¹¹ When 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,

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.”

Gedaliah Assassinated^(A)

⁷ When all the army officers and their men who were still in the open country heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor^(B) over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest^(C) in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, ⁸ they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah^(D)—Ishmael^(E) son of Nethaniah, Johanan^(F) and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,^(G) and Jaazaniah^[a] the son of the Maakathite,^(H) and their men.

² Azariah son of Hoshaiah^(A) and Johanan^(B) son of Kareah and all the arrogant^(C) men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying!^(D) The Lord our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’^{(E) 3} But Baruch^(F) son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians,^[a] so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.”^(G)

⁴ So Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers and all the people^(H) disobeyed the Lord’s command^(I) to stay in the land of Judah.^{(J) 5} Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers led away all the remnant of Judah who had come back to live in the land of Judah from all the nations where they had been scattered.^(K)

³ Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.”^(A)

42 Then all the army officers, including Johanan^(A) son of Kareah and Jezaniah^[a] son of Hoshaiah,^(B) and all the people from the least to the greatest^(C) approached

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.^(A)

² Ishmael^(A) 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,^(B) killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed^(C) as governor over the land.^{(D) 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.