Jeremiah 40

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after 1Nebuzaradan captain of the bodyguard had released him from 2Ramah, when he had taken him bound in 3chains among all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2Now the captain of the bodyguard had taken Jeremiah and said to him, “The 4Lord your God promised this calamity against this place; 3and the Lord has brought it on and done just as He promised. Because you people 5sinned against the Lord and did not listen to His voice, therefore this thing has happened to you. 4But now, behold, I am 6freeing you today from the chains which are on your hands. If 7you would prefer to come with me to Babylon, come along, and I will 8look after you; but if 9you would prefer not to come with me to Babylon, 10never mind. Look, the 11whole land is before you; go wherever it seems good and right for you to go.” 5As 12Jeremiah was still not going back, 13he said, “Go on back then to 14Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has 15appointed over the cities of Judah, and stay with him among the people; or else go anywhere it seems right for you to go.” So the captain of the bodyguard gave him a 16ration and a 17gift and let him go. 6Then Jeremiah went to 18Mizpah to 19Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

720Now all the 21commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land and that he had put him in charge of the men, women and 22children, those of the 23poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with 24Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and 25Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the 26Netophathite, and 27Jezaniah the son of the 28Maacathite, both they and their men. 9Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 29swore to them and to their men, saying, “30Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you. 10Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to 31stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, 32gather in wine and 33summer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.” 11Likewise, also all the Jews who were in 34Moab and among the sons of 35Ammon and in 36Edom and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 12Then all the Jews 37returned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

13Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14and said to him, “Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of 38Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “39Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and not a man will know! Why should he 40take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the 41remnant of Judah would perish?” 16But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “42Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”