Jeremiah 40:6-15

6Then Jeremiah went to 1Mizpah to 2Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

73Now 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 4children, those of the 5poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon. 8So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with 6Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, 7Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the 8Netophathite, and 9Jezaniah the son of the 10Maacathite, both they and their men. 9Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 11swore to them and to their men, saying, “12Do 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 13stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, 14gather wine, 15summer 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 16Moab and among the sons of 17Ammon and in 18Edom, and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had 19left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. 12Then all the Jews 20returned 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 21Ammon 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, “22Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know! Why should he 23take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the 24remnant of Judah would perish?”