"Evangelicalism can find value in a clarification of its thinking about the arrangement of Jeremiah's prophecies. Improved understanding is desired, both for the guidance of our own constiuency, who find the unelaborated order of the Book perplexing, and for the answering of our contemporary critics, who reiterate the hopelessness of discovering consistency within Jeremiah's pages." ~ The Arrangement of Jeremiah's Prophecies, by J. Barton Payne

Certainly we can echo Payne's statement of needing to unravel the Jeremiah complex. And one of our concerns is how the Jeremiah story, his prophecies and history play out in relation to the relative parallel times of the early Book of Mormon chapters from the installation of King Zedekiah, to when Nephi refers to the imprisonment of Jeremiah, and even down to just when Jerusalem was destoryed. And though, in terms of J. Barton Payne entire unravelment of the chapters of the book of Jeremiah, we will only deal with that which deal specifically with that range of Book of Mormon history, for any Biblical scholar Payne's entire unraveling of Jeremiah is recommented by Bible understanding. It does open up the book of Jeremiah to greater understanding to have Jeremiah's writings placed properly upon a chronological time table.

The following table tabulation of the days of Jeremiah has been taken from J. Barton Payne's work with the slight enhancement of comparative Book of Mormon dating related to Payne's Biblical dating in the first column. Also a few asterick footnote references have been added to the table at those points where any additional information or interpretaion may apply per this work which was not a part of Payne's work and effort in the tabulation's creation. As to Payne's actual detailed paragraphed statements in his full text, for our purposes here in relation to the Book of Mormon, only the simple table tabulation of the timing of the chapters of Jeremiah as they relate to the reign of Zedekiah are herein referenced.

IV. ZEDEKIAH (597-586)

Now, as an association is being made between the Bible and the Book of Mormon events, both the assigned dates to the events are used as given by 'bm' for Book of Mormon and 'b' for Bible chronology date. Also it ought to be noted that the Jewish calendar was a Lunar Calendar wit a fiscal year ran from its first month being some time in March-April with the first month of the calendar being Abib or Nisan. Now there are varying dates assigned by scholars to Zedekaih's reign, for example William F. Albright dates the reign of Zedekiah to 606-586 BC, some 20 years, while such as E. R. Thiele assigns the more 'traditionally' acceptable range of 597-586 BC. Rather than to set at odds the Book of Mormon dating system, which has Lehi departing Jerusalem in the first year of Zedekiah's reign some 600 years before the birth of Jesus Christ with any such Biblical chronology dating, we are mostly concerned witht he relationship of event occurances rather than such specific dates, which can be debatable depending on your scholarly source.

Note: The displayed picture above is an Artist's conception with Zedekiah standing before King Nebuchadnezzar with Jeconiah bound captive and kneeling at Zedekiah's side. Whether such a scene played out is of question, for Zedekiah's innaguaration as king was something more substantial than the simple 'informal' scene portrayed. From Petrus Comestor's 'Bible Historiale', Zedekiah is chained and brought before Nebuchadnezzar, which likely did not occur that way either.

In the first of the first year of Zedekiah, according to Book of Mormon time 601 BC and Bible time 597 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar had returned to depose Jeconiah as king and to install Zedekiah in his place. Why King Nebuchadnezzar decided to remove Jeconiah from the throne may have had to do with what occurred relative to the death of Jehoiakim and the setting down any possible reprizal upon the Jewish people's part in behalf of a son, Jeconiah, avenging his father's death. At any rate, Jeconiah was deposed and removed to Babylon in March of 597 BC. This would leave open the opportunistic timing of installing king Zedekiah as a part of the function of the Jewish passover and the then recommiting the Jews to the worship of their God, Jehovah, whom Nebuchannezzar accepted and used to keep the Jews in line. And in connection with having the Jews re-covenant themselves to Jehovah, Nebuchadnezzar has king Zedekiah commit Jerusalem to Babylon and to Nebuchadnezzar. Further, during the course of these covenant events, Nebuchadnezzar had Zedekiah sware allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon in the name of God Jehovah (2 Chronicals 36:13). And it is this covenant which under the influence of the preasure of the ruling princes did Zedekiah would rebell against and make an alliance with Egypt as discribed in Ezekiel 17:11-21. Ezekiel even alludes to that reason of why Jerusalem would be destroyed as told by Jeremiah 34, which is a confirmation that both the covant to God to keep the covenant Law of Moses which included the release of Hebrew servants (Ezekiel 17:19 and Jeremiah 34). Then Ezekiel continues with what to Book of Mormon students can only be a reference to Mulek the son of Zedekiah being taken and planted in America at very time of the destruction of Jerusalem and end of Zedekiah's reign (see Ezekiel 17:22-24 and cross-reference such as Omni 1:15(14-17); Mosiah 25;2; Helaman 8:21; and Jacob 5:24(22-24)).

