Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to Jeremiah 38-41
Close NASB

Jeremiah 38-41
New American Standard Bible

Jeremiah Thrown into the Cistern

38 Now Shephatiah the son of Mattan, Gedaliah the son of Pashhur, Jucal the (A)son of Shelemiah, and (B)Pashhur the son of Malchijah heard the words that Jeremiah was speaking to all the people, saying, 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Anyone who (C)stays in this city will die by the (D)sword, by famine, or by plague; but anyone who surrenders to the Chaldeans will live and have his own (E)life as plunder, and stay alive.’ 3 This is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be (F)handed over to the army of the king of Babylon and he will capture it.’” 4 Then the (G)officials said to the king, “Please have this man put to death, since he is [a](H)discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and [b]all the people, by speaking words like these to them; for this man (I)is not seeking the well-being of this people, but rather their harm.” 5 And King Zedekiah said, “Behold, he is in your [c]hands; for the king (J)can do nothing against you.” 6 So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the (K)cistern of Malchijah the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guardhouse; and they let Jeremiah down with ropes. Now in the cistern there was no water but only (L)mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. 7 But (M)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, a [d](N)eunuch, while he was in the king’s palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the cistern. Now the king was sitting at the (O)Gate of Benjamin; 8 and Ebed-melech went out from the king’s palace and spoke to the king, saying, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet whom they have thrown into the cistern; and he will die right where he is because of the famine, for there is (P)no more bread in the city.” 10 Then the king commanded Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, “Take thirty men from here [e]under your authority and bring Jeremiah the prophet up from the cistern before he dies.” 11 So Ebed-melech took the men under his [f]authority and went into the king’s palace to a place beneath the storeroom, and took from there worn-out clothes and worn-out rags, and let them down by ropes into the cistern to Jeremiah. 12 Then Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah, “Now put these worn-out clothes and rags under your armpits under the ropes”; and Jeremiah did so. 13 So they pulled Jeremiah out with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern, and Jeremiah stayed in the (Q)courtyard of the guardhouse.

Zedekiah Seeks an Answer from God

14 Then King Zedekiah (R)sent word and [g]had Jeremiah the prophet brought to him at the third entrance that is in the house of the Lord; and the king said to Jeremiah, “I am going to (S)ask you something; do not hide anything from me.” 15 And Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “(T)If I tell you, will you not certainly put me to death? Besides, if I give you advice, you will not listen to me.” 16 But King Zedekiah swore to Jeremiah in (U)secret, saying, “As the Lord lives, who made this [h](V)life for us, I certainly will not put you to death, nor will I hand you over to (W)these men who are seeking your [i]life.”

17 So Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord (X)God of armies, the (Y)God of Israel says: ‘If you will indeed (Z)surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then [j]you will live, this city will not be burned with fire, and you and your household will [k]survive. 18 But if you do (AA)not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, then this city (AB)will be handed over to the Chaldeans; and they will burn it with fire, and (AC)you yourself will not escape from their hands.’” 19 Then King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am (AD)in fear of the Jews who have (AE)deserted to the Chaldeans, for they may hand me over to them, and they will (AF)abuse me.” 20 But Jeremiah said, “They will not turn you over. Please [l](AG)obey the Lord in what I am saying to you, so that it may go (AH)well for you and [m](AI)you may live. 21 But if you keep refusing to surrender, this is the word which the Lord has shown me: 22 ‘Behold, all of the (AJ)women who have been left in the palace of the king of Judah are going to be brought out to the officers of the king of Babylon; and those women will say,

“[n]Your close friends
Have misled and overpowered you;
While your feet were sunk in the mire,
They turned back.”

23 They are also going to bring out all your wives and your (AK)sons to the Chaldeans, and (AL)you yourself will not escape from their hand, but will be seized by the hand of the king of Babylon, and (AM)this city will be burned with fire.’”

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Let no one know about these words, and you will not die. 25 But if the (AN)officials hear that I have talked with you and come to you and say to you, ‘Tell us now what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us and we will not put you to death,’ 26 then you are to say to them, ‘I was (AO)presenting my plea before the king, not to make me return to the house of Jonathan to die there.’” 27 Then all the officials came to Jeremiah and questioned him. So he reported to them in accordance with all these words which the king had commanded; and they stopped speaking with him, since the [o]conversation had not been overheard. 28 So Jeremiah (AP)stayed in the courtyard of the guard until the day that Jerusalem was captured.

