Jeremiah Remains in Judah

1The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH, after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard released him from Ramah. He found him bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were carried away captive to Babylon. 2The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “YHWH your God decreed disaster on this place. 3And now YHWH has brought it, and done as ʜᴇ decreed. Because y’all have sinned against YHWH, and have not obeyed ʜɪꜱ voice, this has happened to y’all. 4Now look! I am releasing you today from the chains on your hands. If it seems good to you to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems bad to you to come with me into Babylon, do not come. See, all the land is before you. Where it seems good and right to you to go, go there.” 5When Jeremiah had not yet turned to go, Nebuzaradan said to him, “Go back then to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people, or go wherever it seems right to you to go.”

So the captain of the guard gave him food and a present, and let him go. 6Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah, and lived with him among the people who were left in the land.

Gedaliah Made Governor

7Now when all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, and of the poorest of the land, of those who were not carried away captive to Babylon, 8then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men came to Gedaliah to Mizpah. 9Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, “Y’all must not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Y’all are to dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for y’all. 10As for me, I am going to remain at Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans who will come to us. But y’all are to gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and put them in your* vessels, and dwell in the cities that y’all have captured.”

11Likewise when all the Jews who were in Moab, and among the children of Ammon, and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 12then all the Jews returned out of all places where they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, and gathered very much wine and summer fruits.

13Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, 14and said to him, “Are you aware-aware that Baalis the king of the children of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?”

But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam didn’t believe them.

15Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, “Please let me go, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man will know it. Why should he take your life, that all the Jews who are gathered to you should be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?”

16But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You must not do this thing, for you speak falsely of Ishmael.”