Jeremiah 41

41:1 But in the seventh month1 Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and had been one of Zedekiah’s chief officers, came with ten of his men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating a meal together with him there at Mizpah, 41:2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him stood up, pulled out their swords, and killed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. Thus Ishmael killed the man that the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the country. 41:3 Ishmael also killed all the Judeans2 who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and the Babylonian3 soldiers who happened to be4 there.

41:4 On the day after Gedaliah had been murdered, before anyone even knew about it, 41:5 eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria.5 They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves to show their mourning.6 They were carrying grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.7 41:6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them. He was pretending to cry8 as he walked along. When he met them, he said to them, “Come with me to meet Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”9 41:7 But as soon as they were inside the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw their bodies10 in a cistern. 41:8 But there were ten men among them who said11 to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us. For we will give you the stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey we have hidden in a field.12 So he let them alone and didn’t kill13 them along with the rest.14 41:9 Now the cistern where Ishmael threw all the dead bodies of those he had killed was a large one15 that King Asa had constructed as part of his defenses against King Baasha of Israel.16 Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with dead bodies.17 41:10 Then Ishmael took captive all the people who were still left alive in Mizpah. This included the royal princesses18 and all the rest of the people in Mizpah that Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, had put under the authority of Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took all these people captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

Johanan Rescues the People Ishmael Had Carried Off

41:11 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the atrocities19 that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed. 41:12 So they took all their troops and went to fight against Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the large pool20 at Gibeon. 41:13 When all the people that Ishmael had taken captive saw21 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him, they were glad. 41:14 All those people that Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 41:15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah managed to escape from Johanan along with eight of his men, and he went on over to Ammon.

41:16 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him led off all the people who had been left alive at Mizpah. They had rescued them from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after he killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. They led off the men, women, children, soldiers, and court officials whom they had brought away from Gibeon. 41:17 They set out to go to Egypt to get away from the Babylonians,22 but stopped at Geruth Kimham23 near Bethlehem.24 41:18 They were afraid of what the Babylonians might do25 because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the country.

The Survivors Ask the Lord for Advice but Refuse to Follow It

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