Jeremiah 40:9

Christian Standard Bible ®

Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Gedalyahu the son of Achikam the son of Shafan swore to them and to their men, saying, Don't be afraid to serve the Kasdim: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Bavel, and it shall be well with you.

King James Version
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

English Standard Version
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

New American Standard Bible
Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, "Do 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.

New Century Version
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, made a promise to them, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon. Then everything will go well for you.

Amplified Bible
Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans; stay in this land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.

World English Bible
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, Don't be afraid to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam, the sonne of Shaphan sware vnto them, and to their men, saying, Feare not to serue the Caldeans: dwell in the lande, and serue the King of Babel, and it shall be well with you.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, "Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.

Berean Standard Bible
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you.

Contemporary English Version
Gedaliah told them, "There's no need to be afraid of the Babylonians. Everything will be fine, if we live peacefully and obey King Nebuchadnezzar.

Complete Jewish Bible
G'dalyahu the son of Achikam, the son of Shafan, swore to them and their men, "Don't be afraid to serve the Kasdim. Live in the land, serve the king of Bavel; and things will go well with you.

Darby Translation
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Easy-to-Read Version
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, made an oath to make the soldiers and their men feel more secure. This is what he said: "You soldiers, don't be afraid to serve the Babylonian people. Settle down in the land and serve the king of Babylon. If you do this, things will go well for you.

George Lamsa Translation
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans; dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Good News Translation
Gedaliah said to them, "I give you my word that there is no need for you to be afraid to surrender to the Babylonians. Settle in this land, serve the king of Babylonia, and all will go well with you.

Lexham English Bible
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, "You must not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.

Literal Translation
And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, Do not fear to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Godolias the sonne of Ahicam the sonne off Sapha, swore vnto the & their felowes on this maner: Be not afrayed to serue the Caldees, dwell in the lode, & do the kynge of Babilon seruyce, so shal ye prospere.

American Standard Version
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Bible in Basic English
And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath to them and their men, saying, Have no fear of the servants of the Chaldaeans: go on living in the land, and become the servants of the king of Babylon, and all will be well.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore unto them and to their men, saying: 'Fear not to serve the Chaldeans; dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

King James Version (1611)
And Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan, sware vnto them and to their men, saying, Feare not to serue the Caldeans: dwell in the land and serue the king of Babylon, and it shalbe well with you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicam, the sonne of Saphan, sware vnto them and their felowes in this maner: Be not afrayde to serue the Chaldees, dwel in the lande, and do the king of Babylon seruice, so shall ye prosper.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall be for joy and praise, and for glory to all the people of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I will do: and they shall fear and be provoked for all the good things and for all the peace which I will bring upon them.

English Revised Version
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Godolie, sone of Aicham, sone of Saphan, swoor to hem, and to the felowis of hem, and seide, Nyle ye drede to serue Caldeis; but dwelle ye in the lond, and serue ye the kyng of Babiloyne, and it schal be wel to you.

Update Bible Version
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men, saying, Don't be afraid to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

New English Translation
Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, took an oath so as to give them and their troops some assurance of safety. "Do not be afraid to submit to the Babylonians. Settle down in the land and submit to the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you.

New King James Version
And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

New Living Translation
Gedaliah vowed to them that the Babylonians meant them no harm. "Don't be afraid to serve them. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and all will go well for you," he promised.

New Life Bible
Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, made a promise to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid of serving the Babylonians. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon. Then it will go well with you.

New Revised Standard
Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan swore to them and their troops, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall go well with you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan swats unto them, and to their men saying, Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans, - dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon that it may be well with you.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Godolias the son of Ahicam the son of Saphan swore to them and to their companions, saying: Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Revised Standard Version
Gedali'ah the son of Ahi'kam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chalde'ans. Dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Young's Literal Translation
And swear to them doth Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, and to their men, saying, `Be not afraid of serving the Chaldeans, abide in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it is well for you;

THE MESSAGE
Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, promised them and their men, "You have nothing to fear from the Chaldean officials. Stay here on the land. Be subject to the king of Babylon. You'll get along just fine.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying, "Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you.

