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Jeremiah 40:7-41:18
Contemporary English Version
Jeremiah 40:7-41:18
Contemporary English Version
The Harvest Is Brought In
7-8 (A) Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, together with Johanan and Jonathan, the two sons of Kareah, had been officers in Judah's army. And so had Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah from Maacah. They and their troops had been stationed outside Jerusalem and had not been captured. They heard that Gedaliah had been chosen to rule Judah, and that the poorest men, women, and children had not been taken away to Babylonia. So they went to Mizpah and met with their new ruler.
9 Gedaliah told them, “There's no need to be afraid of the Babylonians. Everything will be fine, if we live peacefully and obey King Nebuchadnezzar.[a] 10 I will stay here at Mizpah and meet with the Babylonian officials on each of their visits. But you must go back to your towns and bring in the harvest, then store the wine, olive oil, and dried fruit.”
11-12 Earlier, when the Babylonians had invaded Judah, many of the Jews escaped to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and several other countries. But these Jews heard that the king of Babylonia had appointed Gedaliah as ruler of Judah, and that only a few people were left there. So the Jews in these other countries came back to Judah and helped with the grape and fruit harvest, which was especially large that year.
Gedaliah Is Murdered
13 One day, Johanan got together with some of the other men who had been army officers, and they came to Mizpah and met with Gedaliah. 14 They said, “Gedaliah, we came to warn you that King Baalis of Ammon hired Ishmael to murder you!”
Gedaliah refused to believe them, 15 so Johanan went to Gedaliah privately and said, “Let me kill Ishmael. No one will find out who did it. There are only a few people left in Judah, but they are depending on you. And if you are murdered, they will be scattered or killed.”
16 Gedaliah answered, “Don't kill Ishmael! What you've said about him can't be true.”
41 (B) But in the seventh month,[b] Ishmael[c] came to Mizpah with ten of his soldiers. He had been one of the king's officials and was a member of the royal family. Ishmael and his men were invited to eat with Gedaliah. 2 During the meal, Ishmael and his soldiers killed Gedaliah, the man chosen as ruler of Judah by the king of Babylonia. 3 Then they killed the Jews who were with Gedaliah, and they also killed the Babylonian soldiers who were there.
4 The next day, the murders had still not been discovered, 5 when 80 men came down the road toward Mizpah from the towns of Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They were on their way to the temple to offer gifts of grain and incense to the Lord. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves, because they were mourning.
6 Ishmael went out the town gate to meet them. He pretended to be weeping, and he asked them to come into Mizpah to meet with Gedaliah, the ruler of Judah. 7 But after they were inside the town, Ishmael ordered his soldiers to kill them and throw their bodies into a well. 8 He let ten of the men live, because they offered to give him supplies of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey they had hidden in a field. 9 The well that he filled with bodies[d] had been dug by King Asa[e] of Judah to store rainwater, because he was afraid that King Baasha[f] of Israel might surround Mizpah and keep the people from getting to their water supply.
10 Nebuzaradan, King Nebuchadnezzar's[g] officer in charge of the guard, had left King Zedekiah's[h] daughters and many other people at Mizpah, and he had put Gedaliah in charge of them. But now Ishmael took them all prisoner and led them toward Ammon, on the other side of the Jordan River.
11 Johanan and the other army officers heard what Ishmael had done. 12 So they and their troops chased Ishmael and caught up with him at the large pit at Gibeon. 13 When Ishmael's prisoners saw Johanan and the officers, they were happy 14 and turned around and ran toward Johanan. 15 But Ishmael and eight of his men escaped and went to Ammon.
Johanan Decides To Take the People to Egypt
16 Johanan and the officers had rescued the women, children, and royal officials that Ishmael had taken prisoner after killing Gedaliah. Johanan led the people from Gibeon 17-18 toward Egypt. They wanted to go there, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do when they found out that Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the ruler appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar.[i]
The People Ask Jeremiah To Pray for Them
On the way to Egypt, we[j] stopped at the town of Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem.
Footnotes
- 40.9 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
- 41.1 seventh month: Tishri, also called Ethanim, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar, from about mid-September to mid-October.
- 41.1 Ishmael: Hebrew “Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama.”
- 41.9 with bodies: One ancient translation; Hebrew “with bodies of those killed by Gedaliah.”
- 41.9 Asa: Ruled 911–870 b.c.
- 41.9 Baasha: Ruled 909–886 b.c.
- 41.10 Nebuchadnezzar's: See the note at 21.2.
- 41.10 Zedekiah's: See the note at 1.3.
- 41.17,18 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2.
- 41.17,18 we: The group of people included Jeremiah, since he had been staying with Gedaliah near Mizpah (see 40.6).
Jeremiah 40:7-41:18
New International Version
Jeremiah 40:7-41:18
New International Version
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)
11 When all the Jews in Moab,(P) Ammon, Edom(Q) and all the other countries(R) 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.(S) And they harvested an abundance of wine and summer fruit.
13 Johanan(T) son of Kareah and all the army officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(U) 14 and said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites(V) has sent Ishmael(W) son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.
15 Then Johanan(X) son of Kareah said privately to Gedaliah in Mizpah, “Let me go and kill(Y) 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(Z) and the remnant(AA) of Judah to perish?”
16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan(AB) son of Kareah, “Don’t do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true.”
41 In the seventh month Ishmael(AC) 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(AD) 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,(AE) killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed(AF) as governor over the land.(AG) 3 Ishmael also killed all the men of Judah who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian[c] 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,(AH) torn their clothes(AI) and cut(AJ) themselves came from Shechem,(AK) Shiloh(AL) and Samaria,(AM) bringing grain offerings and incense(AN) with them to the house of the Lord.(AO) 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping(AP) as he went. When he met them, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”(AQ) 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.(AR) 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.”(AS) 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(AT) had made as part of his defense(AU) against Baasha(AV) king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the dead.
10 Ishmael made captives of all the rest of the people(AW) who were in Mizpah—the king’s daughters(AX) 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.(AY)
11 When Johanan(AZ) 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(BA) Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him near the great pool(BB) in Gibeon. 13 When all the people(BC) 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(BD) turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped(BE) from Johanan and fled to the Ammonites.
Flight to Egypt
16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers(BF) who were with him led away all the people of Mizpah who had survived,(BG) 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(BH) near Bethlehem(BI) on their way to Egypt(BJ) 18 to escape the Babylonians.[d] They were afraid(BK) of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah(BL) son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 40:8 Hebrew Jezaniah, a variant of Jaazaniah
- Jeremiah 40:9 Or Chaldeans; also in verse 10
- Jeremiah 41:3 Or Chaldean
- Jeremiah 41:18 Or Chaldeans
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