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Jeremiah 40
New Living Translation
40The 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.H1697H3414H3068H310H5018H7227H2876H7971H7414H3947H631H246H8432H1546H3389H3063H1540H894 2The captain of the guard called for Jeremiah and said, “The Lord your God has brought this disaster on this land,H7227H2876H3947H3414H559H3068H430H1696H7451H4725 3just as he said he would. For these people have sinned against the Lord and disobeyed him. That is why it happened.H3068H935H6213H1696H2398H3068H8085H6963H1697 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.H6605H3117H246H3027H2896H5869H935H894H935H7760H5869H7489H5869H935H894H2308H7200H776H6440H413H2896H3477H5869H3212H3212 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.H7725H7725H1436H1121H296H1121H8227H4428H894H6485H5892H3063H3427H8432H5971H3212H3477H5869H3212H7227H2876H5414H737H4864H7971 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.H935H3414H1436H1121H296H4708H3427H8432H5971H7604H776 H2428H7704H582H8085H4428H894H1436H1121H296H6485H776H6485H582H802H2945H1803H776H1540H894 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.H935H1436H4708H3458H1121H5418H3110H3129H1121H7143H8304H1121H8576H1121H5778H5200H3153H1121H4602H582 9Gedaliah vowed to them that the Babylonians
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.H1436H1121H296H1121H8227H7650H582H559H3372H5647H3778H3427H776H5647H4428H894H3190 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.”H3427H4709H5975H6440H3778H935H622H3196H7019H8081H7760H3627H3427H5892H8610 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,H3064H4124H5983H123H776H8085H4428H894H5414H7611H3063H6485H1436H1121H296H1121H8227 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.H3064H7725H4725H5080H935H776H3063H1436H4708H622H3196H7019H3966H7235 H1121H7143H8269H2428H7704H935H1436H4708 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.H559H3045H3045H1185H4428H1121H5983H7971H3458H1121H5418H5221H5315H1436H1121H296H539 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?”H3110H1121H7143H559H1436H4709H5643H559H3212H5221H3458H1121H5418H376H3045H5221H5315H3064H6908H6327H7611H3063H6 16But Gedaliah said to Johanan, “I forbid you to do any such thing, for you are lying about Ishmael.”H1436H1121H296H559H3110H1121H7143H6213H1697H1696H8267H3458
Gedaliah Governs in Judah
7The leaders of the Judean guerrilla bands 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.H8269 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.H1436