Contextual Overview

⁷All the commanders of the armies that were in the countryside—they and their men—heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam over the land. He had been put in charge of the men, women, and children from among the poorest of the land, who had not been deported to Babylon. ⁸So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The commanders included Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite—they and their men. ⁹Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore an oath to them and their men, assuring them, “Don’t be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well for you. ¹⁰As for me, I am going to live in Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather wine, summer fruit, and oil, place them in your storage jars, and live in the cities you have captured.” ¹¹When all the Judeans in Moab and among the Ammonites and in Edom and in all the other lands also heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, over them, ¹²they all returned from all the places where they had been banished and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and harvested a great amount of wine and summer fruit. ¹³Meanwhile, Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies in the countryside came to Gedaliah at Mizpah ¹⁴and warned him, “Don’t you realize that Baalis, king of the Ammonites, has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them. ¹⁵Then Johanan son of Kareah suggested to Gedaliah in private at Mizpah, “Let me go kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah. No one will know it. Why should he kill you and allow all of Judah that has gathered around you to scatter and the remnant of Judah to perish?” ¹⁶But Gedaliah son of Ahikam responded to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do that! What you’re saying about Ishmael is a lie.”

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

sware: 1 Samuel 20:16, 1 Samuel 20:17, 2 Kings 25:24

Fear: Jeremiah 27:11, Jeremiah 38:17-20, Genesis 49:15, Psalms 37:3, Psalms 128:2

Reciprocal: Genesis 46:3 - fear not 2 Chronicles 34:20 - Ahikam Jeremiah 27:8 - that nation Lamentations 5:9 - General Matthew 1:20 - fear not

Cross-References

Genesis 40:5
The king of Egypt’s cupbearer and baker, who were confined in the prison, each had a dream. Both had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning.

Genesis 40:10
On the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and its clusters ripened into grapes.

Genesis 40:13
In just three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position. You will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand the way you used to when you were his cupbearer.

Genesis 40:15
For I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing that they should put me in the dungeon.”

Genesis 40:18
“This is its interpretation,” Joseph replied. “The three baskets are three days.

Daniel 2:31
“Your Majesty, as you were watching, suddenly a colossal statue appeared. That statue, tall and dazzling, was standing in front of you, and its appearance was terrifying.

Daniel 4:8
Finally Daniel, named Belteshazzar after the name of my god—and a spirit of the holy gods is in him—came before me. I told him the dream:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan aware unto them and to their men,.... They might express their fears, that should they continue with Gedaliah, as they were inclined to do, could they be safe; that seeing they had encouraged Zedekiah to hold out the siege to the last against the Chaldeans, and they should hear where they were, would demand them, and they, should be taken and delivered up into their hands; upon which Gedaliah not only promises them safety, but swears to them that they should live safely with him, and never be delivered up to the Chaldeans, and that he would undertake to indemnify them, and preserve them:

saying, fear not to serve the Chaldeans; as if it was an evil to do it; or as if their yoke was hard and intolerable; or as if it would be unprofitable, and turn to no account; or they should be always in danger of their lives:

dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall he well with you; settle in the land, and do not rove about from place to place like fugitives; nor go out of the land through fear of the king of Babylon, but continue in it, and live in subjection to him, and depend upon it you will live comfortably and safely.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

To serve the Chaldeans - literally, as margin; to be their minister and lieutenant. Gedaliah supposed that officers of high rank would come from time to time from Babylon to look after the king’s interests. But whatever was ordered would be done through him, as being the prime minister.

Gather ye wine - As Jerusalem was captured in the fifth month, August, it would now be autumn, and there would be fruit upon the trees, enough to maintain the scanty population during the winter.

Taken - Or, seized. Every captain had probably occupied some place by force as his head quarters, and Gedaliah bids them retain them. He frankly accepts the whole existing state of things, as a necessary step toward re-establishing confidence.