Jeremiah Stays in Judah

40 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after ^(A)Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from ^(B)Ramah, when he had taken him bound in ^(C)chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. ² And the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “^(D)Yahweh your God promised this calamity against this place; ³ and Yahweh has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people ^(E)sinned against Yahweh and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. ⁴ So now, behold, I am ^(F)freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will set my eyes to look after you; but if it ^[a]is displeasing in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, ^[b]never mind. Look, the ^(G)whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right in your eyes to go.” ⁵ But as ^[c]Jeremiah had not yet set out to return, ^[d]he said, “Return then to ^(H)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has ^(I)appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere that is right in your eyes to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a ^(J)ration and a ^(K)gift and let him go. ⁶ Then Jeremiah went to ^(L)Mizpah to ^(M)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who remained in the land.

^7 (N)Then all the ^[e]commanders of the military 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 appointed him over the men, women, little ones, and those of the ^(O)poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. ⁸ So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with ^(P)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and ^(Q)Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the ^(R)Netophathite, and ^(S)Jezaniah the son of the ^(T)Maacathite, both they and their men. ⁹ Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ^(U)swore to them and to their men, saying, “^(V)Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you. ¹⁰ Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to ^(W)stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, ^(X)gather in wine and ^(Y)summer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels and stay in your cities that you have seized.” ¹¹ And also all the Jews, who were in ^(Z)Moab and among the sons of ^(AA)Ammon and in ^(AB)Edom and who were in all the other lands, heard that the king of Babylon had 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 ^(AC)returned from all the places to which they had been banished and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

¹³ Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the military forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah ¹⁴ and said to him, “Do you indeed know that Baalis the king of the sons of ^(AD)Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to strike down 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, “^(AE)Let me go and strike down Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he ^(AF)strike down your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the ^(AG)remnant of Judah would perish?” ¹⁶ But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “^(AH)Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”