ites as had escaped captivity and slavery under the Assyrians, and persuaded them to desist from their impious practices, and to leave off the honours they paid to strange gods, but to worship rightly their own Almighty God, and adhere to him. He also searched the houses and the villages, and the cities, out of a suspicion that somebody might have one idol or other in private; nay indeed, he took away the chariots [of the sun] that were set up in his royal palace; which his predecessors had framed, and what thing soever there was besides which they worshipped as a god. And when he had thus purged all the country, he called the people to Jerusalem, and there celebrated the feast of unleavened bread, and that called the Passover. He also gave the people for paschal sacrifices, young kids of the goats and lambs thirty thousand, and three thousand oxen for burnt-offerings. The principal of the priests also gave to the priests against the passover, two thousand and six hundred lambs; the principal of the Levites also gave to the Levites five thousand lambs, and five hundred oxen, by which means there was great plenty of sacrifices; and they offered those sacrifices according to the laws of Moses, while every priest explained the matter, and ministered to the multitude. And indeed there had been no other festival thus celebrated by the Hebrews from the times of Samuel the prophet; and the plenty of sacrifices now was the occasion that all things were performed according to the laws, and according to the custom of their forefathers. So when Josiah had after this lived in peace, nay, in riches and reputation also among all men, he ended his life in the manner following:

CHAP. V.

How Josiah fought with Neco [king of Egypt, and was wounded, and died in a little time afterward: As also how Neco carried Jehoahaz, who had been made king into Egypt, and delivered the kingdom to Jehoiakim: And [lastly] concerning Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

§ 1. Now Neco, king of Egypt, raised an army and march

ed to the river Euphrates, in order to fight with the Medes,

It is hard to reconcile the account in the second book of Kings, ch. xxiii. 11. with this account in Josephus, and to translate this passage truly in Jose phus, whose copies are supposed to be here imperfect: However, the general sense of both seems to be this, that there were certain chariots, with their horses, dedicated to the idol of the sun, or to Molech: which idol might be carried about in procession, and worshipped by the people; which chariots were now taken away, as Josephus says, or, as the book of Kings says, burnt with fire by Josiah.

and Babylonians, who had * overthrown the dominion of the Assyrians, for he had a desire to reign over Asia. Now when he was come to the city Mendes, which belonged to the kingdom of Josiah, he brought an army to hinder him from passing through his own country, in his expedition against the Medes. Now Neco sent an herald to Josiah, and told him, That" he did not make this expedition against him, "but was making haste to Euphrates; and desired that he "would not provoke him to fight against him, because he "obstructed his march to the place whither he had resolved to go." But Josiah did not admit of this advice of Neco's, but put himself into a posture to hinder him from his intended march. I suppose it was fate that pushed him on to this conduct, that it might take an occasion against him; for as he was setting his army in array, and rode about in his chariot, from one wing of his army to another, one of the Eyptians shot an arrow at him, and put an end to his eagerness of fighting; for being sorely wounded, he commanded a retreat to be sounded for his army, and returned to Jerusalem, and died of that wound; and was magnificently buried in the sepulchre of his fathers, when he had lived thirty-nine years, and of them had reigned thirty-one. But all the people mourned greatly for him, and lamenting and grieving on his account many days: and Jeremiah the prophet, composed an elegy to lament him, which is extant till this time also. Moreover, this prophet denounced beforehand the sad calamities that were coming upon the city. He also left behind him in writing a description of that destruction of our nation which has lately happened in our days, and the taking of Babylon; nor was he the only prophet who delivered such predictions beforehand to the multitude, but so did Ezekiel also, who was the first person that wrote, and left behind him in writing two books concerning these events. Now these two prophets were priests by birth, but of them Jeremiah

*This is a remarkable passage of chronology in Josephus, that about the latter end of the reign of Josiah, the Medes and Babylonians overthrew the empire of the Assyrians; or, in the words of Tobit's continuator, that "before To"bias died, he heard of the destruction of Nineveh, which was taken by Nebuchodonosor the Babylonian, and Assuerus the Mede, Tob. xiv. 15." See "Dean Prideaux Connexion at the year 612.

+ This battle is justly esteemed the very same that Herodotus B. II. sect. 156. mentions, when he says, that " Necao joined battle with the Syrians [or Jews] at Magdolum [Megiddo,] and beat them," as Dr. Hudson here observes.

Whether Josephus, from 2 Chron. xxxv. 25. here means the book of the Lamentations of Jeremiah still extant, which chiefly belongs to the destruction of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar, or to any other like melancholy poem now lost, but extant in the days of Josephus, belonging peculiarly to Josiah, cannot now be determined.

dwelt in Jerusalem, from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, until the city and temple were utterly destroyed. However, as to what befel this prophet, we will relate it in its proper place.

2. Upon the death of Josiah, which we have already mentioned, his son, Jehoahaz by name, took the kingdom; being about twenty-three years old. He reigned in Jerusalem; and his mother was Hamutal, of the city Libnah. He was an impious man, and impure in his course of life; but as the king of Egypt returned from the battle, he sent for Jehoahaz to come to him, to the city called *Hamath, which belongs to Syria; and when he was come, he put him in bands, and . delivered the kingdom to a brother of his, by the father's side, whose name was Eliakim, and changed his name to Jehoiakim, and laid a tribute upon the land of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold, and this sum of money Jehoiakim paid by way of tribute; but Neco carried away Jehoahaz into Egypt, where he died when he had reigned three months and ten days. Now Jehoiakim's mother was called Zebudah, of the city Rumah. He was of a wicked disposition, and ready to do mischief: nor was he either religious towards God, or good-natured towards men.

