14 And I will bring again the captivity of Egypt, and will cause them to return into the land of Pathros, into the land of their habitation; and they shall be there a + base kingdom.

*

15 It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.

16 And it shall be no more the confidence of the house of Israel, which bringeth their iniquity to remembrance, when they shall look after them: but they shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

SECTION IX.

Prophecy against Egypt.

EZEKIEL XXX. VER. 20, TO THE END 29.

20 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first ¶ month, in the seventh day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.

22 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and will break his arms, the strong, and that which was broken; and I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand.

23 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.

24 And I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and put my sword in his hand: but I will break Pharaoh's arms, and he shall groan before him with the groanings of a deadly wounded man.

25 But I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, and the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall stretch it out upon the land of Egypt.

29 These portions of Scripture are inserted here on the authorities of the dates given by the prophet himself, Ezek. xxx. 20; and xxxi. 1. At the time when the first of these predictions was delivered, Nebuchadnezzar, having obliged the king of Egypt to retreat, had returned to the siege of Jerusalem: and when the prophecy contained in chapter xxxi. was uttered, the Jews had accelerated their ruin by depending upon Egypt. There is a peculiar propriety, therefore, in the delivery of these predictions at this period, as the attention both of the Jews and of the Chaldeans, among whom Ezekiel prophesied, must have been forcibly directed to Egypt.

A.C. 589.

or birth.

Heb, low.

588.

A. C. 588.

* Heb. fair of branches.

+ Or, nourished.

him up.

26 And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries; and they shall know that I am the LORD.

EZEKIEL XXXI.

1 A relation unto Pharaoh, 3 of the glory of Assyria, 10 and the fall thereof for pride. 18 The like destruction of Egypt.

1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, in the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,

2 Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness? 3 Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon * with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.

4 The waters + made him great, the deep set him up on Or, brought high with her rivers running round about his plants, and Or, conduits. sent out her § little rivers unto all the trees of the field. 5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches || Or, when it became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.

sent them

forth.

i Dan, iv. 12.

k Gen. ii. 8.

6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.

7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches for his root was by great waters.

k

8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him : the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chesnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.

9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.

10 Therefore thus saith the Lord GoD; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;

Il I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the Heb. in do- mighty one of the heathen; *he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.

ing he shall do unto him.

12 And strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him : upon the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken.

by all the rivers of the land; and all the people of the earth A. C. 588. are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.

13 Upon his ruin shall all the fowls of the heaven remain, and all the beasts of the field shall be upon his branches :

14 To the end that none of all the trees by the waters exalt themselves for their height, neither shoot up their top among the thick boughs, neither their trees stand up in Or, stand their height, all that drink water: for they are all delivered selves for their unto death, to the nether parts of the earth, in the midst of height. the children of men, with them that go down to the pit.

upon them.

15 Thus saith the Lord GOD; In the day when he went down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused Lebanon + to mourn fort Heb. to be him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him.

:

16 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth.

17 They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen.

18¶To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.

CHAPTER III.

History of that Portion of the Jewish Nation, who were not carried captive to Babylon, after the Destruction of the Temple 30

SECTION I.

Abridged Account of the Events related in this Chapter.

2 KINGS XXV. VER. 23-27.

a

black.

23 AND when all the captains of the armies, they and a Jer. xl. 7.

The sacred narrative, after the capture of Daniel, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, proceeds to relate in parts of the second books of Kings and Chronicles, of Ezekiel, and of Jeremiah, the series of events which were taking place, at the same time, in three several parts of the world, Judea, Babylon, and Egypt. The attempt to place all these contemporary events in the most intelligible order, has been attended with much difficulty. In Chapter I. of this Seventh Period,

A.C. 588. their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

b Jer. xli. 1, 2.

24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed *Heb. of the royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

kingdom.

26 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.

SECTION II.

Gedaliah appointed Governor of Judea by Nebuchadnezzar, after the Destruction of the Temple.-Jeremiah and the Remainder of the People attach themselves to Gedaliah.

2 KINGS XXV. VER. 22.

c Jer. xl. 5, 9. 22 ¶And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.

JEREMIAH XL. VER. 1-13.

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him being bound in +Or, mani + chains among all that were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon.

cles.

2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said unto him, The LORD thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place.

3 Now the LORD hath brought it, and done according as the history of events at Jerusalem is brought down to the burning of the Temple: in the Second Chapter of this Period, the circumstances which occurred in Chaldea, recorded or alluded to by Ezekiel, are likewise brought down to the burning of the Temple. The present Chapter contains the history of the Jews, who, after the destruction of Jerusalem, remained for some short time with Gedaliah in Judea; and then fled to Egypt, taking with them their great prophet Jeremiah.

he hath said because ye have sinned against the LORD, A.C. 588. and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come

upon you.

thine hand.

4 And now, behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which * were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee *Or, are upon to come with me into Babylon, come; and +I will look well + Heb. I will unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before thee: whither it seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go.

5 Now while he was not yet gone back, he said, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.

6 Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.

7¶ Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;

8 Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

set mine eye

upon thee.

stand before.

10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve Heb. to the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.

11 Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan;

12 Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.