Jerusalem Captured

39 [p]Now when Jerusalem was captured [q](AQ)in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it; 2 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was (AR)breached. 3 Then all the (AS)officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the (AT)Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the [r]Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the [s]Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon. 4 And when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, they (AU)fled and left the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate (AV)between the two walls; and he went out toward the [t]Arabah. 5 But the army of the (AW)Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the (AX)plains of Jericho; and they took him and brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at (AY)Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he [u]passed sentence on him. 6 Then the (AZ)king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah (BA)before his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slaughtered all the (BB)nobles of Judah. 7 He then (BC)blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in (BD)shackles of bronze to bring him to (BE)Babylon. 8 The Chaldeans also (BF)burned the king’s palace and the houses of the people with fire, and they (BG)tore down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 And as for the rest of the people who were left in the city, the (BH)deserters who had deserted to him and (BI)the rest of the people who remained, (BJ)Nebuzaradan the (BK)captain of the bodyguard took them into exile in Babylon. 10 But some of the (BL)poorest people, who had nothing, (BM)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard left behind in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields [v]at that time.

Jeremiah Spared

11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave orders regarding (BN)Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, saying, 12 “Take him and [w]look after him, and (BO)do not do anything harmful to him, but rather deal with him just as he tells you.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard sent word, along with Nebushazban the [x]Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the [y]Rab-mag, and all the leading officers of the king of Babylon; 14 they even sent word and (BP)took Jeremiah out of the courtyard of the guardhouse and entrusted him to (BQ)Gedaliah, the son of (BR)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him home. So he stayed among the people.

15 Now the word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was (BS)confined in the courtyard of the guardhouse, saying, 16 “Go and speak to (BT)Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to bring My words on this city (BU)for disaster and not for [z]prosperity; and they will (BV)take place before you on that day. 17 But I will (BW)save you on that day,” declares the Lord, “and you will not be handed over to the men of whom you are afraid. 18 For I will assuredly rescue you, and you will not fall by the sword; but you will have your own (BX)life as plunder, because you have (BY)trusted in Me,” declares the Lord.’”

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after (BZ)Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from (CA)Ramah, when he had taken him bound in (CB)chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The (CC)Lord your God promised this disaster against this place; 3 and the Lord has brought it and done just as He promised. Because you people (CD)sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, this thing has happened to you. 4 But now, behold, I am (CE)setting you free today from the chains that are on your hands. If [aa]you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will [ab]look after you; but if [ac]you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, [ad]do not come. Look, the (CF)whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” 5 As [ae]Jeremiah was still not going back, [af]he said, “Go on back then to (CG)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has (CH)appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a (CI)ration and a (CJ)gift, and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to (CK)Mizpah to (CL)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

7 (CM)Now all the commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land, and that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and [ag]children, those of the (CN)poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8 So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with (CO)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, (CP)Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the (CQ)Netophathite, and (CR)Jezaniah the son of the (CS)Maacathite, both they and their men. 9 Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, (CT)swore to them and to their men, saying, “(CU)Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, so that it may go well for you. 10 Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay in Mizpah to (CV)stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, (CW)gather wine, (CX)summer fruit, and oil, and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.” 11 Likewise, also all the Jews who were in (CY)Moab and among the sons of (CZ)Ammon and in (DA)Edom, and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had [ah]left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 12 Then all the Jews (DB)returned from all the places to which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

13 Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, 14 and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of (DC)Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “(DD)Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know! Why should he (DE)take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the (DF)remnant of Judah would perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “(DG)Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”

Gedaliah Is Murdered

41 (DH)Now in the seventh month (DI)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal [ai]family and one of the chief officers of the king, along with ten men, came to Mizpah to (DJ)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. While they (DK)were eating bread together there in Mizpah, 2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him rose up, and (DL)struck and killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and (DM)put to death the one (DN)whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck and killed all the Jews who were with him, that is with Gedaliah in Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.

