Jeremiah 40
40
1The Lord gave a message to Jeremiah after Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had released him at Ramah. He had found Jeremiah bound in chains among all the other captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being sent to exile in Babylon.
2The captain of the guard called for Jeremiah and said, “The Lord your God has brought this disaster on this land, 3just as he said he would. For these people have sinned against the Lord and disobeyed him. That is why it happened. 4But I am going to take off your chains and let you go. If you want to come with me to Babylon, you are welcome. I will see that you are well cared for. But if you don’t want to come, you may stay here. The whole land is before you—go wherever you like. 5If you decide to stay, then return to Gedaliah son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan. He has been appointed governor of Judah by the king of Babylon. Stay there with the people he rules. But it’s up to you; go wherever you like.”
Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, gave Jeremiah some food and money and let him go. 6So Jeremiah returned to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and he lived in Judah with the few who were still left in the land.
Gedaliah Governs in Judah
7The leaders of the Judean military groups in the countryside heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor over the poor people who were left behind in Judah—the men, women, and children who hadn’t been exiled to Babylon. 8So they went to see Gedaliah at Mizpah. These included: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, Jezaniah son of the Maacathite, and all their men.
9Gedaliah vowed to them that the Babylonians#40:9 Or Chaldeans; also in 40:10. meant them no harm. “Don’t be afraid to serve them. Live in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and all will go well for you,” he promised. 10“As for me, I will stay at Mizpah to represent you before the Babylonians who come to meet with us. Settle in the towns you have taken, and live off the land. Harvest the grapes and summer fruits and olives, and store them away.”
11When the Judeans in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and the other nearby countries heard that the king of Babylon had left a few people in Judah and that Gedaliah was the governor, 12they began to return to Judah from the places to which they had fled. They stopped at Mizpah to meet with Gedaliah and then went into the Judean countryside to gather a great harvest of grapes and other crops.
A Plot against Gedaliah
13Soon after this, Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. 14They said to him, “Did you know that Baalis, king of Ammon, has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to assassinate you?” But Gedaliah refused to believe them.
15Later Johanan had a private conference with Gedaliah and volunteered to kill Ishmael secretly. “Why should we let him come and murder you?” Johanan asked. “What will happen then to the Judeans who have returned? Why should the few of us who are still left be scattered and lost?”
16But Gedaliah said to Johanan, “I forbid you to do any such thing, for you are lying about Ishmael.”
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Jeremiah 40: NLT
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Jeremiah 40
40
Jeremiah Decides to Remain in the Land
1The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard,#Hebrew “guards” had let him go from Ramah, where he had been taken#Literally “at his taking him bound in chains in the midst of all the exiles#Hebrew “exile” of Jerusalem and Judah who were being deported to Babylon. 2And the captain of the guard#Hebrew “guards” took Jeremiah and said to him, “Yahweh your God threatened this disaster to this place, 3and now he has brought it about,#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation and Yahweh has done just as#Literally “as that” he threatened. Because you sinned against Yahweh and did not listen to his voice, so this thing has happened to you. 4And so then look, I have released you today#Literally “the day” from the chains that were on your hands.#Hebrew “hand” If it is good in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will take care of you.#Literally “I will place my eye on you” But if it is bad in your eyes to come with me to Babylon, then refrain. Look, the whole land is before you.#Literally “to the face of you” To wherever it is good and right in your eyes to go, then go there.” 5While he still had not turned back, Nebuzaradan added, “Return to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed in an official position over the towns of Judah, and stay with him in the midst of the people. Or to wherever it is right in your eyes to go, then go there.”#Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation Then the captain of the guard#Hebrew “guards” gave him an allowance of provisions and a present, and let him go. 6So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah and stayed with him in the midst of the people who were left in the land.
The Assassination of Gedaliah
7When all the commanders of the armies who were in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in an official position in the land, and that he had put him in charge of#Literally “he had appointed to him” men, and women, and little children, and of the poor of the land, of all those who had not been deported to Babylon, 8then they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan, and Jehonathan the son of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 9And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, saying,#Literally “to say” “You must not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you. 10As for me,#Literally “And I” look, I am staying at Mizpah to represent you before#Literally “to the face of” the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, and put them in your vessels, and live in your towns that you have seized.” 11And also all the Judeans who were in Moab, and among the Ammonites,#Literally “sons of Ammon” and in Edom, and who were in all the lands, when they heard that the king of Babylon had given a remnant to Judah and that he had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, in an official position over them, 12then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they were scattered. And they came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruit that yielded in great abundance.#Literally “very numerous”
13And Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies who were in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14and said to him, “Are you at all aware#Literally “know you know” that Baalis, the king of the Ammonites,#Literally “sons of Ammon” has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, to kill you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them. 15Then Johanan the son of Kareah said to Gedaliah in secrecy at Mizpah, saying,#Literally “to say” “Please let me go and kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and nobody#Literally “not a man” will know. Why should he kill you, so that all of Judah who are gathered to you will be scattered, and the remnant of Judah will perish?” 16But 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.”
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