< Jeremiah 41 >

1 And it comes to pass, in the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the royal seed, and of the chiefs of the king, and ten men with him, have come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, to Mizpah, and there they eat bread together in Mizpah.
Now it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethanyah the son of Elishama', of the royal seed, and the chiefs of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedalyahu the son of Achikam to Mizpah; and they ate there bread together in Mizpah.
2 And Ishmael son of Nethaniah rises, and the ten men who have been with him, and they strike Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword, and he puts him to death whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the land.
Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethanyah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedalyahu the son of Achikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and put to death him, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor over the land.
3 And all the Jews who have been with him, with Gedaliah, in Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who have been found there—the men of war—Ishmael has struck.
And all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedalyahu, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, even the men of war, did Ishmael slay.
4 And it comes to pass, on the second day of the putting of Gedaliah to death (and no one has known),
And it came to pass on the second day after he had put Gedalyahu to death, while no man knew of it,
5 that men come in from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria—eighty men—with shaven beards, and torn garments, and cutting themselves, and [with] an offering and frankincense in their hand, to bring [them] to the house of YHWH.
That there came certain men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men [in all], having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with meat-offerings and frankincense in their hand, to bring the same to the house of the Lord.
6 And Ishmael son of Nethaniah goes forth to meet them, from Mizpah, going on and weeping, and it comes to pass, at meeting them, that he says to them, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”
And Ishmael the son of Nethanyah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, going along and weeping: and it came to pass as he met them, that he said unto them, Come to Gedalyahu the son of Achikam.
7 And it comes to pass, at their coming into the midst of the city, that Ishmael son of Nethaniah slaughters them, at the midst of the pit, he and the men who [are] with him.
And it happened, as they entered into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethanyah slaughtered them, [and cast them] into the midst of the cistern, he, and the men that were with him.
8 And ten men have been found among them, and they say to Ishmael, “Do not put us to death, for we have things hidden in the field—wheat, and barley, and oil, and honey.” And he refrains, and has not put them to death in the midst of their brothers.
But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not; for we have some things hidden in the field, [such as] wheat, and barley, and oil, and honey. So he forbore, and slew them not in the midst of their brethren.
9 And the pit to where Ishmael has cast all the carcasses of the men whom he has struck along with Gedaliah, is that which King Asa made because of Baasha king of Israel—Ishmael son of Nethaniah has filled it with the pierced.
And the cistern wherein Ishmael cast all the corpses of the men, whom he had slain in company with Gedalyahu, is the same which king Assa had made on account of Ba'sha the king of Israel: this did Ishmael the son of Nethanyah fill with slain persons.
10 And Ishmael takes captive all the remnant of the people who [are] in Mizpah, the daughters of the king, and all the people who are left in Mizpah, whom Nebuzar-Adan, chief of the executioners, has committed [to] Gedaliah son of Ahikam, and Ishmael son of Nethaniah takes them captive, and goes to pass over to the sons of Ammon.
Then did Ishmael carry away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, the king's daughters, and all the people that were remaining in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had entrusted to Gedalyahu the son of Achikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethanyah carried them away captive, and went off to pass over to the children of Ammon.
11 And Johanan son of Kareah, and all the heads of the forces that [are] with him, hear of all the evil that Ishmael son of Nethaniah has done,
But when Jochanan the son of Kareach, and all the captains of the armies that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethanyah had done:
12 and they take all the men, and go to fight with Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and they find him at the great waters that [are] in Gibeon.
Then did they take all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethanyah, and found him by the great water[-pool] that is near Gib'on.
13 And it comes to pass, when all the people who [are] with Ishmael see Johanan son of Kareah, and all the heads of the forces who [are] with him, that they rejoice.
And it came to pass, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Jochanan the son of Kareach, and all the captains of the armies that were with him, that they were rejoiced.
14 And all the people whom Ishmael has taken captive from Mizpah turn around, indeed, they turn back, and go to Johanan son of Kareah.
And all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and returned, and went unto Jochanan the son of Kareach.
15 And Ishmael son of Nethaniah has escaped, with eight men, from the presence of Johanan, and he goes to the sons of Ammon.
But Ishmael the son of Nethanyah escaped with eight men from the presence of Jochanan, and he went to the children of 'Ammon.
16 And Johanan son of Kareah, and all the heads of the forces who [are] with him, take all the remnant of the people whom he has brought back from Ishmael son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah—after he had struck Gedaliah son of Ahikam—mighty ones, men of war, and women, and infants, and eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon,
Then took Jochanan the son of Kareach, and all the captains of the armies that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethanyah, from Mizpah, after he had slain Gedalyah the son of Achikam, the adult males, the men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gib'on;
17 and they go and abide in the habitations of Chimham, that [are] near Beth-Lehem, to go to enter Egypt,
And they went, and remained in Geruth-Kimham, which is by Beth-lechem, to go to enter into Egypt,
18 from the presence of the Chaldeans, for they have been afraid of them, for Ishmael son of Nethaniah had struck Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.
Because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them; because Ishmael the son of Nethanyah had slain Gedalyahu the son of Achikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor over the land.

< Jeremiah 41 >