1 ¶ Now it so happened in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the royal family, and one of the king’s officers, together with ten men, came to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam at Mizpah; and while they were eating together at Mizpah.

2 Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, got up and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with their swords, and killed the man, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land.

3 Ishmael also killed all the Jews who had been with him at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans soldiers who happened to be there.

4 And on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, before anyone knew of it,

5 Eighty men having shaved their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring to the house of the LORD.

6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah left Mizpah to meet them, weeping all the way: and when he met them, he said to them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.

7 But when they came into the center of town, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the men who were with him, killed them, and threw them into a cistern.

8 But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael, Do not kill us: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he let them be, and did not kill them with their brethren.

9 Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had killed by using Gedaliah’s name, was the same that Asa the king had made in defense against Baasha the king of Israel: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with those who were slain.

10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, even the king’s daughters, and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had placed in the care of Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and left to cross over to the Ammonites.

11 ¶ But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the troops who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,

12 They took all their men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great pool that is in Gibeon.

13 Now it so happened, that when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the troops who were with him, they rejoiced.

14 So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around, and went back to Johanan the son of Kareah.

15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and fled to the Ammonites.

16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the troop commanders who were with him, took all the survivors from Mizpah, whom he had rescued from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, and brought back from Gibeon men, soldiers, women, children, and court officials:

17 And they left, and stayed at Chimham’s inn, which is near Bethlehem, intending to go on into Egypt,

18 For they were now afraid of the Chaldeans: because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had killed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor over the land.