BABYLON AND PERSIA

176 MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA. 'reed " failed to give support,and retribution, swiftand terrible.9. Three years after his submission Jehoiakimappeared in arms and refused the tribute.Nebu¬chadrezzar, who had other matters onFirst taking . -ofjerusaiem his liauds just then, sent against TudahbyNebuchad- ' o jrezzar- bauds of Chaldcaus, Moabites, Ammon-597 B.C. , ' 'ites, and other loyal Syrian nations, andonly when he had driven out the Pharaoh so thor¬oughly that he " came not again any more out of hislands," and " when he had taken, from the river Eu¬phrates to the Brook of Egypt, all that pertained tothe king of Egypt," did he join the besiegers beforeJerusalem. Jehoiakim meantime had died. Froma passage in Jeremiah it would appear that therehad been a revulsion of popular feeling against him,which had vented itself in indignities perpetrated onhis body." They shall not lament for him," saysthe prophet ; . . . "he shall be buried with theburial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond thegates of Jerusalem."Nor had the prophet any butwords of wrath for Jehoiakim's son and successor,Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah) :saith the Lord, though Jeconiah were"As I live,the signetupon my right hand, yet would I laluck thee thence ;and I will give thee into the hand of them of whomthou art afraid. . . ." The poor youth (onlyeighteen years old) did not attempt further resist¬ance, but went out to Nebuchadrezzar's camp andgave himself up, with his mother, his princes, andhis servants.Jerusalem was not destroyed yet thistime, but its population was thinned of 10,000 cap-