| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1But in midautumn of that year, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and had been one of the king’s high officials, went to Mizpah with ten men to meet Gedaliah. While they were eating together, | 1In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and one of the king’s chief officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate a meal together there. |
| 2Ishmael and his ten men suddenly jumped up, drew their swords, and killed Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor. | 2Then Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the ten men who were with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, killing the one whom the king of Babylon had appointed to govern the land. |
| 3Ishmael also killed all the Judeans and the Babylonian soldiers who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah. | 3Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Chaldean soldiers who were there. |
| 4The next day, before anyone had heard about Gedaliah’s murder, | 4On the second day after the murder of Gedaliah, when no one yet knew about it, |
| 5eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria to worship at the Temple of the LORD. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves, and had brought along grain offerings and frankincense. | 5eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their garments, and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, carrying grain offerings and frankincense for the house of the LORD. |
| 6Ishmael left Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When he reached them, he said, “Oh, come and see what has happened to Gedaliah!” | 6And Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went. When Ishmael encountered the men, he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.” |
| 7But as soon as they were all inside the town, Ishmael and his men killed all but ten of them and threw their bodies into a cistern. | 7And when they came into the city, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern. |
| 8The other ten had talked Ishmael into letting them go by promising to bring him their stores of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey that they had hidden away. | 8But ten of the men among them said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have hidden treasure in the field—wheat, barley, oil, and honey!” So he refrained from killing them with the others. |
| 9The cistern where Ishmael dumped the bodies of the men he murdered was the large one dug by King Asa when he fortified Mizpah to protect himself against King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with corpses. | 9Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men he had struck down along with Gedaliah was a large one that King Asa had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. |
| 10Then Ishmael made captives of the king’s daughters and the other people who had been left under Gedaliah’s care in Mizpah by Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard. Taking them with him, he started back toward the land of Ammon. | 10Then Ishmael took captive all the remnant of the people of Mizpah—the daughters of the king along with all the others who remained in Mizpah—over whom Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Nethaniah took them captive and set off to cross over to the Ammonites. |
| 11But when Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders heard about Ishmael’s crimes, | 11When Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him heard of all the crimes that Ishmael son of Nethaniah had committed, |
| 12they took all their men and set out to stop him. They caught up with him at the large pool near Gibeon. | 12they took all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Nethaniah. And they found him near the great pool in Gibeon. |
| 13The people Ishmael had captured shouted for joy when they saw Johanan and the other military leaders. | 13When all the people with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the army with him, they rejoiced, |
| 14And all the captives from Mizpah escaped and began to help Johanan. | 14and all the people whom Ishmael had taken captive at Mizpah turned and went over to Johanan son of Kareah. |
| 15Meanwhile, Ishmael and eight of his men escaped from Johanan into the land of Ammon. | 15But Ishmael son of Nethaniah and eight of his men escaped from Johanan and went to the Ammonites. |
| 16Then Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders took all the people they had rescued in Gibeon—the soldiers, women, children, and court officials whom Ishmael had captured after he killed Gedaliah. | 16Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the commanders of the armies with him took the whole remnant of the people from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam: the soldiers, women, children, and court officials he had brought back from Gibeon. |
| 17They took them all to the village of Geruth-kimham near Bethlehem, where they prepared to leave for Egypt. | 17And they went and stayed in Geruth Chimham, near Bethlehem, in order to proceed into Egypt |
| 18They were afraid of what the Babylonians would do when they heard that Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the governor appointed by the Babylonian king. | 18to escape the Chaldeans. For they were afraid of the Chaldeans because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land. |
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