⁹ He who ^(A)dwells in this city will die by the ^(B)sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty.

² “Thus says the Lord, ‘He who ^(A)stays in this city will die by the ^(B)sword and by famine and by pestilence, but he who goes out to the Chaldeans will live and have his own ^(C)life as booty and stay alive.’

⁹ Then Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ^(A)swore to them and to their men, saying, “^(B)Do not be afraid of serving the Chaldeans; stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, that it may go well with you. ¹⁰ Now as for me, behold, I am going to stay at Mizpah to ^(C)stand for you before the Chaldeans who come to us; but as for you, ^(D)gather in wine and ^(E)summer fruit and oil and put them in your storage vessels, and live in your cities that you have taken over.” ¹¹ Likewise, also all the Jews who were in ^(F)Moab and among the sons of ^(G)Ammon and in ^(H)Edom and who were in all the other countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant for Judah, and that he had appointed over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. ¹² Then all the Jews ^(I)returned from all the places to which they had been driven away and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered in wine and summer fruit in great abundance.

¹⁰ ‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will ^(A)build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I ^[a]will ^(B)relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. ^11 (C)Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the Lord, ‘for ^(D)I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.