Study Desk

Then Jeremiah went to ^(C1)Mizpah to ^(C2)Gedaliah the son of Ahikam and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.

^(C1)Now all the commanders of the forces that were in the field, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam over the land, and that he had put him in charge of the men, women, and ^(F1)children, those of the ^(C2)poorest of the land who had not been exiled to Babylon.

So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with ^(C1)Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, ^(C2)Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the ^(C3)Netophathite, and ^(C4)Jezaniah the son of the ^(C5)Maacathite, both they and their men.

Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ^(C1)swore to them and to their men, saying, "^(C2)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.

"Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay in Mizpah to ^(C1)stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, ^(C2)gather wine, ^(C3)summer fruit, and oil, and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over."

Likewise, also all the Jews who were in ^(C1)Moab and among the sons of ^(C2)Ammon and in ^(C3)Edom, and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had ^(F1)left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.

Then all the Jews ^(C1)returned from all the places to which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

Now Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah at Mizpah,

and said to him, "Are you well aware that Baalis the king of the sons of ^(C1)Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?" But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, "^(C1)Let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know! Why should he ^(C2)take your life, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered and the ^(C3)remnant of Judah would perish?"