forming a northern kingdom, generally known as the kingdom of Israel,* a degraded form of the worship of Jehovah was set up in it; foreign idolatries were introduced alongside of it,* which corrupted the moral fibre of the nation,* and led to its being carried into captivity,* about a hundred years before Jeremiah began his ministry. The small kingdom of Judah was thus left the only witness to Jehovah among the nations. Under kings of the house of David it had preserved its loyalty to Jehovah with