THE FALL OF JUDAH. 311

so,—he rebelled. Through the anger of the Lord this
came to pass, that a wicked king and wicked people
might suffer more than they had ever yet done.
Nebuchadnezzar was not a monarch who could suffer
his subjects to rebel with impunity. With all his army
he came up and laid siege to the capital of Judea.
Earnestly the prophet Jeremiah besought Zedekiah to
submit. He foretold that continued rebellion would only
produce aggravated sufferings, and could be no gain in
the end. The prophet only brought trouble on himself
by his advice: it had no effect on the rulers of the city.

Johnnie. What did they do to him ?

Grandfather. They put him in a deep pit with mire
at the bottom, and he sank up to his neck in the mire.

Johnnie. Surely he did not give them any more
advice after that ?

Grandfather. His persecution did not prevent him
from delivering his message. He had the words of his
Heavenly Master to say, and he spoke them boldly. His
example teaches us to do our duty regardless of conse-
quences.

George. What became of Zedekiah in the end ?

Grandfather. The siege of Jerusalem lasted for nearly
two years. After almost incredible sufferings from
famine, the city was taken by storm. The king and
the chief people escaped by flight. As soon as the
Babylonish army knew that the king had fled, some of
them set off in pursuit of him. He was soon taken
and led before Nebuchadnezzar, who was then at