was taken by the Chaldeans, after the siege had lasted from their last setting down before it, about a year. Hereon Zedekiah, with his men of war, fled away: and, having broken through the camp of the enemy, endeavoured to make his escape over Jordan: but, being pursued after, he was overtaken in the plains of Jericho: whereon, all his army being scattered from him, he was taken prisoner, and carried to the king of Babylon, at Riblah in Syria, where he then resided; who, having caused his sons, and all his princes that were taken with him, to be slain before his face, commanded his eyes to be put out, and then bound him in fetters of brass, and sent him to Babylon, where he died in prison: and hereby was fulfilled they prophecy of the prophet Ezekiel concerning him, That he should be brought to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans, yet should not see the place, though he should die there.

Ꮓ

In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (i. e. towards the end of our July,) came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guards, to the king of Babylon to Jerusalem; and, after having taken out all the vessels of the house of the Lord, and gathered together all the riches that could be found, either in the king's house, or in any of the other houses of the city, he did, on the tenth day of the same month, pursuant to the command of his master, set both the temple and city on fire, and absolutely consumed, and destroyed them both, overthrowing all the walls, fortresses, and towers, belonging thereto, and wholly razing and levelling to the ground every building therein, till he had brought all to a thorough and perfect desolation; and so it continued for fifty-two years after, till, by the favour of Cyrus, the Jews being released from their captivity, and restored again to their own land, repaired these ruins, and built again their holy city. In memory of this calamity, they keep two fasts, even to this day, the seventeeth of the fourth month (which falls in our June) for the destruction of Jerusalem, and the ninth of the fifth month (which falls in our July) for the destruction of the temple; both which are made

y Ezek. xii, 13

z 2 Kings xxv, 8-17. Jer. lii, 12-23.

mention of a in the prophecies of the prophet Zechariah, under the names of the fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth month, and are there spoken of as annually observed from the destruction of Jeru salem to his time, which was seventy years after. Josephusb remarks, that the burning of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar happened on the very same day of the year on which it was afterwards again burned by Titus.

C

Nebuzaradan, having thus destroyed the city and the temple of Jerusalem, made all the people he found there captives. Of these, he took Seraiah the high priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and about seventy others of the principal persons he found in the place, and carried them to Riblah to Nebuchadnezzar, who caused them all there to be put to death. Of d the rest of the people, he left the poorer sort to till the ground, and dress their vineyards, and made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, governour over them, and all the other he carried away to Babylon.

But concerning Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar gave particular charge to Nebuzaradan, that he should offer him no hurt, but look well to him, and do for him in all things according as he should desire. And therefore, as soon as he came to Jerusalem, with commission to destroy the place, he and the princes that were with him sent and took him out of prison, where he had lain bound from the time that Zedekiah had put him there, and restored him to his liberty; and, having carried him with him as far as Ramah, on his return to Nebuchadnezzar, he then gave him his option, whether he would go with him to Babylon, where he should be well looked after, and maintained at the king's charge, or else remain in the land; and he having chosen the latter, Nebuzaradan gave him victuals and a reward, and sent him back to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, with an especial charge to take care of him.

a Zechariah viii, 19.

b De Bellow Judaico, lib. vii, c. 10.

c 2 Kings xxv, 18-21. Jer lii, 24-27

d2 Kings xxv, 22—25. Jer. xxxix, 9, 10 ; & lii, 15, 16. Jer. xxxix, 11—14; & xl, 1—6.

After Nebuchadnezzar was returned to Babylon,f all those who before for fear of the Chaldeans, had taken refuge among the neighbouring nations, or had hid themselves in the fields and the deserts, after their escape, on the dispersion of Zedekiah's army in the plains of Jericho, hearing that Gedaliah was made governour of the land, resorted to him; and, he having promised them protection, and sworn unto them, that they should be safe under his government, they settled themselves again in the land, and gathered in the fruits of it. The chief among these were Johanan and Jonathan, the sons of Kereah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and others.

