¹⁵ Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go, please, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered, and the ^(A)remnant in Judah perish?”

¹⁷ But ^(A)Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, ^(B)“You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the ^(C)lamp of Israel.”

⁸ Then Abishai said to David, ^(A)“God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him ^[a]at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!”

^50 (A)nor do you consider that it is expedient for ^[a]us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.”

²⁴ “Son of man, ^(A)they who inhabit those ^(B)ruins in the land of Israel are saying, ^(C)‘Abraham was only one, and he inherited the land. ^(D)But we are many; the land has been given to us as a ^(E)possession.’

²⁵ “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: ^(F)“You eat meat with blood, you ^(G)lift up your eyes toward your idols, and ^(H)shed blood. Should you then possess the ^(I)land? ²⁶ You rely on your sword, you commit abominations, and you ^(J)defile one another’s wives. Should you then possess the land?” ’

²⁷ “Say thus to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “As I live, surely ^(K)those who are in the ruins shall fall by the sword, and the one who is in the open field ^(L)I will give to the beasts to be devoured, and those who are in the strongholds and ^(M)caves shall die of the pestilence. ^28 (N)For I will make the land most desolate, ^[a]her ^(O)arrogant strength shall cease, and ^(P)the mountains of Israel shall be so desolate that no one will pass through. ²⁹ Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have made the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.” ’

² and said to Jeremiah the prophet, ^(A)“Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and ^(B)pray for us to the Lord your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but ^(C)a few of many, as you can see),

^3 (A)But the people answered, “You shall not go out! For if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us now. For you are now more help to us in the city.”