Jeremiah 41

¹ But in the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, was of royal descent, and ten men with him, came to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. And as they were taking their meal together, there at Mizpah,

² Ishmael son of Nethaniah stood up with his ten men, and attacking Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with their swords, murdered the man whom the king of Babylon had made governor of the country.

³ And all the Judaeans who were with him at the feast, and those of the Chaldaeans who happened to be there – they were fighting men – Ishmael killed too.

⁴ On the day after the murder of Gedaliah, before the news had become known,

⁵ eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved off, their garments torn and their bodies gashed; they had oblations and incense with them to take to the Temple of Yahweh.

⁶ Ishmael son of Nethaniah left Mizpah to meet them as they approached, weeping as they went. When he met them he said, ‘Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam’.

⁷ But once they were well inside the town, Ishmael son of Nethaniah slaughtered them, with the help of his men, and threw them into a cistern.

⁸ There were ten of them, however, who said to Ishmael, ‘Do not kill us: we have stocks of wheat and barley, oil and honey, hidden away in the fields’. So he spared them and did not kill them with their brothers.

⁹ The cistern into which Ishmael threw the corpses of all the men he had killed was a large cistern which King Asa had built as a precaution against Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the bodies of his victims.

¹⁰ Then Ishmael led the entire remnant of the people at Mizpah away, and the royal princesses whom Nebuzaradan, commander of the guard, had left in the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah set out early to cross to the Ammonites.

¹¹ When Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders who were with him heard about all the crimes committed by Ishmael son of Nethaniah,

¹² mustering all their men, they set out to attack Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him at the great Pool of Gibeon.

¹³ At the sight of Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders with him, all the people with Ishmael were beside themselves with joy.

¹⁴ All the people whom Ishmael had led away from Mizpah turned about and rallied to Johanan son of Kareah.

¹⁵ Ishmael son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight of his men and fled to the Ammonites.

¹⁶ Johanan son of Kareah and all the army leaders with him then rallied the entire remnant of the people whom Ishmael son of Nethaniah had led away from Mizpah after the murder of Gedaliah son of Ahikam: men, women and children, and eunuchs, whom Johanan brought back from Gibeon.

¹⁷ They set out, making a halt at Khan Kimham near Bethlehem. Their plan was to make for Egypt,

¹⁸ away from the Chaldaeans, of whom they were now terrified because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam whom the king of Babylon had made governor of the country.