CHAP. VI.

How Nebuchadnezzar, when he had conquered the king of Egypt, made an expedition against the Jews, and slew Jehoiakim, and made Jehoiachin his son king.

§ 1. Now in the fourth year of the reign of Jehoiakim, one whose name was Nebuchadnezzar, took the government over the Babylonians, who at the same time went up with a great army to the city Carchemish, which was at Euphrates, upon a resolution he had taken to fight with Neco king of Egypt, under whom all Syria then was. And when Neco understood the intention of the king of Babylon, and that this expedition was made against him, he did not despise his attempt, but made haste with a great band of men to Euphrates to defend himself from Nebuchadnezzar; and when they had joined battle, he was beaten, and lost many ten thousands [of his soldiers] in the battle. So the king of Babylon passed over Euphrates, and took all Syria, as far as

*This ancient city Hamath, which is joined with Arpad, or Aradus, and with Damascus, 2 Kings xviii. 34. Isa. xxxvi. 19. Jer. xlix. 23. cities of Syria and Phenicia, near the borders of Judea, was also itself evidently near the same borders, though long ago utterly destroyed.

Pelusium, excepting Judea. But when Nebuchadnezzar had already reigned four years, which was the eighth of Jehoiakim's government over the Hebrews, the king of Babylon made an expedition with mighty forces against the Jews, and required tribute of Jehoiakim, and threatened upon his refusal to make war against him. He was affrighted at his threatening, and bought his peace with money, and brought the tribute he was ordered to bring for three years..

2. But on the third year, upon hearing that the king of the Babylonians made an expedition against the Egyptians, he did not pay his tribute, yet was he disappointed of his hope, for the Egyptians durst not fight at this time. And indeed the prophet Jeremiah foretold every day, how vainly they relied on their hopes from Egypt, and how the city would be overthrown by the king of Babylon, and Jehoiakim the king would be subdued by him. But what he thus spake proved to be of no advantage to them, because there were none that should escape; for both the multitude, and the rulers when they heard him, had no concern about what they heard, but being displeased at what was said as if the prophet were a diviner against the king, they accused Jeremiah, and bringing him before the court, they required that a sentence and a punishment might be given against him. Now all the rest gave their votes for his condemnation, but the elders refused, who prudently sent away the prophet from the court of [the prison,] and persuaded the rest to do Jeremiah no harm: for they said, that he was not the only person who "foretold what would come to the city, but that Micah "signified the same before him, as well as many others, "none of which suffered any thing of the kings that then "reigned, but were honoured as the prophets of God." So they mollified the multitude with these words, and delivered Jeremiah from the punishment to which he was condemned. Now when this prophet had written all his prophecies, and the people were fasting, and assembled at the temple, on the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim, he read the book he had composed of his predictions, of what was to befal the city, and the temple, and the multitude. And when the rulers heard of it, they took the book from him, and bid him and Baruch the scribe to go their ways, lest they should be discovered by one or other; but they carried the book, and gave it to the king; so he gave order, in the presence of his friends, that his scribe should take it, and read it. When the king heard what it contained, he was angry, and tore it, and cast it into the fire, where it was consumed. He also commanded that they should seek for Jere

miah, and Baruch the scribe, and bring them to him, that they might be punished. However they escaped his anger. 3. Now a little time afterward, the king of Babylon made an expedition against Jehoiakim, whom he received [into the city,] and this out of fear of the foregoing predictions of this prophet, as supposing that he should suffer nothing that was terrible, because he neither shut the gates, nor fought against him; yet when he was come into the city, he did not observe the covenants he had made, but he slew such as were in the flower of their age, and such as were of the greatest dignity, together with their king Jehoiakim, whom he commanded to be thrown before the walls, without any burial; and made his son Jehoiachin king of the country, and of the city: he also took the principal persons in dignity for captives, three thousand in number, and led them away to Babylon; among which was the prophet Ezekiel, who was then but young. And this was the end of king Jehoiakim, when he had lived thirty-six years, and of them reigned eleven; but Jehoiachin succeeded him in the kingdom, whose mother's name was Nehushta: she was a citizen of Jerusalem. He reigned three months and ten days.

CHAP. VII.

That the king of Babylon repented of making Jehoiachin king, and took him away to Babylon, and delivered the kingdom to Zedekiah. This king would not believe what was predicted by Jeremiah and Ezekiel, but joined himself to the Egyptians; who, when they came into Judea, were vanquished by the king of Babylon: As also what befel Jeremiah. § 1. BUT a terror seized on the king of Babylon, who had given the kingdom to Jehoiachin, and that immediately: he was afraid that he should bear him a grudge, because of his killing his father, and thereupon should make the country revolt from him; wherefore he sent an army, and besieged Jehoiachin in Jerusalem: but because he was of a gentle and just disposition, he did not desire to see the city endangered on his account, but he took his mother, and kindred, and delivered them to the commanders sent by the king of Babylon, and accepted of their oaths, that neither should they suffer any harm, nor the city; which agreement they did not observe for a single year, for the king of Babylon did not keep it, but gave orders to his generals to take all that were in the city captives, both the youth, and the handicraftsmen, and bring them bound to him: their number was