Jeremiah 40:5-16

5As 1Jeremiah was still not going back, 2he said, “Go on back then to 3Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has 4appointed 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 5ration and a 6gift, and let him go. 6Then Jeremiah went to 7Mizpah to 8Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

79Now all the commanders 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 10children, those of the 11poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with 12Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, 13Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the 14Netophathite, and 15Jezaniah the son of the 16Maacathite, both they and their men. 9Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 17swore to them and to their men, saying, “18Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, so that it may go well for you. 10Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay in Mizpah to 19stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, 20gather wine, 21summer 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 22Moab and among the sons of 23Ammon and in 24Edom, and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had 25left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 12Then all the Jews 26returned from all the places to which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered 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 27Ammon 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, “28Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know! Why should he 29take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the 30remnant of Judah would perish?” 16But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “31Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”