Jeremiah 41

Chapter 41

The Murder of Gedaliah

1 But in midautumn,t Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and had been one of the king’s high officials, went to Mizpah with ten men to meet Gedaliah. While they were eating together,2 Ishmael and his ten men suddenly jumped up, drew their swords, and killed Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor.

3 Ishmael also killed all the Judeans and the Babyloniant soldiers who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah.
4 The next day, before anyone had heard about Gedaliah’s murder,5 eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria to worship at the Temple of the LORD. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves, and had brought along grain offerings and frankincense.

6 Ishmael left Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he reached them, he said, “Oh, come and see what has happened to Gedaliah!”
7 But as soon as they were all inside the town, Ishmael and his men killed all but ten of them and threw their bodies into a cistern.8 The other ten had talked Ishmael into letting them go by promising to bring him their stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey that they had hidden away.

9 The cistern where Ishmael dumped the bodies of the men he murdered was the large one dug by King Asa when he fortified Mizpah to protect himself against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with corpses.

10 Then Ishmael made captives of the king’s daughters and the other people who had been left under Gedaliah’s care in Mizpah by Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard. Taking them with him, he started back toward the land of Ammon.
11 But when Johanan son of Kareah and the other guerrilla leaders heard about Ishmael’s crimes,12 they took all their men and set out to stop him. They caught up with him at the large pool near Gibeon.13 The people Ishmael had captured shouted for joy when they saw Johanan and the other guerrilla leaders.14 And all the captives from Mizpah escaped and began to help Johanan.

15 Meanwhile, Ishmael and eight of his men escaped from Johanan into the land of Ammon.
16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and the other guerrilla leaders took all the people they had rescued in Gibeon—the soldiers, women, children, and court officialst whom Ishmael had captured after he killed Gedaliah.17 They took them all to the village of Geruth-kimham near Bethlehem, where they prepared to leave for Egypt.

18 They were afraid of what the Babylonianst would do when they heard that Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the governor appointed by the Babylonian king.

JEREMIAH 41

1  t But in the seventh month, t Ishmaelt came to Mizpah with ten of his soldiers. He had been one of the king's officials and was a member of the royal family. Ishmael and his men were invited to eat with Gedaliah. 2 During the meal, Ishmael and his soldiers killed Gedaliah, the man chosen as ruler of Judah by the king of Babylonia.

3 Then they killed the Jews who were with Gedaliah, and they also killed the Babylonian soldiers who were there.
4 The next day, the murders had still not been discovered,

5 when 80 men came down the road toward Mizpah from the towns of Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They were on their way to the temple to offer gifts of grain and incense to the [Lord]. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves, because they were mourning.
6 Ishmael went out the town gate to meet them. He pretended to be weeping, and he asked them to come into Mizpah to meet with Gedaliah, the ruler of Judah. 7 But after they were inside the town, Ishmael ordered his soldiers to kill them and throw their bodies into a well. 8 He let ten of the men live, because they offered to give him supplies of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey they had hidden in a field.

9 The well that he filled with bodiest had been dug by King Asat of Judah to store rainwater, because he was afraid that King Baashat of Israel might surround Mizpah and keep the people from getting to their water supply.

10 Nebuzaradan, King Nebuchadnezzar'st officer in charge of the guard, had left King Zedekiah'st daughters and many other people at Mizpah, and he had put Gedaliah in charge of them. But now Ishmael took them all prisoner and led them toward Ammon, on the other side of the Jordan River.
11 Johanan and the other army officers heard what Ishmael had done. 12 So they and their troops chased Ishmael and caught up with him at the large pit at Gibeon. 13 When Ishmael's prisoners saw Johanan and the officers, they were happy 14 and turned around and ran toward Johanan.

15 But Ishmael and eight of his men escaped and went to Ammon.

Johanan Decides //To Take the People //to Egypt

17-18 toward Egypt. They wanted to go there, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do when they found out that Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the ruler appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar.t

The People Ask Jeremiah //To Pray for Them