JeremiahChapter 40

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¹The LORD gave a message to Jeremiah after Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, set him free at Ramah. Nebuzaradan had found him there in chains. He was among all the captives from Jerusalem and Judah who were being taken away to Babylon. ²The captain of the guard found Jeremiah. He said to him, "The LORD your God said this disaster would come on this place. ³Now the LORD has made it happen. He has done just what he said. You people sinned against the LORD and did not obey his voice. That is why this has happened to you. ⁴But today I am setting you free from the chains on your wrists. If you want to come with me to Babylon, then come. I will take care of you. But if you don't want to come with me to Babylon, then don't. Look, the whole land is in front of you. Go wherever you think is good and right." ⁵Before Jeremiah turned to go, Nebuzaradan added, "Go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. The king of Babylon has put him in charge of the towns of Judah. Stay with him among the people. Or go anywhere else you think is right." Then the captain of the guard gave him food and a gift. And he let him go. ⁶So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. He stayed with him among the people left in the land. ⁷All the army commanders and their men out in the countryside heard that the king of Babylon had put Gedaliah son of Ahikam in charge of the land. They heard he had put him over the men, women, and children who were the poorest in the land. These people had not been taken away to Babylon. ⁸So they and their men came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They were 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. ⁹Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, made a promise with an oath to them and their men. He said, "Don't be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon. Then it will go well with you. ¹⁰As for me, I will stay in Mizpah. I will speak for you to the Chaldeans who come to us. As for you, gather grapes for wine, summer fruit, and olive oil. Put them in your storage jars. Live in the towns you have taken over." ¹¹All the Jews in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and all the other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a small group of people in Judah. They heard he had put Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, in charge of them. ¹²So they all came back from all the places where they had been scattered. They came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they gathered a large harvest of grapes for wine and summer fruit. ¹³Meanwhile, Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders out in the countryside came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. ¹⁴They said to him, "Do you 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. ¹⁵Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in secret at Mizpah. "Let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah," he said. "No one will know. Why should he kill you? Then all the people of Judah who have gathered around you would be scattered. The few people left in Judah would perish." ¹⁶But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Don't do such a thing! What you are saying about Ishmael is a lie."