40
Jeremiah

Assassination of Gedaliah and the Terror in Judah

Jeremiah 40:7-41:15
7All the commanders of the forces who were in the open country heard, both they and their men, that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land, and that he had appointed with him men and women and children and some of the poor of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8They came to Gedaliah at Mizpeh, namely Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 9Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan swore an oath to them and to their men, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans; remain in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you." 10As for me, look, I am staying at Mizpah to stand before the Chaldeans who will come to us; but you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, put them in your vessels, and live in the towns you have seized. 11Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and in all the other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan over them. 12All the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpeh, and they gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance. 13Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces who were in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpeh. 14They said to him, "Do you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to strike you down?" But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke privately to Gedaliah at Mizpah, saying, "Let me go and strike down Ishmael son of Nethaniah; no one will know. Why should he strike you down, so that all Judah who have gathered to you will be scattered and the remnant of Judah will perish?" 16But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Do not do this thing, for you are speaking falsely about Ishmael."
Chapter 41
1In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah son of Elishama, who was of royal descent and one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate a meal together there at Mizpah. 2Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him rose up and 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. 3Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers who happened to be there. 4And it happened on the second day after Gedaliah was killed, before anyone knew about it. 5Eighty men arrived from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, with their beards shaved, their garments torn, and their bodies gashed, carrying grain offerings and incense to present at the house of the LORD. 6Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went, and when he met them he said, "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam." 7But when they came into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. 8Ten men among them pleaded with Ishmael, "Do not kill us, for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the field"; so he stopped and did not kill them along with their companions. 9Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men he had killed because of Gedaliah was the one that King Asa had made on account 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 at Mizpah, including the daughters of the king and all the people who remained at Mizpah, over whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had placed Gedaliah son of Ahikam; Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites. 11Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces who were with him heard all the evil that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had done. 12They took all their men and went to fight against Ishmael son of Nethaniah; they found him at the great waters in Gibeon. 13When 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. 14So 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.

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