d
the words that Jeremiah spoke unto all the people, saying, Thus saith
the Lord, He that remaineth in this city, shall die by the sword, by
famine, and by the pestilence; but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans
shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live";
[which are the words of the conference;] therefore, (say they to
Zedekiah,) "We beseech thee, let this man be put to death, for thus he
weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the
hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them; for this man
seeketh not the welfare of the people, but the hurt:" and at the 6th
verse it is said, "Then they took Jeremiah, and put him into the dungeon
of Malchiah."

These two accounts are different and contradictory. The one ascribes his
imprisonment to his attempt to escape out of the city; the other to his
preaching and prophesying in the city; the one to his being seized by
the guard at the gate; the other to his being accused before Zedekiah
by the conferees. [I observed two chapters in I Samuel (xvi. and xvii.)
that contradict each other with respect to David, and the manner he
became acquainted with Saul; as Jeremiah xxxvii. and xxxviii. contradict
each other with respect to the cause of Jeremiah's imprisonment.

In 1 Samuel, xvi., it is said, that an evil spirit of God troubled Saul,
and that his servants advised him (as a remedy) "to seek out a man who
was a cunning player upon the harp." And Saul said, ver. 17, "Provide me
now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. Then answered one
of his servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse, the
Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty man, and a man of
war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with
him; wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David,
thy son. And (verse 21) David came to Saul, and stood before him, and
he loved him greatly, and he became his armour-bearer; and when the
evil spirit from God was upon Saul, (verse 23) David took his harp, and
played with his hand, and Saul was refreshed, and was well."

But the next chapter (xvii.) gives an account, all different to this, of
the manner that Saul and David became acquainted. Here it is ascribed
to David's encounter with Goliah, when David was sent by his father to
carry provision to his brethren in the camp. In the 55th verse of
this chapter it is said, "And when Saul saw David go fort