Previous     Next       Play // Stop Sound    

          DASV: Jeremiah 40    

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after Nebuzaradan
the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah. He had
taken him there bound in chains among all the captives of
Jerusalem and Judah who were being deported to Babylon.
2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said to him,
"The LORD your God pronounced disaster on this place.
3 Now the LORD has brought it about and has done just as he
said he would, because you have sinned against the LORD,
and have not obeyed his voice, therefore this disaster has
happened to you.
4 Now, look I am releasing you this day from the chains
that are on your hands. If you want, come with me to
Babylon and I will take good care of you; but if you
don't want to come with me into Babylon, you don't
have to. Look, all the land is before you; go wherever
it seems good and right to you."
5 Now before he turned to leave, he said, "Go back then to
Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the
king of Babylon has appointed governor over the towns of
Judah, and live with him among the people or go wherever
you want to." So the captain of the guard gave him food
and a gift and let him go

6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah,
and stayed with him among the people who were left in
the land.
7 Now when all the military commanders who were in the
fields and their troops, heard that the king of Babylon
had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land,
and had given him authority over the men, women, children,
and the poorest of the land who had not been deported
as exiles to Babylon,
8 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. These included Ishmael
the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons
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.
9 Now Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan
swore to them and to their men, saying, "Do not be afraid
to serve the Chaldeans. Live in the land and serve the
king of Babylon and it will go well for you.
10 As for me, I will live at Mizpah, to stand before
the Chaldeans that will come to us. But you may gather
wine, summer fruits and olive oil, and put them in your
containers, and live in the towns you have taken over."
11 Likewise when all the Jews who were in Moab, Ammon,
Edom, and in all the other countries, heard that the
king of Babylon had left a remnant of people to stay
in Judah, and that he had set Gedaliah the son of
Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to govern them;
12 then all the Judeans began to return out of all
places where they had been driven. They came back
to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah and
gathered a great harvest of wine and summer fruit.

13 Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the military
commanders who were in the fields, came to Gedaliah
to Mizpah,
14 and said to him, "Are you aware that Baalis the king
of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah
to assasinate you?" But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam
did not believe them.
15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke privately with
Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, "Please let me go, and
I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one
will ever know about it. Why should he kill you
resulting in all the Jews who are gathered to you
being scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?"
16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam told to Johanan the
son of Kareah, "Do not do such a thing; for what you
are saying about Ishmael is a lie."

 Previous     Next       Play // Stop Sound