Page 119 - New English Book L

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a question of time. In these critical days, during which
the fate of the remnant of the people of God was to be
decided, the Prophet Jeremiah was stoutly advising the
King and the leaders of the Jews to submit and serve the
King of Babylon, so that Jerusalem might be saved from
being burnt down to ashes and the people from being
deported into captivity. He poured out all his eloquent and
fiery discourses into the ears of the kings, the priests, and
the elders of the people, but all of no avail. He delivered
message after message from God, saying that the only
remedy for saving the country and the people from the
imminent destruction was to submit to the Chaldeans; but
there was no one to lend ear to his warnings.

Nebuchadnezzar comes and takes the city, carries
away with him the king, the princes, and many captives,
as well as all the treasures of the temple, including the
gold and silver vessels. Another prince, and a third one,
is appointed by the Emperor of Babylon to reign as his
vassal in Jerusalem. This king, instead of being wise
and loyal to his master of Babylon, revolts against him.
Jeremiah incessantly admonishes the king to remain loyal
and to abandon the Egyptian policy. But the false prophets
continue to harangue in the temple, saying: “Thus says the
Lord of hosts, Behold, I have broken the yoke of the King
of Babylon, and in two years’ time all the Jewish captives
and the vessels of the House of God will be returned to
Jerusalem.” Jeremiah makes a wooden yoke round his
own neck and goes to the temple and tells the people that
God has been pleased to place in this way the yoke of
the monarch of Babylon upon the neck of all the Jews.
He is struck on the face by one opponent prophet, who
breaks to pieces the wooden yoke from Jeremiah’s neck
and repeats the harangue of the false prophets. Jeremiah
is thrown into a deep dungeon full of mire, and is fed only
on a dry loaf of barley a day until a famine prevails in