Jeremiah 41:11-42:6

New International Version

¹¹When Johanan^(A) son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him heard about all the crimes Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, ¹²they took all their men and went to fight^(B) Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool^(C) in Gibeon. ¹³When all the people^(D) Ishmael had with him saw Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers who were with him, they were glad. ¹⁴All the people Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah^(E) turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. ¹⁵But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped^(F) from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.

Flight to Egypt

¹⁶Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers^(G) who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,^(H) whom Johanan had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, women, children and court officials he had recovered from Gibeon. ¹⁷And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham^(I) near Bethlehem^(J) on their way to Egypt^(K) ¹⁸to escape the Babylonians.^[a] They were afraid^(L) of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah^(M) son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan^(N) son of Kareah and Jezaniah^[b] son of Hoshaiah,^(O) and all the people from the least to the greatest^(P) approached ²Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray^(Q) to the Lord your God for this entire remnant.^(R) For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few^(S) are left. ³Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”^(T)

⁴“I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray^(U) to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell^(V) you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”^(W)

⁵Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true^(X) and faithful^(Y) witness^(Z) against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. ⁶Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well^(AA) with us, for we will obey^(AB) the Lord our God.”