Reading the Bible in Historical Sequence Part 8Pavyzdys

King Zedekiah seeks a word from God through Jeremiah and hears that the siege will end in death or capture unless he obeys God and rules justly, for God is able to restore Judah. Being a sabbatical year the king (probably hoping to score marks from God) instructs the people to release their slaves (in accordance with God’s Law in Exodus 21:2) but when an Egyptian army approaches and the siege lifts the people reclaim the slaves. God says the Egyptians will go back and He will then recall the enemy.

Jeremiah (37:12), attempting to see his land in Anathoth (which was already in the hands of the Babylonians) is put in prison. (Jeremiah was demonstrating faith in God’s promise of the Jews’ future return.)

God tells Ezekiel, over in Babylon, to prophesy against Egypt (which was destroyed by Babylon in 568/567 BC). Zedekiah frees Jeremiah and is told that God will send him, the king, to Babylon.