Jeremiah 40:13-41:10

New International Version

¹³ Johanan^(A) son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah^{(B) 14} and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites^(C) has sent Ishmael^(D) son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

¹⁵ Then Johanan^(E) son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill^(F) Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life and cause all the Jews who are gathered around you to be scattered^(G) and the remnant^(H) of Judah to perish?”

¹⁶ But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan^(I) son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”

41 In the seventh month Ishmael^(J) son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, ² Ishmael^(K) son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword,^(L) killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed^(M) as governor over the land.^{(N) 3} Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian^[a] soldiers who were there.

⁴ The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, ⁵ eighty men who had shaved off their beards,^(O) torn their clothes^(P) and cut^(Q) themselves came from Shechem,^(R) Shiloh^(S) and Samaria,^(T) bringing grain offerings and incense^(U) with them to the house of the Lord.^{(V) 6} Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping^(W) as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”^{(X) 7} When they went into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.^{(Y) 8} But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.”^(Z) So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. ⁹ Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa^(AA) had made as part of his defense^(AB) against Baasha^(AC) king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.

¹⁰ Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people^(AD) who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters^(AE) along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.^(AF)