Jeremiah 41
1Now
it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes
of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together
in Mizpah.
2Then arose Ishmael the son of
Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and
slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.
3Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans
that were found there, and the men of war.
4And
it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,
5That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even fourscore men, having their
beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them
to the house of the LORD.
6And Ishmael the
son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he
said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
7And
it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the
midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.
8But
ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley,
and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.
9Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of
Gedaliah, was it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it
with them that were slain.
10Then Ishmael
carried away captive all the residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people that
remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the
son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites.
11But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were
with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
12Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by
the great waters that are in Gibeon.
13Now
it came to pass, that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the
forces that were with him, then they were glad.
14So
all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of
Kareah.
15But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah
escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites.
16Then
took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom
he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even
mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:
17And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem,
to go to enter into Egypt,
18Because of the
Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the
king of Babylon made governor in the land.