Jeremiah 40:16

King James Version (1611 Edition)

But Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam sayd vnto Iohanan the sonne of Kareah; Thou shalt not do this thing, for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam responded to Johanan son of Kareah, “Don’t do that! What you’re saying about Ishmael is a lie.”

Hebrew Names Version
But Gedalyahu the son of Achikam said to Yochanan the son of Kareach, You shall not do this thing; for you speak falsely of Yishma'el.

King James Version
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

English Standard Version
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "You shall not do this thing, for you are speaking falsely of Ishmael."

New American Standard Bible
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael."

New Century Version
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Do not kill Ishmael! The things you are saying about Ishmael are not true."

Amplified Bible
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "Do not do this thing, for you are lying about Ishmael."

World English Bible
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, You shall not do this thing; for you speak falsely of Ishmael.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam said vnto Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, Thou shalt not doe this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

Legacy Standard Bible
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael."

Berean Standard Bible
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Do not do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is a lie."

Contemporary English Version
Gedaliah answered, "Don't kill Ishmael! What you've said about him can't be true."

Complete Jewish Bible
But G'dalyahu the son of Achikam said to Yochanan the son of Kareach, "Don't do it. What you are saying about Yishma‘el is not true."

Darby Translation
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing; for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

Easy-to-Read Version
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't kill Ishmael. The things you are saying about Ishmael are not true."

George Lamsa Translation
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, You shall not do this thing; for you are speaking falsely of Ishmael.

Good News Translation
But Gedaliah answered, "Don't do it! What you are saying about Ishmael is not true!"

Lexham English Bible
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "You must not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael."

Literal Translation
But Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, said to Johanan, the son of Kareah, You shall not do this thing. For you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The sayde Godolias the sonne of Ahicam to Iohanna the sonne of Carea: Thou shalt not do it, for they are but lies, that men saye of Ismael.

American Standard Version
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing; for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

Bible in Basic English
But Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, said to Johanan, the son of Kareah, You are not to do this: for what you say about Ishmael is false.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah: 'Thou shalt not do this thing; for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.'

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Gedaliah the sonne of Ahicam sayde to Iohanan the sonne of Careah, Thou shalt not do it: for they are but lyes that thou sayest of Ismael.

English Revised Version
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Godolie, the sone of Aicham, seide to Johannan, the sone of Caree, Nyle thou do this word, for thou spekist fals of Ismael.

Update Bible Version
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, You shall not do this thing; for you speak falsely of Ishmael.

Webster's Bible Translation
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

New English Translation
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Do not do that because what you are saying about Ishmael is not true."

New King James Version
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael."

New Living Translation
But Gedaliah said to Johanan, "I forbid you to do any such thing, for you are lying about Ishmael."

New Life Bible
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "Do not do this. For you are telling a lie about Ishmael."

New Revised Standard
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Do not do such a thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Gedaliah son of Ahikam unto Johanan son of Kareah, Thou mayest not do this thing, - for, falsely, art thou speaking against Ishmael.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Godolias the son of Ahicam said to Johanan the son of Caree: Do not this thing: for what thou sayst of Ismahel is false.

Revised Standard Version
But Gedali'ah the son of Ahi'kam said to Joha'nan the son of Kare'ah, "You shall not do this thing, for you are speaking falsely of Ish'mael."

Young's Literal Translation
And Gedaliah son of Ahikam saith unto Johanan son of Kareah, `Thou dost not do this thing, for falsehood thou art speaking concerning Ishmael.'

THE MESSAGE
But Gedaliah son of Ahikam told Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't do it. I forbid it. You're spreading a false rumor about Ishmael."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, "Do not do this thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael."

Contextual Overview

⁷ Now when all the captaines of the forces which were in the fields, euen they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam gouernour in the land, and had committed vnto him men, and women and children, and of the poore of the land, of them that were not caried away captiue to Babylon; ⁸ Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, euen Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah, and Iohanan, and Ionathan the sonnes of Kareah, and Seraiah the sonne of Tanhumeth, and the sonnes of Ephai the Netophathite, and Iezaniah the sonne of a Maachathite, they and their men. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah to serue the Caldeans, which will come vnto vs: but yee, gather yee wine, and summer fruits, and oyle, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities, that yee haue taken. ¹¹ Likewise when all the Iewes that were in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Iudah, and that he had set ouer them Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam the sonne of Shaphan; ¹² Euen all the Iewes returned out of all places whither they were driuen, and came to the land of Iudah, to Gedaliah vnto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits, very much. ¹³ Moreouer Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, and all the captaines of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, ¹⁴ And sayd vnto him, Doest thou certainly know, that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam beleeued them not. ¹⁵ Then Iohanan the sonne of Kareah, spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me goe, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the sonne of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it. Wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Iewes which are gathered vnto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Iudah perish? ¹⁶ But Gedaliah the sonne of Ahikam sayd vnto Iohanan the sonne of Kareah; Thou shalt not do this thing, for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Thou shalt: Jeremiah 41:2, Matthew 10:16, Matthew 10:17, Romans 3:8

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 25:25 - Ishmael Job 31:31 - the men Isaiah 33:15 - stoppeth

Cross-References

Genesis 40:1
And it came to passe after these things, that the Butler of the King of Egypt, and his Baker, had offended their lord the King of Egypt.

Genesis 40:2
And Pharaoh was wroth against two of his officers, against the chiefe of the Butlers, and against the chiefe of the Bakers.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah,.... In answer to his request, and the motion made by him:

thou shalt not do this thing; or, "do not do this thing" z; dissuading him from it, as being unlawful to take away a man's life in such a secret manner, without any legal process against him; though it seems to carry more in it, that he laid his commands upon him not to do it, and threatened him if he did:

for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael; or "a lie" a; a falsehood, a mere calumny; which was not using Johanan well, neither kindly nor genteelly, who had expressed such a concern for him, and for the public good. The event related in the following chapter shows that the information was good, and that it was no lie or calumny that was told; and it would have been well for Gedaliah, and the people of the Jews, had he given credit to it; but the time was not come for the Jewish commonwealth to be restored; and things were thus suffered to be, for the further punishment of the sins of that people.

z אל תעש את הדבר "noli facere hoc verbum", V. L. "ne facias verbum hoc", Pagninus, Montanus, Schmidt. a שקר "mendacium", Schmidt; "falsum", Pagninus, Montanus.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 40:16. Thou shalt not do this thing — He cannot be so base.

Thou speakest falsely of Ishmael. — He thought it quite possible that the man who was capable of becoming an assassin was capable of telling a lie; and therefore he would not credit what he said. Had he been a little more distrustful, he would have saved his own life. The next chapter shows that Johanan's information was too true. So noble Gedaliah lost his life by not believing that evil of others of which he himself was incapable.