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,

And it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the blood royal, and one of the great officers of the king, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, to Mizpah; and they ate bread there 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, arose, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and slew him whom the king of Babylon had made governor 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 all the Jews that were with him, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldaeans that were found there, the men of war, did Ishmael smite.

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

And it came to pass, the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew 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.

that there came certain men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, fourscore persons, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with an oblation and incense in their hands, to bring to the house of Jehovah.

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

And Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went; and when he met them, he said to them, “Come ye 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 among the cities of Juda.

And when they had come into the midst of the city, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, slew them, and cast them into the pit, he and the men that were with him.

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 ten men were found among them who said to Ishmael, “Slay us not, for we have hidden stores in the field, of wheat, and barley, and oil, and honey.” He forbore, therefore, and slew them not with their brethren.

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 pit into which Ishmael cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he slew, together with Gedaliah, is the same which King Asa made on account of Baasha, king of Israel; and Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, filled it with them that were slain.

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,

And Ishmael took captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, had committed to the charge of Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam; even Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, took them captive, and set forth to go over [[the Jordan]] 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 forces that were with him, heard 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 all the men, and went up to fight with Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, and came up with him at the great waters that are 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,

And when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, 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 that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah faced about and returned, 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 neighbor; and they had concluded a covenant before me, in the house whereon my name is called.

But Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, escaped 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 took Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after he had slain Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, strong men, men of war, and women, and children, and eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon;

17 Therefore thus said the Lord; You have not listened to me, to proclaim a release every one to his neighbor: 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 [among] all the kingdoms of the earth.

and they went, and tarried in the inn of Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, in order to flee 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,

from the Chaldaeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah, had slain Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor 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.