JEREMIAH IMPRISONED.

about Jerusalem and the Baby-
lonians. Zedekiah asked, “Is there
any word from the Lord?” Jere-
miah had a word from God, and a
word which Zedekiah could not
like; but the prophet knew that it
was his duty to speak the truth,
whether Zedekiah liked it or not,
so he answered, “ Yes; there is a
word from the Lord, and it is this;
thou shalt be delivered into the
hand of the king of Babylon.” When
Jeremiah had told his message, he
asked Zedekiah to take him out of
the prison, that he might not die.
Zedekiah attended to Jeremiah, and
told him he should not go back to
the prison where he was before.
But Zedekiah commanded his ser-
vants to put the prophet in the
court of the prison, by the king’s
house; and every day a piece of
bread was sent to him there from
the bakers’ street.

The people were still angry with
Jeremiah, because of the message
he gave them from God. What
was the message? “Thus saith
the Lord, this city shall surely be
given into the hand of the king of
Babylon. Those that stay in the
city shall die by the sword, and by
famine; but those that go out to the
king of Babylon’s army shall live.”
This was God’s word, and all would
surely come true; but it displeased
the unbelieving princes, and they
again accused Jeremiah to the king.
They told Zedekiah that Jeremiah
‘did no good; and that he frightened
the people so much, that they would
not be able to fight when the Baby-
lonians came; and then the princes
asked Zedekiah to put the prophet
to death. Zedekiah was a weak
man, and did not like to refuse the

 

305

princes, so he said, “ Yes; you may
do as you please with Jeremiah.”
Then the princes went to the —
place where Jeremiah was, and took
him away, and cast him into a
dungeon. This dungeon was a
dreadful place. It was a dark pit,
full of mud and dirt, and without
light or air: Jeremiah was let down
into it by ropes, and then the cruel
princes left him, and went away.
Jeremiah stayed a long time in the
dungeon; he sank down into the
mire, and was almost choked, and

almost starved too, for his enemies

brought him no bread to eat. But
in all his trouble, it was a comfort
to Jeremiah to think why he was
thrown into that dreadful place. It
was because he had spoken the truth
which God commanded him to speak.
He was suffering for God, and he
knew that God would not forsake
him. God could hear Jeremiah’s
prayers in the dungeon, as He had
heard the prayers of the three good
men in the furnace; and send de-
liverance to him, as He had done to
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
And at last, Jeremiah was delivered
from the miry dungeon. Ehbed-
melech, one of the king’s servants,
told Zedekiah where Jeremiah was,
and how much he was suffering;
and the king pitied him when he
heard the sad story, and commanded
the servant to go with thirty men,
and take Jeremiah out of the prison.
So these men went into a room in
the king’s house, where old garments
and rags were kept, and took away
some of the rags, and let them down

iby cords into the dungeon where

Jeremiah was. Why? Because
these kind men were going to
draw him out of the pit, and they