Jeremiah 40
40
Jeremiah Is Set Free
1I was led away in chains along with the people of Judah and Jerusalem who were being taken to Babylonia. Nebuzaradan was the officer in charge of the guard, and while we were stopped at Ramah, the Lord caused him to set me free. 2Nebuzaradan said:
Jeremiah, the Lord your God warned your people that he would bring disaster on this land. 3But they continued to rebel against him, and now he has punished them just as he threatened.
4Today I am taking the chains off your wrists and setting you free! If you want to, you can come with me to Babylonia, and I will see that you are taken care of. Or if you decide to stay here, you can go wherever you wish. 5King Nebuchadnezzar#40.5 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2. has chosen Gedaliah to rule Judah. You can live near Gedaliah, and he will provide for you, or you can live anywhere else you choose.
Nebuzaradan gave me a supply of food, then let me leave. 6I decided to stay with the people of Judah, and I went to live near Gedaliah in Mizpah.
The Harvest Is Brought In
7-8 #
2 K 25.22-24. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, together with Johanan and Jonathan, the two sons of Kareah, had been officers in Judah's army. And so had Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah from Maacah. They and their troops had been stationed outside Jerusalem and had not been captured. They heard that Gedaliah had been chosen to rule Judah, and that the poorest men, women, and children had not been taken away to Babylonia. So they went to Mizpah and met with their new ruler.
9Gedaliah told them, “There's no need to be afraid of the Babylonians. Everything will be fine, if we live peacefully and obey King Nebuchadnezzar.#40.9 Nebuchadnezzar: See the note at 21.2. 10I will stay here at Mizpah and meet with the Babylonian officials on each of their visits. But you must go back to your towns and bring in the harvest, then store the wine, olive oil, and dried fruit.”
11-12Earlier, when the Babylonians had invaded Judah, many of the Jews escaped to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and several other countries. But these Jews heard that the king of Babylonia had appointed Gedaliah as ruler of Judah, and that only a few people were left there. So the Jews in these other countries came back to Judah and helped with the grape and fruit harvest, which was especially large that year.
Gedaliah Is Murdered
13One day, Johanan got together with some of the other men who had been army officers, and they came to Mizpah and met with Gedaliah. 14They said, “Gedaliah, we came to warn you that King Baalis of Ammon hired Ishmael to murder you!”
Gedaliah refused to believe them, 15so Johanan went to Gedaliah privately and said, “Let me kill Ishmael. No one will find out who did it. There are only a few people left in Judah, but they are depending on you. And if you are murdered, they will be scattered or killed.”
16Gedaliah answered, “Don't kill Ishmael! What you've said about him can't be true.”
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Jeremiah 40: CEVDCI
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Yirmeyah 40
40
1The Davar that came to Yirmeyah from Hashem, after Nevuzaradan the captain of the imperial guard had released him from Ramah, when he had found him bound in chains among all of Yerushalayim and Yehudah of the Golus, which were being carried away captive unto Babylon.
2And the captain of the imperial guard took Yirmeyah, and said unto him, Hashem Eloheicha hath pronounced this ra'ah upon this place.
3Now Hashem hath brought it about, and done according as He hath said; because ye have sinned against Hashem, have not obeyed His voice, so Davar Hazeh is come upon you.
4And now, hinei, I loose thee this yom from the chains which were upon thine yad. If it seem good in thy eyes to come with me into Babylon, come; and I will look well unto thee; but if it seem ill unto thee to come with me into Babylon, forbear; hinei, kol ha'aretz is before thee: where it seemeth tov and yashar there for thee to go, go there.
5Now if you remain, he said, Go back also to Gedalyah ben Achikam ben Shaphan, whom Melech Bavel hath made governor over the cities of Yehudah, and dwell with him among the people; or go wheresoever it seemeth yashar unto thee to go. So the captain of the imperial guard gave him provision [of food] and a present, and let him go.
6Then went Yirmeyah unto Gedalyah ben Achikam to Mitzpah; and dwelt with him among the people that were left in ha'aretz.
7Now when all the officers of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their anashim, heard that Melech Bavel had made Gedalyahu ben Achikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him anashim, and nashim, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to the Golus of Babylon;
8Then they came to Gedalyah to Mitzpah, even Yishmael ben Netanyah, and Yochanan and Yonatan the Bnei Kareach, and Serayah ben Tanchumet, and the Bnei Ephai the Netophati, and Yezanyah ben HaMa'akhati, they and their anashim.
9And Gedalyahu ben Achikam ben Shaphan swore an oath unto them and to their anashim, saying, Fear not to serve the Kasdim (Chaldeans); dwell in the land, and serve Melech Bavel, and it shall be well with you.
10As for me, hineni, I will dwell at Mitzpah, to serve the Kasdim (Chaldeans), which will come unto us; but ye, gather ye yayin, and kayitz (summer fruit), and shemen, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your towns that ye took over.
11Likewise when kol HaYehudim that were in Moav, and among the Bnei Ammon, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that Melech Bavel had left a she'erit (remnant) of Yehudah, and that he had set over them Gedalyahu ben Achikam ben Shaphan,
12Then kol HaYehudim returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to Eretz Yehudah, to Gedalyahu, unto Mitzpah, and gathered yayin and kayitz very much.
13Moreover Yochanan ben Kareach, and all the officers of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedalyahu to Mitzpah,
14And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Ba'alis Melech Bnei Ammon hath sent Yishmael ben Netanyah to slay thee? But Gedalyahu ben Achikam believed them not.
15Then Yochanan ben Kareach spoke to Gedalyahu in Mitzpah baseter (secretly) saying, Let me go, and I will slay Yishmael ben Netanyah, and no man shall know it. Why should he slay thee, that all the Yehudim which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the she'erit in Yehudah perish?
16But Gedalyahu ben Achikam said unto Yochanan ben Kareach, Thou shalt not do this thing; for thou speakest sheker of Yishmael.
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