Jeremiah 40

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, ^aafter that Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard had let him go from ^bRamah, when he had taken him being bound in ^cchains among all ^dthat were carried away captive of Jerusalem and Judah, which were carried away captive unto Babylon. ²And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and ^esaid unto him, ^fThe Lord thy God hath pronounced this evil upon this place. ³Now the Lord hath brought it, and done according as he hath said: ^egbecause ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. ⁴And now behold, I loose thee this day from ^hthe chains which were upon thine hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee: but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, ⁱall the land is before thee: whither ⁱit seemeth good and convenient for thee to go, thither go. ⁵Now while he was not yet gone back, ^jhe said, Go back also to ^kGedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, ^lwhom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him ^mamong the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him ⁿvictuals and a ^oreward, and let him go. ⁶Then went Jeremiah unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to ^pMizpah; and dwelt with him ^mamong the people that were left in the land.

^7qNow when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that ^lthe 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 ^rof the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon; ⁸then they came to Gedaliah to ^pMizpah, even ^sIshmael the son of Nethaniah, and ^tJohanan and Jonathan the sons of ^tKareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and ^uJezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. ⁹And 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 ^vit shall be well with you. ¹⁰As for me, behold, I will dwell at ^pMizpah 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. ^11vLikewise when all the Jews that were in ^wMoab, and among the ^xAmmonites, and in ^yEdom, and that were in all the countries, heard that ^lthe king of Babylon had ^zleft a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan; ^12zzeven all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and ^agathered wine and summer fruits very much.

¹³Moreover ^tJohanan the son of Kareah, and ^ball the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, ¹⁴and said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that ^cBaalis the king of ^xthe Ammonites hath sent ^sIshmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not. ¹⁵Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish? ¹⁶But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

XLI.