CHAPTER 40

¹The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan the high chamberlain sent him off when he took him—and he was bound in fetters—in the midst of all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah who were exiled to Babylonia. ²And the high chamberlain took Jeremiah and said to him, “The LORD your God spoke of this evil concerning this place. ³And the LORD brought to pass and did as He had spoken, for you offended against the LORD and did not heed His voice, and this thing happened to you. ⁴And now, I release you today from the fetters that are on your hands, and if it be good in your eyes to come with me to Babylonia, come, and I will keep my eye on you. And if it be not right in your eyes to come with me to Babylonia, do not. See, all the land is before you. To wherever is good and right in your eyes to go, there go.” ⁵And yet he did not turn back. “And turn back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylonia appointed over the towns of Judah and stay with him in the midst of the people, or wherever is right in your eyes to go, go.” And the high chamberlain gave him a food allotment and provisions and sent him off. ⁶And Jeremiah came to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and he stayed with him in the midst of the people remaining in the land.

⁷And all the commanders of the troops who were in the field heard, both they and their men, that the king of Babylonia had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land and that he had left with him men, women, and children, some of the poor of the land who had not been exiled to Babylonia. ⁸And they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and Johanan and Jonathan sons of Kareah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Eiphai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of Maacathite, they and their men. ⁹And Gedaliah son of Ahikam swore to them, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylonia, and it will go well with you. ¹⁰As for me, here I am staying in Mizpah to stand in attendance before the Chaldeans who come to us, and you, gather wine and summer fruit in your vessels, and dwell in your towns of which you have taken hold.” ¹¹And also all the Judahites who were in Moab and in Ammon and in Edom and in all the lands had heard that the king of Babylonia had left a remnant for Judah and had appointed over them Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan. ¹²And the Judahites turned back from all the places where they were scattered and came to the land of Judah to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance. ¹³And Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the troops who were in the field had come to Gedaliah at Mizpah. ¹⁴And they said to him, “Do you actually 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. ¹⁵And Johanan son of Kareah secretly said to Gedaliah at Mizpah, saying, “Let me go, pray, and strike down Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no man will know. Why should he kill you, and all Judah gathered round you will disperse, and the remnant of Judah will perish?” ¹⁶And Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you speak a lie about Ishmael.”