¶ Now it came to pass in the seventh month¹, that Ishmael² the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama³, of the⁴ seed⁵ royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did⁶ eat bread together in Mizpah.

Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote⁷ Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom⁸ the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.

⁹Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, even with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, and the men of war.

And it came to pass the second day after¹⁰ he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew it,

That there came¹¹ certain from Shechem¹², from Shiloh¹³, and from Samaria¹⁴, even fourscore men, having their beards¹⁵ shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the¹⁶ house of the LORD.

And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping¹⁷ all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.

And it was so, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew¹⁸ them, and cast them into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that were with him.

But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay¹⁹ us not: for we have treasures²⁰ in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren.

Now the pit²¹ wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah²², was it which Asa the king had made for fear²³ of Baasha king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with them that were slain.

¶ Then Ishmael carried away captive all the²⁴ residue of the people that were in Mizpah, even²⁵ the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom²⁶ Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the²⁷ Ammonites.

¶ But when Johanan²⁸ the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,

Then they took all the men, and went to fight²⁹ with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great³⁰ waters that are in Gibeon.

Now it came to pass, that when³¹ all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all³² the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad³³.

So all³⁴ the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about³⁵ and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.

But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped³⁶ from Johanan with eight men³⁷, and went to the Ammonites.

Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even³⁸ mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:

And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham³⁹, which is by Bethlehem, to go⁴⁰ to enter into Egypt,

Because of the Chaldeans: for they⁴¹ were afraid of them, because⁴² Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom⁴³ the king of Babylon made governor in the land.