Nethaniah efcaped from Johanan with eight men, only two of the affaffins being probably flain, and went to 16 the Ammonites. Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that [were] with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the fon of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after [that] he had flain Gedaliah the fon of Ahikam, [even] mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had 17 brought again from Gibeon: And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Beth-lehem, an eftate which David had given to Chimham the fon of Barzillai, and which was called by his name, to go 18 to enter into Egypt, Because of the Chaldeans; that is, in order to proceed to Egypt out of the reach of the Chaldeans for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the fon of Nethaniah had flain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land; they were fearful it would be imputed to them all as a revolt; a groundless fear; for tho the king of Babylon might have refented the murder of his viceroy, he would rather have applauded and rewarded Johanan, for laying the murderers, and recovering the captives.

I.

TH

REFLECTION S.

HOSE who are most honeft and friendly, and mean the best, have need of prudence and difcretion. It was wife in Gedaliah not to entertain jealousy of his fubjects; but very unwife not to be more upon his guard, after he had been warned of Ifhmael's defign. A proper medium is to be observed between hastily crediting and haftily rejecting or defpifing reports of injuries intended

We should be cautious whom we truft; and while we fhow the courage of an honeft heart, we fhould be upon our guard that we be not deceived by pretended friendship.

2. Obferve here the difmal confequences of pride and ambition, and what dreadful evils they occafion in fociety. Ishmael treacherously flew Gedaliah, because he thought,

that

that being of the feed royal, he had a better claim to the government; and when once he was engaged in this bloody work, he flew those honeft Ifraelites, because they were the friends of Gedaliah, tho' he had nothing to fear from them and this cruelty he exercised upon his brethren and countrymen, who were all companions in the general afflic tion of the nation. Such monsters, fuch demons, do ambition and malice turn men into: and we have need to pray earnestly, that God would reftrain this ambitious fpirit in our land, which feems otherwife likely to blast our hopeful profpects, and hurry us into ruin.

3. See the uncertainty of human affairs, and how little the continuance of earthly bleffings is to be depended upon. The poor Jews that were left in the land, began to think themselves happy in fuch a governor as Gedaliah, and probably would have been fo: but he was treacherously Hain; and then all their expectations were disappointed, and there was nothing but confufion again. Thus may God foon disappoint our moft pleafing expectations; and bring upon us fresh troubles, while we are rejoicing in the restoration of peace. Let us therefore maintain a conftant fense of the uncertainty of earthly comforts; and be folicitous to fecure a kingdom that cannot be moved; an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.

CHA P. XLII, XLIII.

Johannan and the remnant of the people defire Jeremiah to afk counsel of God what they should do; the prophet affures them of fafety in Judea, but of deftruction in Egypt; Neverthelefs the leading men carry the people there; and the prophet foretells the conqueft of Egypt by Nebuchadrezzar.

I

T

HEN all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the fon of Hofhaiah, and all the people from the least even unto 2 the greatest, came near, And faid unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our fupplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD

003

thy

thy God, [even] for all this remnant; (for we are left [but] a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) 3 That the LORD thy God may fhow us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do: nothing could be more proper, humble, and respectful, than this 4 addrefs, had it been honeft. Then Jeremiah the prophet faid unto them, I have heard [you ;] behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it fhall come to pafs, [that] whatsoever thing the LORD fhall answer you, I will declare [it] 5 unto you; I will keep nothing back from you. Then they faid to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God fhall fend 6 thee to us. Whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we fend thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God,

7

And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah; they were kept fo long 8 in fufpenfe, to give them time to think. Then called he Johanan the fon of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which [were] with him, and all the people from 9 the leaft even to the greateft, And faid unto them, Thus faith the LORD, the God of Ifrael, unto whom ye fent me to present your fupplication before him; 10 If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull [you] down, and I will plant you, and not pluck [you] up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you; I will change my way of dealing with you, and will no longer punish you, without fresh 11 provocations. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, faith the LORD: for I [am] with you to fave you, and to 12 deliver you from his hand. And I will fhow mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, I will incline him to show you favour, and caufe you to return to your own land; to your own cities and poffeffions, from 13 whence ye were driven by the late diftractions. But if ye fay, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey

the

14 the voice of the LORD your God, Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the found of the trumpet, nor have 15 hunger of bread; and there will we dwell: And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah, Thus faith the LORD of hosts, the God of Ifrael; If ye wholly fet your faces to enter into Egypt, if you are fully and obftinately refolved to leave your own 16 country, and go to fojourn there; Then it fhall come to pass, [that] the sword, which ye feared, fhall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, fhall follow clofe after you 17 there in Egypt; and there ye fhall die. So fhall it be with all the men that fet their faces to go into Egypt to fojourn there; they fhall die by the fword, by the famine and by the peftilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon 18 them. For thus faith the LORD of hofts, the God of Ifrael; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem; fo fhall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye fhall enter into Egypt: and ye fhall be an execration, and an aftonishment, and a curfe, and a reproach: and ye fhall fee this place no more.

19

The LORD hath faid concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day; I have teftified against your leaving your land, efpecially against your going to Egypt, because it is an idolatrous country, and at enmity 20 with the king of Babylon. For ye diffembled in your hearts, when ye fent me unto the LORD your God, faying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God fhall fay, fo 21 declare unto us, and we will do [it.] And [now] I have this day declared [it] to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any 22 [thing] for the which he hath fent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye fhall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the peftilence, in the place whither ye defire to go [and] to fojourn. go

1 CHAP.

* I CHAP. XLIII. And it came to pass, [that] when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had fent him to them, [even] all these words, (a strong expreffion, denoting the authority of God's word, and their great wickedness and obftinacy 2 in acting contrary to it ;) Then fpake Azariah the fon of Hofhaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, faying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakeft falfely the LORD our God hath not fent thee to say, Go 3 not into Egypt to fojourn there: But Baruch the fon of Neriah fetteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.d 4 So Johanan the fon of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of 5 the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah. But Johanan the fon of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, 6 to dwell in the land of Judah; [Even] men, and women, and children, and the king's daughters, and every person that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the fon of Ahikam the fon of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch 7 the fon of Neriah. So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they [even] to Tahpanhes.

8

Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah in 9 Tahpanhes, faying, Take great ftones in thine hand, and hide them in the clay in the brick kiln, which [is] at the entry of Pharaoh's house in Tahpanhes, or, the way that leads to it, in the fight of the men of 10 Judah; And fay unto them, Thus faith the LORD of hofts,

in

What strange, inconfiftent conduct was this! They knew him to be a prophet, and that his words had been fulfilled; yea, they fet him on to enquire of the Lord, and promifed obedience. Had he and Baruch chofen to go to Babylon, they might have gone when the captain folicited them. It was therefore an idle , and abfurd fuggeftion.