⌊And then⌋a in the seventh month Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, from the offspring of the kingship, and one of the chief officers of the king, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah, ⌊along with⌋b ten men. And they ate bread together there at Mizpah. 2 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah got up, ⌊along with⌋c the ten men who were with him, and they struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword and killed him whom the king of Babylon had appointed in an official position over the land. 3 Then Ishmael killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, ⌊along with⌋d the Chaldeans who were found there, ⌊the soldiers⌋.e

The Massacre of the Mourners

4 ⌊And then⌋f on the second day of the killing of Gedaliah—and ⌊no one⌋g knew— 5 then men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men with shaven beardsh and torn garments, who had cut themselves with blades, ⌊having⌋i grain offeringsj and frankincense in their handsk to bring to the ⌊temple⌋l of Yahweh. 6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah came out to meet them from Mizpah, ⌊weeping as he came⌋.m ⌊And then⌋n as he was meeting them, he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam.” 7 ⌊And then⌋,o the moment of their coming to the middle of the city, then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, ⌊along with⌋p the men who were with him, slaughteredq them and threw them to the middle of the pit.r 8 But ten men were found among them, and they said to Ishmael, “You must not kill us, for ⌊we have⌋s hidden treasures in the field, wheat, and barley, and oil, and honey. So he refrained and he did not kill them in the midst of their fellow countrymen. 9 Now the pitt into which Ishmael threw all the corpses of the men whom he had killed ⌊along with⌋u Gedaliah was the same one that King Asa had made because of Baasha the king of Israel, who was against him. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain ones.