The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 40 Jeremiah stays in Mizpah with Gedaliah

 The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah 40

Jeremiah stays in Mizpah with Gedaliah

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had let him go from Ramah, when he took him, while he was bound with chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who had been carried away captive to Babylon;

2 For the captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God has pronounced this evil against this place;

3 And the Lord has brought it about, and has done as he said, because you have sinned against the Lord and have not obeyed his voice; therefore all this has happened to you.

4 Now therefore, behold, I have released you today from the chains that were on your hands. If you are willing to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will watch over you; but if you are not willing to come with me to Babylon, do not come.” Look, all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and right to you to go, go there.

5 But since he had not returned, he said to him, “Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed over the cities of Judah, and live with him among the people; or if you prefer to go anywhere else, go.” And the captain of the guard gave him provisions for the journey and a present, and let him go.

6 So Jeremiah came to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and lived with him among the people who remained in the land.

7 Now all the commanders of the armies who were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land and had entrusted to him the men, women, children, and the poorest of the land who had not been taken captive to Babylon.

8 They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They were: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan, Jonathan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of a Maacathite, they and their men.

9 Then Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”

10 But I, behold, I am dwelling in Mizpah to be at the service of the Chaldeans who have come to us; and you gather the wine, the summer fruits, and the oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities which you have taken.

11 Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and those who were in all those lands, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah, and that he had set Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over them,

12 Then all the Jews returned from all the places where they had been scattered, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.

13 Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the commanders of the armies who were in the field, came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.

14 They said to him, “You know that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you.” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15 However, Johanan son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah secretly at Mizpah, saying, “I will go now and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah without anyone knowing it. Why should he kill you, and all Judah who are gathered to you be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?”

16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not do such a thing; for you are speaking falsely against Ishmael.”