Now it was along with this dramatic parallel installation of Zedekiah, as compared to Zedekiah's father's commiting of the Jews to live the Law of Moses, which further enhanced the dynamics of the event. And as the Jews were so recommited, as a part of that covenant, likely by the prompting of the purpose and intend of Nebuchadnezzar perhaps so influenced by such as Daniel, that Zedekiah required of the people as a part of their covenant to release all held Hebrew servants. This is the event, referred to by Jeremiah, in the name of God, which is had in a 'reflective flash back' in chapter 34 of Jeremiah. For shortly after all the Jews, including the princes, did so release their Hebrew servants, the Babylonian influence withdrew, and the 'princely rulers governing the Law of Moses (the Sanhedrin* of Jeremiah's day) did meet and determine that since the Jews had just re-covenanted, that the actual release of the Hebrew servants needed not to be immediate as commanded by Zedekiah, but that it need not occur for the covenant time of seven years later. Thus the Jews, according to the 'over-ruling' rule of the princes of the Law of Moses, all did recover their Hebrew servants again to themselves.

One can only image the conflicts of concern which did pass through the mind of Lehi. Lehi had been a part of the time of king Josiah's placing of all Jerusalem, the Jews, again under their covenant and commitment to Jehovah in Josiah's day. And Josiah was Israel's, the Jew's, most righteous and dedicated king. Lehi, being righteous in his own nature after the order of Josiah, would have been joyful that the Jews had returned to be committed unto Jehovah and the Law of Moses. And Lehi, being weathy, at that time may have held such Hebrew servants he may have 'bought' in attempting to liberate them from the bondage of slavery. Lehi would have so release any such servants with joy in his heart. And then when the 'Sarim' (the princes of the Law of Moses) did reverse the king's decree of freedom, one must consider what a conflict did enter in upon Lehi's conscience and mind. This would have been when and just what it was about that Lehi sought the council of God in the wilderness and received his pillar of fire visitation in answer to his prayer.

Some in their construction of 'who' did accompany Lehi into the wilderness have speculated that Lehi had such servants with his party. This to me would have been counter to Lehi's nature and commitment to the Lord. There is one outside possibility, and that is that Ishmael may have been one such of Lehi's previously restored to freedom servants. And it may have been who Lehi entrusted and left his property and wealth in the hands of when Lehi did depart from Jerusalem. What a side line story that would make for Ishmeal the Hebrew servant to have been initially left in charge of Lehi's property and wealth, only then to have the sons of Lehi return and take it back for the purpose of purchasing the plates of brass. And even later to return again and request of Ishmael to himself leave the land and property to come to live with Lehi in the wilderness and have his daughters marry the sons of Lehi as already had two of the daughters of Lehi married the two sons of Ishmael. What additional drama and dynamics this would add to the story upon the part of Ishmael and his whole family.

At any rate, after 'all of the Jews' reclaimed their Hebrew servants and after Lehi's visions and initial instructions from the Lord, Lehi became a prophet voice of the Lord to the people that they must repent or Jerusalem would be destoryed. If in his message of repentance Lehi spoke to the need to repent and 're-release' the Hebrew servants in opposition to the 'interpretive voice of authority' of the Sarim Sanhedrin of the Jewish ruling princes, one could readily understand the 'Jews' (the rulers of the Jews) desiring to have Lehi killed. And who was the enforcing 'high captain' of the ruling Jewish princes at that time? Who else but Laban. Right, within the needs of the ruling princes, their 'high captain' need but a count of fifty men to enforce their rulings in respect to the Law of Moses. But indeed as Nephi later pointed out whether it was Laban and his fifty of the city or his tens of thousand out upon the battlefield, who was Labam to be feared in relation and in respect to God?

One other parallel which is to be considered here is this is just as the events where in the time of Christ. There, avoiding the daylight presures of the people of the Jews, who had been in support of Jesus, they came by night, the Sanhedrin captain and his party to take Jesus into custody. Exactly how and for what they would have desposed of Lehi one might suggest. Lehi had not properly been accepting of the ruling body of the Law of Moses in their proper position of interpreting and enforcing that Law of Moses. Just as the Roman's had found that to be the 'effective' way of managing the Jews, so had Nebuchadnezzar also found it the effective way of manating the Jews in his day. So these Jewish princely rulers would even over rule the king in such matters as the Law of Moses. And so they did and so did even Zedekiah live in fear and under the peer preasure of their 'religeous ruling' presures. For they could even hold a king in peril before the administration of the Law of Moses. It was not the common Jew of the streets that Lehi need fear. It was the Sarim, the princes of the Jews and their governing rule of judgment and enforcement under the umbrella of the ruling Sanhedrin of the Law of Moses.

The Lord knew that the Jewish leadership would attempt to take Lehi's life and the Lord did warn Lehi to depart from Jerusalem and to find safety in the wilderness. By the time all this had occured, it was likely toward the end of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah but with in that first year and as a matter of timing now 600 BC, 600 years before the coming of Jesus Christ when Lehi finally departed Jerusalem. Lehi would have take one of a number of various possible trails or 'highways' from Jerusalem to near the port city of Elath before he would vere from the todden path and into the wilderness bordering along by the Red Sea for '3 days' in that wilderness before he did arrive at their first home to stay in the valley of Lemuel. From the time that Lehi first entered upon the valley of Lemuel until Lehi would send his maturing sons back to Jerusalem to obtain the family of Ishmael would be some 7 to 8 years.

During that span, Jeremiah did also confront the Jew upon the matter of staying in submission to Babylon, wearing a symbolic yoke about his own neck. But Jeremiah was a much higher known and esteemed prophet in the eyes of the people than was Lehi, having been the prophet of record ever since the days of Josiah. And though Jeremiah was a pain and threat to the ruling Sarim and priests of the temple, Zedekiah the king knew that Jeremiah was a true prophet of God and so the the every day Jewish common man. And though Jeremiah was challenged and placed in 'stocks' at one time, he during that first 7-8 years of the reign of Zedekiah, had never been put in prison but walked freely among the people. And thus when Nephi, in his

* note: some protest that there was no 'sanhedrin' or such organization of the ruling 70 elders/princes of Israel in the day and age of Jeremiah, but then they need to explain Ezekiel's vision concerning the wickedness in Jerusalem the then 'secret society of wickedness' as found in Ezekiel 8:1-18, particularly identified in verse 11.

In the first of Jeremiah 27 an obvious scribe error is made when it states that it was from the first year of Jehoiakim that Zedekiah made and wore a yoke to symbolically warn the people to reamin being subjected to Babylon. In the first year of Jehoiakim the Jews were not in subjection to the Babylonians at all but were under the Egyptians. The later actual context of the chapter clearly identifies that it ought to have been in the first year of Zedekiah or at least in Jeconiah's short reign that Jeremiah was told of the Lord to make and wear the yoke as a visual display reminding the people to remain subjected unto Babylon. And for three some years Jeremiah wore that symbolic yoke from time to time when he would preach to the Jews of the necessity of them remaining to be subject of Babylon. That is until the beginning of the fourth year when he would have his run-in with Hananiah spoken of in the next time frame.

What is of significant interest is that which may be read 'between the lines' of what Lehi's party is about in the valley of Lemuel, just three day's journey from the internation trade sea port and refinery works of Elath.

Sariah knew well who Laban was. Laban was the 'chief high captain' of the ruling 'Sarim' (princes) of the Law of Moses. The very Jewish group who had 'sought to take the life of Lehi'. And well she had need of worry, for Laban had sought twice to kill her sons, first Laman and then all four, stealing the wealth of Lehi in the process. For indeed who did Laban have to fear. Being the Sarim's Chief Captain, Laban knew and was likely a party to the plot to take and kill Lehi. So what fear did Laban have of Lehi and his sons? Certainly the ruling princes would support him and his word above that of the sons of the lying false prophet Lehi.

And by the time of Lehi sending his sons back to Jerusalem, they would have likely traveled the wilderness route of 3 days journey back to such as Elath for supplies and such at least twice. So Lehi had little doubt that hey knew the route to the main highway and thence to Jerusalem though they were all teenagers. And with the Lord's assurance and even young Nephi's response of confidence, Nephi himself just having had his first experience with the Lord, the prophet Lehi was assured in his faith that his sons could do what the Lord directed of them to do. What a learning experience for accepting young men of Aaronic priesthood age, to go and do what the Lord had commanded them to do. No small feat by any means to go and obtain the plates of brass, the Josephite record of the house of Israel, from Laban the current caretaker of the record the Lord had commanded Joseph to have written and so maintained by his seed. And for this reason had the family of Laban maintained it, he being a descendant of Joseph as well.

Now it was in the fourth year of the reign of king Zedekiah that Jeremiah had his run-in with Hanahiah the son of Azur the prophet. Certainly after 3 such years of Jeremiah's persistent anouncement of doom, the pirest of the temple and the princes of the Law of Moses wold be tiring of Jeremiah's 'spin', though in fact it was the word of God which they continued to ignore. Hananiah had finally come out and spoken that blasphemishly against God for he said it without God really having spoken to him, 'Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.' And Hananiah continued that the vessels of the temple would be brought back that Nebuchadnezzar had taken. He even predicted in the name of God that Jeconiah, the son of Jeoiakim would be brought back. And so on did Hananiah fancy himself prophet of God, but not in the due and rightful course of God.

To this Jeremiah came, himself yoked with a yoke of compliance unto Babylon, saying mockingly, 'Amen: the LORD do so: the LORD perform thy words which thou hast prophesied, to bring again the vessels of the LORD's house, and all that is carried away captive, from Babylon into this place.' And Jeremiah told of all the true prophets who had prophesied against Jerusalem and ended with the note, ' . . . when the word of the prophet shall come to pass, then shall the prohet be known, that the LORD hath truly sent him.'

This calling out angered Hananiah and he took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah's neck, and he brake it.' And Hananiah confirmed that his prophecy was true. After which Jeremiah went his way. But the LORD would not let it rest at that. The word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah to return to Hananiah and to proclaim in the LORD's name: "Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar . . . " and so forth did Jeremiah answer Hananiah. And then Jeremiah further addressed Hananiah directly, that he had made the people to trust in a lie. And therefore the LORD sayeth; "Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thous shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. And so Hananiah the false prophet did die that same year in the seventh month.

When it became apparent, through various actions and inactions on the part of the Jews, (one of which was that the Jews after the additional seven years still had not 're-released' their Hebrew servants), the powers and forces of Babylon became aware that Jerusalem was in revolt. Thus Nebuchadnezzar sent his army to again lay seige to Jerusalem. It appears that this action was in fact anticipated by the Jews, who by then had an effective aliance with the Egyptians, for when Nebuchadnezzar's army had began to lay seige against Jerusalem, then the Egyptians were on the march with the intention of combating Babylon's Empire. When the Chaldeans became aware of the approaching Egyptians, they withdrew from their laying seige against Jerusalem. And this fact was laid mockingly upon Zedekiah, that the Chaldeans had dispursed and the Egyptians were going to dispose of them.