But & Ishmael came to him only out of a treacherous design; for, being of the seed-royal, he reckoned to make himself king of the land, now the Chaldeans were gone; and, for the accomplishing of it, had formed a conspiracy to kill Gedaliah, and seize the government; and Baalis, the king of the Ammonites, was confederated with him herein. But Johanan, the son of Kereah, having got notice of it, he and all the chief men of the rest of the people, went to Gedaliah, and informed him of it, proposing to kill Ishmael, and thereby deliver him from the mischief that was intended against him. But Gedaliah being of a very benign disposition, and not easy to entertain jealousies of any one, would not believe this of Ishmael, but still carried on a friendly correspondence with him;h of which Ishmael, taking the advantage, came to him in the seventh month, (which answers to our September) when the people were most of them scattered abroad from him to gather in the fruits of the land, and while they were eating and drinking together at an entertainment, which Gedaliah had in a very friendly manner made for him, and his men, they rose upon him, and slew him, and at the same time, slew also a great number of the Jews, and Chaldeans, whom they found with him in Mizpah, and took the rest captive. And the next day, hearing of

eighty men, who were going on a religious account, with offerings and incense to the house of God, they craftily drew them into Mizpah, and there slew them all, excepting ten of them, who offered their stores for the redemption of their lives. And then taking with them all the captives, among whom were the daughters of king Zedekiah, they departed thence to go over to the Ammonites. But Johanan the son of Kereah, and the rest of the captains hearing of this wicked fact, immediately armed as many of the people as they could get together, and pursued after Ishmael; and, having overtaken him at Gibeon, retook all the captives; but he and eight of his men escaped to the Ammonites. This murder of Gedaliah happened two months after the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, in the said seventh month, and on the thirtieth day of the month. For that day the Jews have kept as a fast in commemoration of this calamity ever since; and Zechariah also makes mention of it as observed in his time, calling it by the name of the fast of the seventh month; and they had reason to keep a fast for it, for it was the completion of their ruin.

After this great misfortune, Johanan, the son of Kereah, and the people that were left, fearing the king of Babylon, because of the murder of Gedaliah, whom he had made governour of the land, departed from Mizpah, to flee into the land of Egypt, and came to Bethlehem in their way thither: where they stopping a while consulted the prophet Jeremiah (whom they had carried with them) about their intended journey, and desired him to inquire of God in their behalf; who, after ten days, having received an answer from God, called them together, and told them, that if they would tarry in the land, all should go well with them, and God would shew mercy unto them, and incline the heart of the king of Babylon to be favourable unto them; but if they would not hearken unto the word of the Lord, but would, notwithstanding his word now

i That is, at Jerusalem; for though the temple were destroyed, yet the people that were left, continued to offer sacrifices and worship there on the place where it stood, as long as they remained in the land. 1 Jeremiah lii.

k Zechariah viii, 19.

delivered to the contrary, set their faces to go into the land of Egypt, that then the sword and famine should follow close after them thither, and they should be all there destroyed. But all this was of no effect with them: for, their hearts being violently bent to go into Egypt, they would not hearken to the word of the Lord spoken to them by the mouth of his prophet, but told Jeremiah, that the answer which he gave them, was not from God, but was suggested to him by Baruch the son of Neriah for their hurt. And therefore Johanan the son of Kereah, and the rest of the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned, from all nations whither they had been driven, again to dwell in the land, and all the persons whom Nebuzaradan had left with Gedaliah, even men, women, and children, and the king's daughters, and also Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah, and went into Egypt, and settled in that country, till the plagues and judgments which God had threatened them with, for their disobedience to his word, there overtook them, to their utter destruction. And thus ended this unfortunate year, in which the temple and city of Jerusalem were destroyed, and the whole land of Judah brought in a manner to utter desolation for the sins thereof.