BABYLON AND PERSIA

j8oMEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSLA.Necho II.,* HOPHRA, (the Greeks call him AprIES),succeeded to the throne of Egypt and immediatelyshowed signs of meditating a Syrian campaign, thetemptation was too strong for the war party in Je¬rusalem : Zedekiah, perhaps rather unwillingly, butunable to withstand the pressure of popular feeling,openly rebelled. It was not long before Nebuchad¬rezzar was reported to be on the march. More thanever Jeremiah inveighed against this recklessness,upbraiding the king moreover for his breach of faith,and no messages or enquiries could draw from himany but the one obnoxious advice," submit." " Thussaith the Lord : I myself will fight against you withan outstretched hand and a strong arm. Behold,I set before you the way of life and the way of death.He that abideth in this city shall die, by the sword,and by the famine and by the pestilence. But hethat goeth out and falleth away to the Chaldeans,he -shall live."_13. Egypt, as usual, was not ready in time. Be¬fore her^army had crossed the frontier, Nebuchad¬rezzar already stood under the walls of Jerusalem.The Pharaoh, however, now made up for lost timeby rushing onward with such energy and swiftnessas to claim the Chaldeans' immediate attention, sothat they raised the siege of Jerusalem in order tohasten southwards with undivided forces. Greatwas the joy in the doomed city, but Jeremiah sternlychid all hope, saying to those who were sent from* Necho had died in 594 and been succeeded by his son Psam¬metik II, who did not come out of Egypt at all during his short