1In the seventh month, Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was of royal descent and one of the king's chief officers, came to Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, at Mizpah with ten men. They ate a meal together there in Mizpah.
2Then Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him rose up and struck Gedaliah, son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, with the sword, killing him—the man whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor over the land.
3Ishmael also killed all the Jewish people who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Babylonian soldiers who were found there.
4It was two days after he had killed Gedaliah, and no one knew it.
5Eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. Their beards were shaved, their clothes were torn, and they had cut themselves. They carried grain offerings and frankincense to bring to Yahweh’s house.
6Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, left Mizpah to meet them, crying all the way. When he met them, he said, “Come and see Gedaliah, son of Ahikam.”
7When they entered the middle of the city, Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, and the men with him killed them and threw their bodies into the middle of a pit.
8However, ten men among them said to Ishmael, “Don’t kill us! We have hidden stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in a field.” So he stopped and did not kill them along with their companions.
9Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men he killed next to Gedaliah into a pit. King Asa had dug this pit because he was afraid of King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, filled this pit with those he had killed.
10Then Ishmael took all the remaining people in Mizpah captive, including the king’s daughters and everyone else left whom Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had entrusted to Gedaliah, son of Ahikam. Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, took them captive and left to go to the Ammonites.
11But when Johanan, son of Kareah, and all the army commanders who were with him, heard about all the evil deeds Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, had committed,
12they gathered all their men and went to fight Ishmael, son of Nethaniah. They found him by the large body of water in Gibeon.
13When all the people with Ishmael saw Johanan, son of Kareah, and all the army commanders with him, they were happy.
14So all the people Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around, came back, and went to Johanan, son of Kareah.
15However, Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites.
16Then Johanan, son of Kareah, and all the army commanders with him, took all the remaining people he had rescued from Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam. These included the soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs he had brought back from Gibeon.
17They left and stayed in Geruth Chimham, near Bethlehem, planning to go into Egypt,
18because they were afraid of the Babylonians. They were afraid because Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, had killed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.