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. ⁹ 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)