²⁴ And Gedaliah swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid because of the Chaldean officials. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

^24 (A)“Son of man, the inhabitants of these ^(B)waste places in the land of Israel keep saying, ^(C)‘Abraham was only one man, yet he got possession of the land; but ^(D)we are many; the land is surely given us to possess.’ ²⁵ Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^(E)You eat flesh with the blood and ^(F)lift up your eyes to your idols and ^(G)shed blood; shall you then possess the land? ^26 (H)You rely on the sword, ^(I)you commit abominations, and ^(J)each of you defiles his neighbor's wife; shall you then possess the land? ²⁷ Say this to them, Thus says the Lord God: ^(K)As I live, surely those who are in ^(L)the waste places shall fall by ^(M)the sword, and whoever is in the open field I will give to ^(N)the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in ^(O)strongholds and in caves shall die by ^(P)pestilence. ^28 (Q)And I will make the land a desolation and a waste, and ^(R)her proud might shall come to an end, and ^(S)the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that none will pass through. ^29 (T)Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a desolation and a waste because of all their abominations that they have committed.

^6 (A)the men, the women, the children, ^(B)the princesses, and every person whom ^(C)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with ^(D)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah.

⁹ Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, ^(A)and it shall be well with you. ¹⁰ As for me, I will dwell at ^(B)Mizpah, to represent you before the Chaldeans who will come to us. But as for you, ^(C)gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.”

^23 (A)And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.

¹¹ Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that ^(A)the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, ^(B)“As the Lord lives, ^(C)not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”