Jeremiah 41

¹ In the seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, who was of royal descent,came with officers of the king and ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. And as they were taking theirmeal together, there at Mizpah,

² Ishmael son of Nethaniah stood up with his ten men, and attacking Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son ofShaphan, with their swords, they kil ed the man whom the king of Babylon had made governor of the country.

³ And al the Judaeans who were with him, that is with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldaean soldierswho happened to be there, Ishmael killed too.

⁴ On the day after the murder of Gedaliah, before the news had become known,

⁵ eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved off, their clothing torn,and covered in self-inflicted gashes; they were bringing cereal offerings and incense with them to present to theTemple of Yahweh.

⁶ Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out of Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he met themhe said, 'Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.'

⁷ But once they were wel inside the town, Ishmael son of Nethaniah slaughtered them, with the help ofhis men, and had them thrown into the storage-wel .

⁸ There were ten of them, however, who said to Ishmael, 'Do not kil us: we have stocks of wheat andbarley, oil and honey, hidden away in the fields.' So he spared them and did not kil them with their brothers.

⁹ The storage-wel into which Ishmael threw the corpses of all the men he had kil ed was a large one, theone which King Asa had built as a precaution against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled itwith the slaughtered men.

¹⁰ Ishmael then took al the rest of the people prisoner who were at Mizpah, the king's daughters and althe remaining people in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, had entrusted to Gedaliah sonof Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them prisoner and set out, intending to cross over to the Ammonites.

¹¹ When Johanan son of Kareah and al the military leaders who were with him heard about al thecrimes committed by Ishmael son of Nethaniah,

¹² they mustered all their men and set out to attack Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with himat the great Pool of Gibeon.

¹³ At the sight of Johanan son of Kareah and al the military leaders with him, al the people with Ishmaelwere delighted.

¹⁴ Al the people whom Ishmael had taken as prisoners from Mizpah turned about, went back and joinedJohanan son of Kareah.

¹⁵ Ishmael son of Nethaniah, however, escaped from Johanan with eight of his men and fled to theAmmonites.

¹⁶ Johanan son of Kareah and al the military leaders with him then ral ied al the remaining peoplewhom Ishmael son of Nethaniah had taken as prisoners from Mizpah after kil ing Gedaliah son of Ahikam: men --fighting men-women, children and eunuchs, whom they brought back from Gibeon.

¹⁷ Setting off, they made a halt at Khan Kimham near Bethlehem, intending to go on to Egypt,

¹⁸ to get away from the Chaldaeans. They were now terrified of them, since Ishmael son of Nethaniahhad kil ed Gedaliah son of Ahikam whom the king of Babylon had made governor of the country.