4 Now it happened on the [aj]next day after the killing of Gedaliah, when no one knew about it, 5 that eighty men (DO)came from (DP)Shechem, from (DQ)Shiloh, and from (DR)Samaria with (DS)their beards shaved off, their clothes torn, and [ak]their bodies (DT)gashed, having grain offerings and incense in their hands to bring to the (DU)house of the Lord. 6 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah left Mizpah to meet them, (DV)weeping as he went; and as he met them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” 7 Yet it turned out that as soon as they came inside the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men who were with him (DW)slaughtered them and threw them into the cistern. 8 But ten men who were found among them said to Ishmael, “Do not put us to death, for we have (DX)supplies of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the field.” So he refrained and did not put them to death along with their companions.

9 Now as for the cistern where Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men whom he had struck and killed [al]because of Gedaliah, it was the (DY)one that King Asa had constructed on (DZ)account of Baasha, king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead. 10 Then Ishmael took captive all the (EA)remnant of the people who were in Mizpah, the (EB)king’s daughters and all the people who were left in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard had put in the custody of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah took them captive and proceeded to cross over to the sons of (EC)Ammon.

Johanan Rescues the People

11 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the (ED)commanders of the forces that were with him heard about all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done. 12 So they took all the men and went to (EE)fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and they found him by the (EF)large [am]pool that is in Gibeon. 13 Now as soon as all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, they were joyful. 14 So all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah (EG)escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the sons of Ammon. 16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him took from Mizpah (EH)all the remnant of the people whom he had [an]recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after he had struck and killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, that is, the men who were [ao]soldiers, the women, the [ap]children, and the high officials, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they went and stayed in [aq](EI)Geruth Chimham, which is beside Bethlehem, in order to (EJ)proceed into Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were (EK)afraid of them, since Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had struck and killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom (EL)the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 38:4 Lit making slack the hands of
  2. Jeremiah 38:4 Lit the hands of all
  3. Jeremiah 38:5 Lit hand
  4. Jeremiah 38:7 Or high official
  5. Jeremiah 38:10 Lit in your hand
  6. Jeremiah 38:11 Lit hand
  7. Jeremiah 38:14 Lit took Jeremiah the prophet to him
  8. Jeremiah 38:16 Lit soul
  9. Jeremiah 38:16 Lit soul
  10. Jeremiah 38:17 Lit your soul
  11. Jeremiah 38:17 Lit live
  12. Jeremiah 38:20 Lit listen to the voice of
  13. Jeremiah 38:20 Lit your soul
  14. Jeremiah 38:22 Lit The men of your peace
  15. Jeremiah 38:27 Lit word
  16. Jeremiah 39:1 Ch 38:28b in Heb
  17. Jeremiah 39:1 Ch 39:1 in Heb
  18. Jeremiah 39:3 I.e., chief official
  19. Jeremiah 39:3 I.e., title of a high official
  20. Jeremiah 39:4 I.e., Jordan valley
  21. Jeremiah 39:5 Lit spoke judgments with
  22. Jeremiah 39:10 Lit on that day
  23. Jeremiah 39:12 Lit set your eyes on
  24. Jeremiah 39:13 I.e., chief official
  25. Jeremiah 39:13 I.e., title of a high official
  26. Jeremiah 39:16 Lit good
  27. Jeremiah 40:4 Lit it is good in your eyes
  28. Jeremiah 40:4 Lit set my eyes on
  29. Jeremiah 40:4 Lit it is evil in your eyes
  30. Jeremiah 40:4 Lit refrain
  31. Jeremiah 40:5 Lit he
  32. Jeremiah 40:5 I.e., Nebuzaradan
  33. Jeremiah 40:7 Lit infants
  34. Jeremiah 40:11 Lit given
  35. Jeremiah 41:1 Lit seed
  36. Jeremiah 41:4 Or second
  37. Jeremiah 41:5 Lit having cut themselves
  38. Jeremiah 41:9 Lit by the hand of
  39. Jeremiah 41:12 Lit waters
  40. Jeremiah 41:16 Lit brought back
  41. Jeremiah 41:16 Lit men of war
  42. Jeremiah 41:16 Lit infants
  43. Jeremiah 41:17 Or the lodging place of Chimham
Listen to Jeremiah 38-41
Close NIV

Jeremiah 38-41
New International Version

Jeremiah Thrown Into a Cistern

38 Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur(A), Jehukal[a](B) son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malkijah heard what Jeremiah was telling all the people when he said, 2 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague,(C) but whoever goes over to the Babylonians[b] will live. They will escape with their lives; they will live.’(D) 3 And this is what the Lord says: ‘This city will certainly be given into the hands of the army of the king of Babylon, who will capture it.’”(E)

4 Then the officials(F) said to the king, “This man should be put to death.(G) He is discouraging(H) the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people but their ruin.”

