h the faithless nation of Egypt. This so enraged some of the
princes that the prophet was put into prison, and then into the
foulest dungeon of the prison. How he suffered for truth-telling, and
how he escaped, is told in the following story):--

And Zedekiah the son of Josiah reigned as king, instead of Coniah the
son of Jehoiakim, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the
land of Judah. But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the
land, hearkened unto the words of the Lord, which he spake by the
prophet Jeremiah.

And Zedekiah the king sent his officer to the prophet Jeremiah,
saying, "Pray now unto the Lord our God for us."

Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not
yet put him into prison. And Pharaoh's army was come forth out of
Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem heard tidings of
them, they went away from Jerusalem.

Then came the word of the Lord unto the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: 'Thus shall ye say to the
king of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me; Behold,
Pharaoh's army, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt
into their own land. And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight
{310} against this city; and they shall take it, and burn it with
fire.' Thus saith the Lord: 'Deceive not yourselves, saying, The
Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart. For
though ye had smitten the whole army of the Chaldeans that fight
against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should
they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.'"

And it came to pass that when the army of the Chaldeans went away from
Jerusalem for fear of Pharaoh's army, then Jeremiah went forth out of
Jerusalem to go into the land of Benjamin, to look after his property.
And when he was in the gate of the city, a captain of the guard was
there; and he laid hold of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "Thou art
deserting to the Chaldeans."

Then said Jeremiah, "It is false; I am not deserting to the
Chaldeans;" but he hearkened not to him: so the officer laid hold of
Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.

And the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him
in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe; for they had made that
the prison.

When Jeremiah was come into the dungeon house, and into the cells, and
Jeremiah had remained there many days