ength of Judah's forces; and the Chaldeans found themselves
continually attacked from unexpected quarters. Thus the conflict waxed
hotter and hotter as the Chaldeans desperately fought their way through
the exasperated men of Judah.

Finally, the King of Judah was carried into the presence of
Nebuchadnezzar and had he, even then, humbled himself, he might have
escaped an awful doom. The behavior of Jehoiakim in the presence of the
Chaldean monarch was that of a madman. To every inquiry he replied in the
most insulting and abusive epithets; and to seal his own fate he madly
rushed on the King of Babylon with his sword, and had it not been that
this potentate was on his guard, it would have gone hard with him. This
was beyond endurance. Nebuchadnezzar, stung to the quick, grasped his
sword, commanded his officers to stand aloof, and faced his enraged foe.
They made a few passes, and the sword of the Chaldean was plunged into
the heart of the King of Judah."

"Take the ungrateful dog," said the excited Babylonian, "and drag his
worthless carcass, and throw it outside the city walls."

The command was immediately put in execution.

Thus perished the wicked king, according to the word of the Lord, by the
mouth of his servant Jeremiah.

CHAPTER VI.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR called together a number of the leading men of Judah and
explained his intentions with regard to the government. He also described
the killing of Jehoiakim. It was not the policy of the conqueror to
establish any rigorous system of public control. He required that Judah
should remain as a tributary power, but he desired the country to make
progress in its own way, and he took occasion to proclaim that Jeconiah
should reign in the place of his father, Jehoiakim, who had just met his
fate at the hands of the invader. Those who listened to Nebuchadnezzar
were well pleased with his words and also with the elevation of Jeconiah
to the throne.

The Babylonian ruler, having now fully accomplished his ends, gave orders
for the early departure of the victorious army for the plains of Chaldea.
He decided to take with him, as prisoners of war, a number of youths of
Judah. He had the twofold object of showing to his people some tangible
evidence of his victory and of gaining for his court the advantage of
having as aids and attendants some of the more cultured young men of
Judea. With the aid of Jeconiah a list of suitable youths was soon
prepared by the victorious