| Chapter
41 |
| 1 | Now it
came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of
Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with
him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat
bread together in Mizpah. |
| 2 |
Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with
him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword,
and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. |
| 3 | Ishmael also slew all the
Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that
were found there, and the men of war. |
|
4 | And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah,
and no man knew it, |
| 5 |
That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, even
fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having
cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the
house of the LORD. |
| 6 | And
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all
along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come
to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. |
| 7
| And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael
the son of Nethaniah slew them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he,
and the men that were with him. |
| 8
| But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not:
for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of
honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren. |
| 9 | Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all
the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, was it which
Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of
Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain. |
|
10 | Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of
the people that were in Mizpah, even the king's daughters, and all the people
that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had
committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah
carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites. |
| 11 | But when Johanan the son of
Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the
evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, |
|
12 | Then they took all the men, and went to fight with
Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in
Gibeon. |
| 13 | Now it came
to pass, that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son
of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they
were glad. |
| 14 | So all the
people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and
returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah. |
|
15 | But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from
Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites. |
|
16 | Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the
captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom
he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he
had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women,
and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon: |
| 17 | And they departed, and
dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into
Egypt, |
| 18 | Because of the
Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah
had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in
the land. |
