41 In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, a descendant of the royal family and one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating a meal together there, 2 Ishmael son of Nethaniah got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, with a sword, killing the man the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah and also the Chaldean soldiers they found there.
4 The next day, the day after Gedaliah was assassinated, before anyone knew about it, 5 men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria—eighty men in all—with their beards shaved, their clothing torn, and their bodies gashed.[a] They came bringing grain offerings and incense to the House of the Lord. 6 Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he came. As he met them he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.” 7 When they got to the middle of the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men with him began to kill them, throwing their bodies into a cistern. 8 But ten of them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have food hidden in the countryside: wheat, barley, oil, and honey!”
So he stopped and did not murder them along with the others. 9 Now the cistern into which Ishmael threw all the dead bodies of the murdered men was a large one,[b] which had been built by King Asa to defend against Ba’asha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the murdered men.
10 Then Ishmael made prisoners of all the people who were left in Mizpah, including the king’s daughters and the others who were left there in Mizpah—people whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had placed under the care of Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them as prisoners and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
11 But when Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers with him heard about all the crimes that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, 12 they took all of their men and went to attack Ishmael son of Nethaniah. They caught up with him by the great pool at Gibeon. 13 When all the people with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers who were with him, they were glad. 14 All of the people whom Ishmael had taken prisoner turned back and went to Johanan son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and went over to the Ammonites.
16 Then Johanan son of Kareah and the army officers with him took all the survivors from Mizpah, whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam—the soldiers, the women, the children, and the court officials that Johanan had brought back from Gibeon. 17 They left there and stayed at Geruth Kimham near Bethlehem. They were on the way to Egypt 18 because they were afraid of the Chaldeans, since Ishmael son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 41:5 All these actions were signs of mourning.
- Jeremiah 41:9 The translation was a large one follows the Greek reading. The Hebrew reading by the hand of Gedaliah does not seem to fit the context.