Gedaliah Assassinated(A)

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, 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. Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be afraid to serve(I) the Babylonians,[b](J)” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.(K) 10 I myself will stay at Mizpah(L) to represent you before the Babylonians who come to us, but you are to harvest the wine,(M) summer fruit and olive oil, and put them in your storage jars,(N) and live in the towns you have taken over.”(O)

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 40:8 Hebrew Jezaniah, a variant of Jaazaniah
  2. Jeremiah 40:9 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 10

Gedaliah Advises Peace

All the commanders of the armies that were in the countryside—they and their men—heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land. He had been put in charge of the men, women, and children from among the poorest of the land, who had not been deported to Babylon. So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The commanders included Ishmael(A) son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men.

Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.(B) 10 As for me, I am going to live in Mizpah to represent you[a] before the Chaldeans(C) who come to us. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your storage jars, and live in the cities you have captured.”

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Footnotes

  1. 40:10 Lit to stand

Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;

Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

10 As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.

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