Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah^(A)

²² Then he made Gedaliah the son of ^(B)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over ^(C)the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.

¹⁴ then they sent someone ^(A)to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him ^(B)to Gedaliah the son of ^(C)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.

² Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and ^(A)struck Gedaliah the son of ^(B)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made ^(C)governor over the land.

²⁴ Nevertheless ^(A)the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.

²⁰ Then the king commanded Hilkiah, ^(A)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, ^[a]Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying,

¹² Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, ^(A)Ahikam the son of Shaphan, ^[a]Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying,

⁵ Now while Jeremiah had not yet gone back, Nebuzaradan said, “Go back to ^(A)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ^(B)whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever it seems convenient for you to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him rations and a gift and let him go. ^6 (C)Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to ^(D)Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people who were left in the land.

^7 (E)And when all the captains of the armies who were in the fields, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, and ^(F)the poorest of the land who had not been carried away captive to Babylon, ⁸ then they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—^(G)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, ^(H)Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and ^(I)Jezaniah^[a] the son of a ^(J)Maachathite, they and their men. ⁹ And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be ^(K)well with you. ¹⁰ As for me, I will indeed dwell at Mizpah and serve the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” ¹¹ Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ¹² then all the Jews ^(L)returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in abundance.

²⁵ But ^(A)it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.