5 “He is in your hands,”(I) King Zedekiah answered. “The king can do nothing(J) to oppose you.”

6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard.(K) They lowered Jeremiah by ropes(L) into the cistern; it had no water in it,(M) only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.(N)

7 But Ebed-Melek,(O) a Cushite,[c] an official[d](P) in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting in the Benjamin Gate,(Q) 8 Ebed-Melek went out of the palace and said to him, 9 “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern,(R) where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread(S) in the city.”

10 Then the king commanded Ebed-Melek the Cushite, “Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies.”

11 So Ebed-Melek took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down with ropes(T) to Jeremiah in the cistern. 12 Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, “Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.” Jeremiah did so, 13 and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.(U)

Zedekiah Questions Jeremiah Again

14 Then King Zedekiah sent(V) for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the Lord. “I am going to ask you something,” the king said to Jeremiah. “Do not hide(W) anything from me.”

15 Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “If I give you an answer, will you not kill me? Even if I did give you counsel, you would not listen to me.”

16 But King Zedekiah swore this oath secretly(X) to Jeremiah: “As surely as the Lord lives, who has given us breath,(Y) I will neither kill you nor hand you over to those who want to kill you.”(Z)

17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender(AA) to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.(AB) 18 But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands(AC) of the Babylonians and they will burn(AD) it down; you yourself will not escape(AE) from them.’”

19 King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid(AF) of the Jews who have gone over(AG) to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them and they will mistreat me.”

20 “They will not hand you over,” Jeremiah replied. “Obey(AH) the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well(AI) with you, and your life(AJ) will be spared. 21 But if you refuse to surrender, this is what the Lord has revealed to me: 22 All the women(AK) left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. Those women will say to you:

“‘They misled you and overcame you—
    those trusted friends(AL) of yours.
Your feet are sunk in the mud;(AM)
    your friends have deserted you.’

23 “All your wives and children(AN) will be brought out to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape(AO) from their hands but will be captured(AP) by the king of Babylon; and this city will[e] be burned down.”(AQ)

24 Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Do not let anyone know(AR) about this conversation, or you may die. 25 If the officials hear that I talked with you, and they come to you and say, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us or we will kill you,’ 26 then tell(AS) them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house(AT) to die there.’”

27 All the officials did come to Jeremiah and question him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard his conversation with the king.

28 And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard(AU) until the day Jerusalem was captured.

The Fall of Jerusalem(AV)

This is how Jerusalem(AW) was taken: 39 1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah(AX) king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar(AY) king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege(AZ) to it. 2 And on the ninth day of the fourth(BA) month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall(BB) was broken through.(BC) 3 Then all the officials(BD) of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls,(BE) and headed toward the Arabah.[f](BF)

5 But the Babylonian[g] army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah(BG) in the plains of Jericho. They captured(BH) him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah(BI) in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles(BJ) of Judah. 7 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes(BK) and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.(BL)

8 The Babylonians[h] set fire(BM) to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls(BN) of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him,(BO) and the rest of the people.(BP) 10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.

11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: 12 “Take him and look after him; don’t harm(BQ) him but do for him whatever he asks.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers(BR) of the king of Babylon 14 sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard.(BS) They turned him over to Gedaliah(BT) son of Ahikam,(BU) the son of Shaphan,(BV) to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.(BW)

15 While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: 16 “Go and tell Ebed-Melek(BX) the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words(BY) against this city—words concerning disaster,(BZ) not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17 But I will rescue(CA) you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18 I will save(CB) you; you will not fall by the sword(CC) but will escape with your life,(CD) because you trust(CE) in me, declares the Lord.’”

