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1. Now there was a certain wicked man in that city, who was a
false prophet, whom Jeroboam had in great esteem, but was
deceived by him and his flattering words. This man was bedrid, by
reason or the infirmities of old age: however, he was informed by
his sons concerning the prophet that was come from Jerusalem, and
concerning the signs done by him; and how, when Jeroboam's right
hand had been enfeebled, at the prophet's prayer he had it
revived again. Whereupon he was afraid that this stranger and
prophet should be in better esteem with the king than himself,
and obtain greater honor from him: and he gave orders to his sons
to saddle his ass presently, and make all ready that he might go
out. Accordingly they made haste to do what they were commanded,
and he got upon the ass and followed after the prophet.; and when
he had overtaken him, as he was resting himself under a very
large oak tree that was thick and shady, he at first saluted him,
but presently he complained of him, because he had not come into
his house, and partaken of his hospitality. And when the other
said that God had forbidden him to taste of any one's provision
in that city, he replied, that "for certain God had not forbidden
that I should set food before thee, for I am a prophet as thou
art, and worship God in the same manner that thou dost; and I am
now come as sent by him, in order to bring thee into my house,
and make thee my guest." Now Jadon gave credit to this lying
prophet, and returned back with him. But when they were at
dinner, and merry together, God appeared to Jadon, and said that
he should suffer punishment for transgressing his commands, - and
he told him what that punishment should be for he said that he
should meet with a lion as he was going on his way, by which lion
he should be torn in pieces, and be deprived of burial in the
sepulchers of his fathers; which things came to pass, as I
suppose, according to the will of God, that so Jeroboam might not
give heed to the words of Jadon as of one that had been convicted
of lying. However, as Jadon was again going to Jerusalem, a lion
assaulted him, and pulled him off the beast he rode on, and slew
him; yet did he not at all hurt the ass, but sat by him, and kept
him, as also the prophet's body. This continued till some
travelers that saw it came and told it in the city to the false
prophet, who sent his sons, and brought the body unto the city,
and made a funeral for him at great expense. He also charged his
sons to bury himself with him and said that all which he had
foretold against that city, and the altar, and priests, and false
prophets, would prove true; and that if he were buried with him,
he should receive no injurious treatment after his death, the
bones not being then to be distinguished asunder. But now, when
he had performed those funeral rites to the prophet, and had
given that charge to his sons, as he was a wicked and an impious
man, he goes to Jeroboam, and says to him, "And wherefore is it
now that thou art disturbed at the words of this silly fellow?"
And when the king had related to him what had happened about the
altar, and about his own hand, and gave him the names of divine
man, and an excellent prophet, he endeavored by a wicked trick to
weaken that his opinion; and by using plausible words concerning
what had happened, he aimed to injure the truth that was in them;
for he attempted to persuade him that his hand was enfeebled by
the labor it had undergone in supporting the sacrifices, and that
upon its resting awhile it returned to its former nature again;
and that as to the altar, it was but new, and had borne abundance
of sacrifices, and those large ones too, and was accordingly
broken to pieces, and fallen down by the weight of what had been
laid upon it. He also informed him of the death of him that had
foretold those things, and how he perished; [whence he concluded
that] he had not any thing in him of a prophet, nor spake any
thing like one. When he had thus spoken, he persuaded the king,
and entirely alienated his mind from God, and from doing works
that were righteous and holy, and encouraged him to go on in his
impious practices and accordingly he was to that degree
injurious to God, and so great a transgressor, that he sought for
nothing else every day but how he might be guilty of some new
instances of wickedness, and such as should be more detestable
than what he had been so insolent as to do before. And so much
shall at present suffice to have said concerning Jeroboam.
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