Jeremias 41

1 The word that came to Jeremias from the Lord (now Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the country of his dominion, were warring against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Juda, ) saying,

Now it came about in the seventh month that Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the king's seed, having with him ten men, came to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, in Mizpah; and they had a meal together in Mizpah.

2 Thus has the Lord said; Go to Sedekias king of Juda, and you shall say to him, Thus has the Lord said, This city shall certainly be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it, and shall burn it with fire:

Then Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, got up, and attacking Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, put to death him whom the king of Babylon had made ruler over the land.

3 and you shall not escape out of his hand, but shall certainly be taken, and shall be given into his hands; and your eyes shall see his eyes, and you shall enter into Babylon.

And Ishmael put to death all the Jews who were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldaean men of war.

4 But hear the word of the Lord, O Sedekias king of Juda; Thus says the Lord,

Now on the second day after he had put Gedaliah to death, when no one had knowledge of it,

5 You shall die in peace: and as they wept for your fathers that reigned before you, they shall weep also for you, [saying], Ah lord! and they shall lament for you down to the grave: for I have spoken the word, said the Lord.

Some people came from Shechem, from Shiloh and Samaria, eighty men, with the hair of their faces cut off and their clothing out of order, and with cuts on their bodies, and in their hands meal offerings and perfumes which they were taking to the house of the Lord.

6 And Jeremias spoke to king Sedekias all these words in Jerusalem.

And Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, went out from Mizpah with the purpose of meeting them, weeping on his way: and it came about that when he was face to face with them he said, Come to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam.

7 And the host of the king of Babylon warred against Jerusalem, and against the cities of Juda, and against Lachis, and against Azeca: for these strong cities were left amongst the cities of Juda.

And when they came inside the town, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and the men who were with him, put them to death and put their bodies into a deep hole.

8 The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, after king Sedekias had concluded a covenant with the people, to proclaim a release;

But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael, Do not put us to death, for we have secret stores, in the country, of grain and oil and honey. So he did not put them to death with their countrymen.

9 That every one should set at liberty his servant, and every one has handmaid, the Hebrew man and Hebrew woman, that no man of Juda should be a bondman.

Now the hole into which Ishmael had put the dead bodies of the men whom he had put to death, was the great hole which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha, king of Israel: and Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, made it full of the bodies of those who had been put to death.

10 Then all the nobles, and all the people who had entered into the covenant, [engaging] to set free every one his man-servant, and every one his maid, turned,

Then Ishmael took away as prisoners all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people still in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the armed men, had put under the care of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam: Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, took them away prisoners with the purpose of going over to the children of Ammon.

11 and gave them over to be menservants and maidservants.

But when Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the armed forces who were with him, had news of all the evil which Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, had done,

12 And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying,

They took their men and went out to make war on Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and they came face to face with him by the great waters in Gibeon.

13 Thus says the Lord; I made a covenant with your fathers in the day wherein I took them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,

Now when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces with him, then they were glad.

14 When six years are accomplished, you shall set free your brother the Hebrew, who shall be sold to you: for he shall serve you six years, and [then] you shall let him go free: but they listened not to me, and inclined not their ear.

And all the people whom Ishmael had taken away prisoners from Mizpah, turning round, came back and went to Johanan, the son of Kareah.

15 And this day they turned to do that which was right in my sight, to proclaim every one the release of his neighbour; and they had concluded a covenant before me, in the house whereon my name is called.

But Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, got away from Johanan, with eight men, and went to the children of Ammon.

16 But you turned and profaned my name, to bring back every one his servant, and every one his handmaid, whom you had sent forth free [and] at their own disposal, to be to you menservants and maidservants.

Then Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, took all the rest of the people whom Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, had made prisoners, after he had put to death Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the people from Mizpah, that is, the men of war and the women and the children and the unsexed servants, whom he had taken back with him from Gibeon:

17 Therefore thus said the Lord; You have not listened to me, to proclaim a release every one to his neighbour: behold, I proclaim a release to you, to the sword, and to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will give you up to dispersion [amongst] all the kingdoms of the earth.

And they went and were living in the resting-place of Chimham, which is near Beth-lehem on the way into Egypt,

18 And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, who have not kept my covenant, which they made before me, the calf which they prepared to sacrifice with it,

Because of the Chaldaeans: for they were in fear of them because Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, had put to death Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made ruler over the land.

19 the princes of Juda, and the men in power, and the priests, and the people;

20 I will even give them to their enemies, and their carcases shall be food for the birds of the sky and for the wild beasts of the earth.

21 And I will give Sedekias king of Judea, and their princes, into the hands of their enemies, and the host of the king of Babylon [shall come upon] them that run away from them.

22 Behold, I [will] give command, says the Lord, and will bring them back to this land; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire, and the cities of Juda; and I will make them desolate without inhabitants.