[1] In the seventh month, Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah, son of Eli'shama,
of the royal family, one of the chief officers of the king, came with ten
men to Gedali'ah the son of Ahi'kam, at Mizpah. As they ate bread together
there at Mizpah, [2] Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah and the ten men with
him rose up and struck down Gedali'ah the son of Ahi'kam, son of Shaphan,
with the sword, and killed him, whom the king of Babylon had appointed
governor in the land. [3] Ish'mael also slew all the Jews who were with
Gedali'ah at Mizpah, and the Chalde'an soldiers who happened to be there.
[4] On the day after the murder of Gedali'ah, before any one knew of it,
[5] eighty men arrived from Shechem and Shiloh and Sama'ria, with their
beards shaved and their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, bringing
cereal offerings and incense to present at the temple of the LORD. [6] And
Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah came out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping
as he came. As he met them, he said to them, "Come in to Gedali'ah the son
of Ahi'kam." [7] When they came into the city, Ish'mael the son of
Nethani'ah and the men with him slew them, and cast them into a cistern.
[8] But there were ten men among them who said to Ish'mael, "Do not kill
us, for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the
fields." So he refrained and did not kill them with their companions. [9]
Now the cistern into which Ish'mael cast all the bodies of the men whom he
had slain was the large cistern which King Asa had made for defense against
Ba'asha king of Israel; Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah filled it with the
slain. [10] Then Ish'mael took captive all the rest of the people who were
in Mizpah, the king's daughters and all the people who were left at Mizpah,
whom Nebu'zarad'an, the captain of the guard, had committed to Gedali'ah
the son of Ahi'kam. Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah took them captive and
set out to cross over to the Ammonites. [11] But when Joha'nan the son of
Kare'ah and all the leaders of the forces with him heard of all the evil
which Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah had done, [12] they took all their men
and went to fight against Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah. They came upon
him at the great pool which is in Gibeon. [13] And when all the people who
were with Ish'mael saw Joha'nan the son of Kare'ah and all the leaders of
the forces with him, they rejoiced. [14] So all the people whom Ish'mael
had carried away captive from Mizpah turned about and came back, and went
to Joha'nan the son of Kare'ah. [15] But Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah
escaped from Joha'nan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites. [16] Then
Joha'nan the son of Kare'ah and all the leaders of the forces with him took
all the rest of the people whom Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah had carried
away captive from Mizpah after he had slain Gedali'ah the son of
Ahi'kam--soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs, whom Joha'nan brought back
from Gibeon. [17] And they went and stayed at Geruth Chimham near
Bethlehem, intending to go to Egypt [18] because of the Chalde'ans; for
they were afraid of them, because Ish'mael the son of Nethani'ah had slain
Gedali'ah the son of Ahi'kam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor
over the land.
