Jeremiah

Murder of Gedaliah

It was the seventh month when Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family and the chief officer of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah, son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, at Mizpah. While they were eating together,

Ishmael and the men with him stood up and killed Gedaliah with the sword, thus murdering the man whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor of the land.

Ishmael also murdered the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers present there.

Two days after Gedaliah’s assassination, and before anyone had heard about it,

eighty men from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria arrived wearing shaved beards, torn clothes, and with their bodies slashed, carrying offerings and incense to the house of the Lord.

Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, left Mizpah to meet them, weeping as they departed. He told them: “Come along to Gedaliah, son of Ahikam.”

But as soon as he reached the center of the town, Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, and the men with him, killed them and threw their bodies into a cistern.

Ten of these men told Ishmael: “Don’t kill us, for we have provisions hidden in the country—grain, oil, barley, and honey.” Ishmael did not kill these men along with the others.

The cistern where Ishmael had thrown the corpses of the people he had killed was the large cistern built by King Asa when he had to defend himself against Baasha, king of Israel. Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, filled it with the slain.

Ishmael captured the small population of Mizpah, including the royal princesses whom Nebuzaradan, the commander of the bodyguard, had left in Gedaliah’s care. Ishmael forced them to follow him as they headed for the land of the Ammonites.

When Johanan, son of Kareah, and the army officers with him heard about Ishmael’s crimes, they gathered their men and went after him.

They caught up with him at the great pool of Gibeon.

As soon as the people Ishmael had taken by force from Mizpah saw Johanan, son of Kareah, and the army officers with him, they rejoiced and

returned to join Johanan.

Meanwhile, Ishmael was able to flee from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites

Then Johanan and the army officers with him took the people he had rescued from Ishmael, son of Nethaniah. These were the men, women, children, and court officials that Ishmael forcibly took from Mizpah after killing Gedaliah. Johanan brought them from Gibeon,

and they stayed at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem. They planned to move on later toward Egypt

because of their fear of the Chaldeans, as Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, who was appointed governor of the land by the king of Babylon.