< Jeremiah 41 >

1 In the seventh month of the year, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, a member of the royal family and one of the king's chief officers, came with ten of his men to see Gedaliah at Mizpah. While they were eating to have a meal together,
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,
2 suddenly Ishmael and his ten men got up and attacked Gedaliah, killing him—the one appointed by the king of Babylon as the country's governor.
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:
3 Ishamel also killed all the other Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with the Babylonian soldiers there.
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.
4 The day after Gedaliah had been murdered and before anyone knew about it,
But hear the word of the Lord, O Sedekias king of Juda; Thus says the Lord,
5 a group of eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves. They were carrying grain offerings and frankincense for the Lord's Temple.
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.
6 Ishmael came out to meet them from Mizpah, weeping as he went along. When Ishmael met the men, he said, “Come and see what's happened to Gedaliah son of Ahikam!”
And Jeremias spoke to king Sedekias all these words in Jerusalem.
7 But when they arrived in town, Ishmael and his men killed most of them and threw their bodies into a cistern.
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.
8 But ten of them pleaded with Ishmael, “Don't kill us! We've got some good things hidden in the fields—wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey.” So Ishmael didn't kill them along with the others.
The word that came from the Lord to Jeremias, after king Sedekias had concluded a covenant with the people, to proclaim a release;
9 (The cistern where Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men he'd killed, including Gedaliah, was a large one that King Asa had dug because of the threat of attack by Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael filled it with bodies.)
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.
10 Then Ishmael took all the people left in Mizpah prisoner, including the daughters of the king, as well as everyone else living there. These were the people that Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard had put under the care of Gedaliah. Ishmael took them prisoner and left to go to the Ammonites.
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,
11 Johanan and all the army commanders of the armies with him found out about all of Ishmael's crimes.
and gave them over to be menservants and maidservants.
12 So they assembled all their men and went to attack Ishmael. They caught up with him near the large pool in Gibeon.
And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying,
13 When Ishmael's prisoners saw Johanan and all the army commanders with him, they were happy.
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,
14 All those that Ishmael had taken prisoner at Mizpah turned around and ran back to Johanan.
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.
15 Ishmael and eight of his men managed to escape from Johanan and get away to the Ammonites.
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.
16 Then Johanan and all the army commanders with him took charge of the survivors from Mizpah he'd rescued from Ishmael in Gibeon—the soldiers, women, children, and court officials that Ishmael had taken prisoner after he'd killed Gedaliah.
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.
17 They set off for Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem and stayed there, before leaving for Egypt
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.
18 to get away from the Babylonians. They were afraid of what the Babylonians would do because Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah, the governor of the country appointed by the king of Babylon.
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,
the princes of Juda, and the men in power, and the priests, and the people;
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.
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.
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.

< Jeremiah 41 >