Jeremiah Is Set Free

40 The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah after Nebuzaradan, commander of the guards, had ·set Jeremiah free at the city of [released/^Lsent him from] Ramah. He had found Jeremiah in Ramah bound in ·chains [fetters] with all the ·captives [exiles] from Jerusalem and Judah who were being ·taken away [exiled] to Babylon. ² When commander ·Nebuzaradan [^Lof the guards] ·found [^Ltook] Jeremiah, Nebuzaradan said to him, “The Lord your God announced this ·disaster [evil; trouble] would come to this place. ³ And now the Lord has done everything he ·said [promised] he would do. This ·disaster [evil; trouble] happened because you [^Cthe people of Judah] sinned against the Lord and did not ·obey him [^Llisten to his voice]. ⁴ But today I am ·freeing [releasing] you from the ·chains [fetters] on your ·wrists [^Lhands]. If ·you want to [^Lit is good in your eyes], come with me to Babylon, and I will ·take good care of you [^Lset my eyes on you]. But if ·you don’t want to come [^Lit is wrong/evil/bad in your eyes to come with me to Babylon], then ·don’t [fine]. Look, the whole country is open to you. Go wherever ·you wish [^Lit is good and right in your eyes].” ⁵ Before Jeremiah turned to leave, Nebuzaradan said, “Or go back to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan. The king of Babylon has ·chosen [appointed] him to be governor over the towns of Judah. Go and ·live [stay] with Gedaliah among the people, or go anywhere ·you want [^Lit is right in your eyes].”

Then Nebuzaradan gave Jeremiah some ·food [provisions] and a ·present [gift] and let him go. ⁶ So Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah [^Cperhaps Tell en-Nasbeh eight miles north of Jerusalem; Judg. 20:1–3; 1 Sam. 7:5–14; 10:17–24] and stayed with him there. He lived among the people who ·were left behind in Judah [^Lremained in the land].

The Short Rule of Gedaliah

⁷ Some officers and their men from the army of Judah were still out in the open country. They heard that the king of Babylon had ·put [appointed] Gedaliah son of Ahikam ·in charge of the people [^Lgovernor of those] who ·were left [remained] in the land: the men, women, and children who were the poorest. They were the ones who were not ·taken to Babylon as captives [exiled to Babylon]. ⁸ So these soldiers came to Gedaliah at Mizpah: Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan sons of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, Jaazaniah son of the Maacathite, and their men.

⁹ Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ·made a promise [swore] to them, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the ·Babylonians [^LChaldeans]. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon. Then everything will go well for you. ¹⁰ I myself will live in Mizpah and will ·speak for you [represent you; ^Lstand] before the ·Babylonians [^LChaldeans] who come to us here. Harvest the wine, the summer fruit, and the oil, and put what you harvest in your storage jars. Live in the towns you control.”

¹¹ The ·Jews [^LJudeans] in Moab, ·Ammon [^Lthe sons of Ammon], Edom, and other countries also heard that the king of Babylon had left a ·few Jews alive in the land [^Lremnant in Judea]. And they heard the king of Babylon had ·chosen [appointed] Gedaliah as governor over them. (Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan.) ¹² When the people of Judah heard this news, they came back to Judah from all the countries where they had been scattered. They came to Gedaliah at Mizpah and gathered a large harvest of wine and summer fruit.

¹³ Johanan son of Kareah and all the army officers of Judah still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. ¹⁴ They said to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the ·Ammonite people [^Lsons of Ammon] wants you dead? He has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to ·kill you [^Lstrike your life].” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam ·did [or would] not believe them.

¹⁵ Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah in ·private [secret] at Mizpah. He said, “Let me go and ·kill [^Lstrike] Ishmael son of Nethaniah. No one will know anything about it. ·We should not let Ishmael [^LWhy should he…?] ·kill you [^Lstrike your life]. Then all ·the Jews [^LJudah] gathered around you would be scattered to different countries again, and the ·few people of Judah who are left alive [^Lthe remnant of Judah] would ·be lost [perish].”

¹⁶ But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not ·kill Ishmael [^Ldo this thing]! The things you are saying about Ishmael are ·not true [false; lies].”