Jeremiah Freed

40 The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had released him at Ramah.(CF) He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the captives(CG) from Jerusalem and Judah who were being carried into exile to Babylon. 2 When the commander(CH) of the guard found Jeremiah, he said to him, “The Lord your God decreed(CI) this disaster(CJ) for this place.(CK) 3 And now the Lord has brought it about; he has done just as he said he would. All this happened because you people sinned(CL) against the Lord and did not obey(CM) him. 4 But today I am freeing(CN) you from the chains(CO) on your wrists. Come with me to Babylon, if you like, and I will look after you; but if you do not want to, then don’t come. Look, the whole country lies before you; go wherever you please.”(CP) 5 However, before Jeremiah turned to go,[i] Nebuzaradan added, “Go back to Gedaliah(CQ) son of Ahikam,(CR) the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed(CS) over the towns(CT) of Judah, and live with him among the people, or go anywhere else you please.”(CU)

Then the commander gave him provisions and a present(CV) and let him go. 6 So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah(CW) and stayed with him among the people who were left behind in the land.

Gedaliah Assassinated(CX)

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(CY) over the land and had put him in charge of the men, women and children who were the poorest(CZ) in the land and who had not been carried into exile to Babylon, 8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(DA)—Ishmael(DB) son of Nethaniah, Johanan(DC) and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite,(DD) and Jaazaniah[j] the son of the Maakathite,(DE) and their men. 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve(DF) the Babylonians,[k](DG)” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.(DH) 10 I myself will stay at Mizpah(DI) to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine,(DJ) summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars,(DK) and live in the towns you have taken over.”(DL)

11 When all the Jews in Moab,(DM) Ammon, Edom(DN) and all the other countries(DO) heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 they all came back to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, from all the countries where they had been scattered.(DP) And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.

13 Johanan(DQ) son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(DR) 14 and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites(DS) has sent Ishmael(DT) son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 Then Johanan(DU) son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill(DV) 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(DW) and the remnant(DX) of Judah to perish?”

16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan(DY) son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”

41 In the seventh month Ishmael(DZ) son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was of royal blood and had been one of the king’s officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there, 2 Ishmael(EA) 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,(EB) killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed(EC) as governor over the land.(ED) 3 Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian[l] soldiers who were there.

4 The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, 5 eighty men who had shaved off their beards,(EE) torn their clothes(EF) and cut(EG) themselves came from Shechem,(EH) Shiloh(EI) and Samaria,(EJ) bringing grain offerings and incense(EK) with them to the house of the Lord.(EL) 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping(EM) as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”(EN) 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.(EO) 8 But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have wheat and barley, olive oil and honey, hidden in a field.”(EP) So he let them alone and did not kill them with the others. 9 Now the cistern where he threw all the bodies of the men he had killed along with Gedaliah was the one King Asa(EQ) had made as part of his defense(ER) against Baasha(ES) king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.

10 Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people(ET) who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters(EU) along with all the others who were left there, over whom Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.(EV)

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

Flight to Egypt

16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers(FC) who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,(FD) 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. 17 And they went on, stopping at Geruth Kimham(FE) near Bethlehem(FF) on their way to Egypt(FG) 18 to escape the Babylonians.[m] They were afraid(FH) of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah(FI) son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 38:1 Hebrew Jukal, a variant of Jehukal
  2. Jeremiah 38:2 Or Chaldeans; also in verses 18, 19 and 23
  3. Jeremiah 38:7 Probably from the upper Nile region
  4. Jeremiah 38:7 Or a eunuch
  5. Jeremiah 38:23 Or and you will cause this city to
  6. Jeremiah 39:4 Or the Jordan Valley
  7. Jeremiah 39:5 Or Chaldean
  8. Jeremiah 39:8 Or Chaldeans
  9. Jeremiah 40:5 Or Jeremiah answered
  10. Jeremiah 40:8 Hebrew Jezaniah, a variant of Jaazaniah
  11. Jeremiah 40:9 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 10
  12. Jeremiah 41:3 Or Chaldean
  13. Jeremiah 41:18 Or Chaldeans
Next
Jeremiah 37
Jeremiah 42
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV