righteousness. This fhows of how much importance it is in his fight; how neceffary to secure his favour, and the prosperity of the nation. Let us therefore follow after righteousness; for the righteous Lord loves it, and it fhall be well with those who practise it.

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CHA P. XXII. 10, to the end.

The judgment of Shallum, of Jehoiakim, and of Coniah.

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EEP ye not for the dead, for king Jofiah, who was flain in battle, neither bemoan him: [but] weep fore for him that goeth away: for he fhall return 11 no more, nor fee his native country. For thus faith the LORD touching Shallum, or Jehoahaz, the fon of

Jofiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Jofiah his father, which went forth out of this place; He 12 fhall not return thither any more: But he shall die in the place whither they have led him captive, and fhall fee this land no more.

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Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; [that] ufeth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work, but defrauds the workmen of their wages; 14 That faith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and [it is] 15 cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Shalt thou reign, because thou closest [thyfelf] in cedar? will thy fine houfe be a fortrefs and a defence to thee? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, [and] then [it was] well with him? thy father lived in an honourable and comfortable manner, fuitably to 16 his rank and character. He judged the caufe of the poor and needy; then [it was] well [with him: was] not this to know me? faith the LORD; this was the effect of his piety, and an evidence of his good understanding, tho' he had 17 not fo fine a palace. But thine eyes and thine heart [are] not but for thy covetousness, and for to fhed innocent blood, and for oppreffion, and for violence to do [it.] 18 Therefore thus faith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the fon of Jofiah king of Judah; They fhall not lament for him, [faying,] Ah my brother! or, Ah fifter! they fhall not lament for him, [faying,] Ah lord! or Ah his glory! they shall not lament for him as a near relation, ncr as a people do for a good prince; all his 19 glory is vanished and departed. He fhall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and caft forth beyond the gates of Jerufalem."-Ameffage is then fent to Jehoiakim, or Feconiah his fon, here called, by way of contempt, Coniah, and to the people.

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Pharaoh had carried him captive into Egypt, and made Johoiakim his brother king in his flead; to whom the next words belong.

Accordingly, Jofephus tells us that he was flain in a fally, when the Chaldeans came against Jerufalem; and that his dead body being found, was treated in this contemptuous manner.

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