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and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod, Edom, and Moab, and the children of Ammon.

And all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, Dedan, and Tema, and Buz, and all that are in the utmost corners, and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, and all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, and all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach after them.

For lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by my name, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith

the LORD of hosts.

Therefore prophecy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation, he shall give a shout as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.

A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.

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Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold evil shall forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.

And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

ANNOTA

A

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

It was related in a former section, that PharaohNecho carried Jehoahaz captive into Egypt, and made Jehoiakim his brother king of Judah, on condition of his becoming tributary to him; and that Jehoiakim was obliged to lay very heavy taxes on his subjects, to enable him to keep his engagements. Soon after this, Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians, and marched towards Palestine, in order to make the king of Judah tributary to him.

The LORD was now preparing to pour forth his indignation; and that it might be known to be His work, and not the mere effect of human ambition, Jeremiah was commissioned to repeat the substance of what he had before said with additional circumstances. The prophet now expressly named the conqueror who was to be the instrument of Gop's wrath against Israel and Judah, the other nations he was to subdue, the duration of the Jewish captivity, and the subsequent punishment of the kingdom of Babylon.

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AND it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee, against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them: that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book,

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD: Therefore go thou and read in the roll which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD, in the ears of the people in the LORD's house, upon the fasting day; and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah, that come out of their cities.

And these are the words that Jeremiah spoke unto Baruch.

Thus saith the LORD, the Gon of Israel unto thee, O Baruch; Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.

The LORD saith thus: Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land.

And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; for behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.

And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD'S house.

ANNOTA

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

It appears from this section that Jehoiakim did not take warning from the prophet's admonitions, but had carried his resentment against him so far, as to cause him to be shut up in prison, while he and his people pursued their wicked courses; yet the LORD would not destroy them without using every means to bring them to repentance; He therefore commanded the prophet to write his predictions*, since he was not at liberty to go and speak them, that Baruch, who was a disciple of Jeremiah's, might read them publicly to the people, who should assemble from all parts on the great day of expiation †, (which still continued to be observed annually) according to the law of Moses, that they might be induced, when collected together on so solemn an occasion, to present their supplications to the LORD, and endeavour to deprecate his wrath, by speedy and sincere repentance. What effect this measure had is not related.

It is likely that Jehoiakim and the princes were absent from Jerusalem, making preparations to resist the power of Nebuchadnezzar, or else in such great consternation, that they did not express any resentment against Jeremiah and Baruch, on account of the roll which they had published to the people.

* Contained in some of the chapters, which there was not room to insert, + Lev. xvi. 29.

SECTION

SECTION XX.

CONTINUATION OF THE REIGN OF JEHOIAKIM, AND PART OF THE PROPHECY OF JEREMIAH.

From 2 Kings, Chap. xxiv.-Jer. Chap. xxv.

AND Jehoiakim became the servant of Nebuchadnezzar. And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.

Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD's house, in the ears of all the people.

When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD,

Then he went down into the king's house into the scribe's chamber: and lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.

Then Micaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read the book in the ears

of the people.

Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come.

So

Baruch

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