¹The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan the chief guard had released him from Ramah, having taken him when he was bound in fetters among the whole company of deportees from Jerusalem and Judah who were being deported to Babylon. ²And the chief guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God pronounced this trouble on this place. ³And the Lord has brought it about, and he has done as he said, because you have sinned against the Lord and not obeyed him. So this thing has come on you. ⁴And now, look, I have unbound you today from the fetters on your hands. If it is right in your sight to come with me to Babylon, come and I will look after you, but if it is wrong in your sight to come with me to Babylon, then decline the offer. Look, all the land is before you. Go to wherever it is right and proper in your sight to go.” ⁵And while he still had not gone back, the chief guard said, “Or go back to Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has appointed in the cities of Judah, and remain with him among the people, or go to wherever it is right in your sight to go.” And the chief guard gave him provisions and a gift and released him. ⁶Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in Mizpah, and he stayed with him among the people who remained in the land. ⁷And when all the officers of the forces who were in the open country and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam in the land, and that he had appointed him over men and women and children and some of the poor of the land, from those who were not deported to Babylon, ⁸they went to Gedaliah in Mizpah, as did 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 Maachathite – they and their men. ⁹And Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, swore to them and to their men, and he said, “Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and things will go well for you. ¹⁰And as for me, you see that I am living in Mizpah, to stand in service before the Chaldeans who will come to us. And as for you, gather the wine harvest and the summer fruits and the olive oil, and put it in your containers, and dwell in your cities which you have laid hold of.” ¹¹And all the Jews who were in Moab and among the sons of Ammon and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, also heard that the king of Babylon had allowed there to be a remnant in Judah, and that he had appointed Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, over them. ¹²And when all the Jews from all the places where they had been driven returned, they came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah in Mizpah, and they gathered the wine harvest and the summer fruits – a very large quantity. ¹³And Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the officers of the forces who were in the open country, came to Gedaliah in Mizpah. ¹⁴And they said to him, “Are you at all aware that Baalis the king of the sons of Ammon has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to dispatch you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. ¹⁵Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in secret in Mizpah and said, “Do let me go and strike Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no-one will know about it. Why should he dispatch you, and all Judah who have been gathered to you be scattered, and the remnant of Judah perish?” ¹⁶But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “Do not do this thing, for you are speaking an untruth concerning Ishmael.”