Jeremiah 41

1 And it cometh to pass, in the seventh month, come hath Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and of the chiefs of the king, and ten men with him, unto Gedaliah son of Ahikam, to Mizpah, and they eat there bread together in Mizpah.

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,

2 And Ishmael son of Nethaniah riseth, and the ten men who have been with him, and they smite Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with the sword, and he putteth him to death whom the king of Babylon hath appointed over the land.

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.

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 — hath Ishmael smitten.

Ishamel also killed all the other Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with the Babylonian soldiers there.

4 And it cometh to pass, on the second day of the putting of Gedaliah to death, (and no one hath known, )

The day after Gedaliah had been murdered and before anyone knew about it,

5 that men come in from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria — eighty men — with shaven beards, and rent garments, and cutting themselves, and an offering and frankincense in their hand, to bring in to the house of Jehovah.

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.

6 And Ishmael son of Nethaniah goeth forth to meet them, from Mizpah, going on and weeping, and it cometh to pass, at meeting them, that he saith unto them, 'Come in unto Gedaliah son of Ahikam.'

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!”

7 And it cometh to pass, at their coming in unto the midst of the city, that Ishmael son of Nethaniah doth slaughter them, at the midst of the pit, he and the men who [are] with him.

But when they arrived in town, Ishmael and his men killed most of them and threw their bodies into a cistern.

8 And ten men have been found among them, and they say unto Ishmael, 'Do not put us to death, for we have things hidden in the field — wheat, and barley, and oil, and honey.' And he forbeareth, and hath not put them to death in the midst of their brethren.

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.

9 And the pit whither Ishmael hath cast all the carcases of the men whom he hath smitten along with Gedaliah, is that which the king Asa made because of Baasha king of Israel — it hath Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled with the pierced.

(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.)

10 And Ishmael taketh 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, hath committed [to] Gedaliah son of Ahikam, and Ishmael son of Nethaniah taketh them captive, and goeth to pass over unto the sons of Ammon.

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.

11 And hear doth Johanan son of Kareah, and all the heads of the forces that [are] with him, of all the evil that Ishmael son of Nethaniah hath done,

Johanan and all the army commanders of the armies with him found out about all of Ishmael's crimes.

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.

So they assembled all their men and went to attack Ishmael. They caught up with him near the large pool in Gibeon.

13 And it cometh 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.

When Ishmael's prisoners saw Johanan and all the army commanders with him, they were happy.

14 And all the people whom Ishmael hath taken captive from Mizpah turn round, yea, they turn back, and go unto Johanan son of Kareah.

All those that Ishmael had taken prisoner at Mizpah turned around and ran back to Johanan.

15 And Ishmael son of Nethaniah hath escaped, with eight men, from the presence of Johanan, and he goeth unto the sons of Ammon.

Ishmael and eight of his men managed to escape from Johanan and get away to the Ammonites.

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 hath brought back from Ishmael son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah — after he had smitten Gedaliah son of Ahikam — mighty ones, men of war, and women, and infants, and eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon,

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.

17 and they go and abide in the habitations of Chimham, that [are] near Beth-Lehem, to go to enter Egypt,

They set off for Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem and stayed there, before leaving for Egypt

18 from the presence of the Chaldeans, for they have been afraid of them, for Ishmael son of Nethaniah had smitten Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

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.