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Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.

And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.

Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid, both one and other, and said unto Baruch, we will surely tell the king of all these words.

And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

Then Baruch answered them: He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou, and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.

And they went unto the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.

So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber: and Jehudi read it in the ears of of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.

Now the king sat in the winter house, in the ninth month and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife. and cast it into the fire, that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed.

Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah, had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.

But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe, and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD: Thou hast burned this roll, saying Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?

Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah, He shall have none to set upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat and in the night to the frost.

And I will punish him, and his seed, and his servants, for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.

Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

It seems that Nebuchadnezzar accomplished his design of making Jehoiakim tributary to him, and then departed from Judea.

VOL. IV.

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It

It was at the return of the great day of expiation, that Baruch was sent to read the roll a second time; the king and people continued to increase in wicked

ness.

The chamber of Gemariah the scribe, was the room where the king's counsel used to sit. The lords of the council were greatly terrified, and were solicitous to preserve the prophet and his disciple from the effects of the king's indignation, which they imagined would be excited by this action. It proved as they expected; for the impious Jehoiakim, disregarding the word of the LORD, burnt the leaves as they were read, till the roll was entirely consumed; and would have destroyed the prophet, but that Divine providence interposed in his preservation.

SECTION XXI.

THE CONCLUSION OF THE REIGN OF JEHOIAKIM KING OF JUDAH.

From 2 Kings, Chap. xxiv.-2 Chron. Chap. xxxvi.

AND Jehoiakim continued the servant of Nebuchadnezzar three years, then he turned and rebelled against him.

And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moab. ites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it; according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets.

Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; and also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled

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Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD

would not pardon.

Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.

And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

Jehoiakim, after having served the king of Babylon three years, refused to pay him tribute, and renewed his confederacy with Pharaoh-Necho; other nations also annoyed him.

The LORD permitted the king of Judah to be molested with such various enemies, on account of his disobedience to the Divine will. In what manner he died we are not informed, but there is no doubt his death was ignominious, and as the prophet had foretold, his memory hateful. The Jews, to this day, observe a fast in commemoration of Jehoiakim's burning the roll which Baruch read.

Pharaoh-Necho, king of Egypt, died one year be fore Jehoiakim, having reigned sixteen years, and was succeeded by Psammis his son.

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SECTION XXII.

THE BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF JEHOIACHIN (CALLED ALSO JECHONIAH AND CONIAH) KING OF JUDAH, AND PART OF THE PROPHECY OF JEREMIAH.

From Jeremiah, Chap. xxii.

JEHOIACHIN was eighteen years when he began to reign, and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

.

Then said the LORD to Jeremiah, Go now down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, O king of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou, and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates:

Thus saith the LORD: execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor: and do no wrong, do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow, neither shed innocent blood in this place.

But if ye do this thing indeed, then shall there enter in by the gates of this house kings sitting upon the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, he, and his servants, and his people.

For if ye will not hear these words, I swear by myself, saith the LORD, that this house shall become a desolation.

For thus saith the LORD unto the king's house of Judah; Thou art Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and cities that are not inhabited.

And I will prepare destroyers against thee, every

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