Jeremiah 41

1In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal line and one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate bread there together in Mizpah.

2Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah rose up with the ten men who were with him, and they struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him—the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

3And Ishmael struck down all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there—the men of war.

4And it happened on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when no man yet knew it,

5Then eighty men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, with their beards shaved, their clothes torn, and gashing themselves, with grain offerings and frankincense in their hands to bring to the house of Yahweh.

6Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, going and weeping. When he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”

7And when they came into the midst of the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah slaughtered them and threw them into the midst of the cistern, he and the men who were with him.

8But ten men were found among them, and they said to Ishmael, “Do not put us to death, for we have hidden stores in the field—wheat and barley, oil and honey.” So he refrained and did not put them to death among their brothers.

9The cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the corpses of the men whom he had struck down because of Gedaliah was the one that King Asa had made because of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.

10Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters and all the people who were left in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had entrusted to Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and went to cross over to the Ammonites.

11When Johanan son of Kareah, and all the commanders of the forces who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had done,

12They took all the men and went to fight against Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and they found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.

13And when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces who were with him, they rejoiced.

14Then all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and went back to Johanan son of Kareah.

15But Ishmael son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites.

16Then Yohanan son of Kareah, and all the commanders of the forces who were with him, took all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after he had struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, the men of war, and the women, and the little children, and the court officials, whom he had brought back from Gibeon.

17So they went and stayed at Geruth Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, intending to go on into Egypt.

18because of the Chaldeans, for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.