Now it is during this 'intrim' when the Chaldeans have withdrawn that the sons of Lehi have returned to Jerusalem, at which time to obtain the family of Ishmael to join them in the wilderness. It is also at this time that the Lord gives Jeremiah an answer of condemnation and final proclamation that the Babylonians would return and eventually destory Jerusalem. And the just cause laid upon the Jews for God's action was that the Jews had not kept their temple covenant of releasing the Hebrew servants even after the Sarim's contrived additional 7 years. The Jews had and did still retain their servants. Now many sins are of a personal and private nature and one could deny, deny, deny, but this 'sin' was of public record and no one could deny it. Even the ruling princes of the Covanant Law were caught in obvious guilt upon the matter for everyone knew the history and what had happened. And thus, this time even Jeremiah had gone too far against the ruling Jews, and they were out to get him.

Now at the end of his warning of condemnation, Jeremiah had stated that even though Babylon's army had 'gone up from them', the LORD would 'command and cause them to return to the city, they shall fight against it, take it, burn it with fire, an make it and the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.' The Jewish leaders did not appreciate Jeremiah's warning to the king as certainly king Zedekiah consulted with them and they would have held to their position that Egypt would prevail. And thus were Jehucal and Zephaniah sent to tempt Jeremiah to return back before the king (Jer. 37:3-10). But when Jeremiah inquired of the Lord, he was given only a message of confirmation that the Chaldeans which had departed would return again. And Jeremiah said they would fight against the city, take it and burn it with fire. And Jeremiah left them with that message to return to the King and did not go again to stand before the king in the presence of 'Sarim' who were likely lying in wait upon his return.

So after delivering his final message of condemnation, Jeremiah sought to leave Jerusalem and return to his 'home land' of the tribe of Benjamin to 'separte himself thence in the midst of the people'. It was while thus leaving the city to 'go home' that Jeremiah was taken by 'a captain oo the ward, Irijah, of the city and brought Jeremiah to whom he served, the 'Sanhedrin'. And Jeremiah, who until that time had walk free during Zedekiah's reign (Jeremiah 37:4), was taken and put into the dungeon prison of Jonathan the scribe, NOT the king's prison but the 'Sanhedrin's prison'. And all Jerusalem became aware of this fact, that Jeremiah had been cast into prison, the charge being that he was in a state of treason, that is being a turncoat against Jerusalem based on fleeing the city. Even the sons of Lehi and the family of Ishmael were will aware of the fact of this imprisonment and thus Nephi used it as a part of his argument against his brothers returning to Jerusalem rather than proceeding on with Ishmael's family to the valley of Lemuel.

Now as fate would have it, 'a funny thing happened on the way to the farm' so to speak. To the 'dismay' of the ruling Jews, the Chaldeans had defeated the Egyptian army and the Chaldeans had returned back to Jerusalem to again lay seige to the city. In the 'first' such seige it seemed that the Babylonians had already taken such out laying cities of Jerusalem such as Lackish. And now they were back from their victory over Egypt and ready to lay seige to Jerusalem again. King Zedekiah likely was aware, though perhaps unoffically, that Jeremiah was in Johnathan's prison for treason. Thus by night the king, who still understood that Jeremiah was indeed God's prophet, had Jeremiah brought to him from Jonathan's dungeon. And Zedekiah's plea was something like this: He knew that God had condemned Jerusalem, but he would plea with God's prophet as to just what he might do to save himself. To this Jeremiah, under the inspiration of God told Zedekiah that he and his family must leave Jerusalem and surrender themselves up to the Babylonians. Zedekiah told Jeremiah that he could not do that, becuase he was living too much under the thumb and in the fear of the Jewish religeous rulers, the princes of the Law of Moses. Now in turn, Jeremiah had plead with the king that he not return Jeremiah to Jonathan's dungeon, for he was living in fear of his own death in that dungeon. And this is when king Zedekiah had Jeremiah accordingly placed in the prison of the King's Court.

And by this time, Lehi's sons and the daughters of Ishmael had married and they were all on the next leg of there journey from the valley of Lemuel to the first land of Bountiful, which journey would take them 8 years to complete.