1 But in the seventh month, Ishmael came to Mizpah with ten of his soldiers. He had been one of the king's officials and was a member of the royal family. Ishmael and his men were invited to eat with Gedaliah. 2 During the meal, Ishmael and his soldiers killed Gedaliah, the man chosen as ruler of Judah by the king of Babylonia. 3 Then they killed the Jews who were with Gedaliah, and they also killed the Babylonian soldiers who were there.
4 The next day, the murders had still not been discovered, 5 when 80 men came down the road toward Mizpah from the towns of Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They were on their way to the temple to offer gifts of grain and incense to the Lord. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves, because they were mourning.
6 Ishmael went out the town gate to meet them. He pretended to be weeping, and he asked them to come into Mizpah to meet with Gedaliah, the ruler of Judah. 7 But after they were inside the town, Ishmael ordered his soldiers to kill them and throw their bodies into a well. 8 He let ten of the men live, because they offered to give him supplies of wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey they had hidden in a field. 9 The well that he filled with bodies had been dug by King Asa of Judah to store rainwater, because he was afraid that King Baasha of Israel might surround Mizpah and keep the people from getting to their water supply.
10 Nebuzaradan, King Nebuchadnezzar's officer in charge of the guard, had left King Zedekiah's daughters and many other people at Mizpah, and he had put Gedaliah in charge of them. But now Ishmael took them all prisoner and led them toward Ammon, on the other side of the Jordan River.
11 Johanan and the other army officers heard what Ishmael had done. 12 So they and their troops chased Ishmael and caught up with him at the large pit at Gibeon. 13 When Ishmael's prisoners saw Johanan and the officers, they were happy 14 and turned around and ran toward Johanan. 15 But Ishmael and eight of his men escaped and went to Ammon.
Johanan Decides To Take the People to Egypt
16 Johanan and the officers had rescued the women, children, and royal officials that Ishmael had taken prisoner after killing Gedaliah. Johanan led the people from Gibeon 17-18 toward Egypt. They wanted to go there, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians would do when they found out that Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the ruler appointed by King Nebuchadnezzar.
The People Ask Jeremiah To Pray for Them
On the way to Egypt, we stopped at the town of Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem.
مقتل جدليا
1 وفي الشَّهرِ السَّابِـعِ‌ مِنْ تِلكَ السَّنةِ جاءَ إسماعيلُ بنُ نَثَنيا بنِ أليشاماعَ، وهوَ مِنَ العائِلةِ المالِكَةِ وأحدُ وُزَراءِ المَلِكَ، وعَشَرَةُ رِجالٍ معَهُ إلى جَدَليا بنِ أحيقامَ في مِصفاةَ‌. وبَعدَ أنْ تَناولوا الطَّعامَ معَهُ، 2 قامَ إسماعيلُ والعَشَرَةُ الرِّجالِ الّذينَ معَهُ وضَربوا جَدَليا بِالسَّيفِ وقَتَلوهُ، وهوَ الّذي ولاَّهُ مَلِكُ بابِلَ على أرضِ يَهوذا، 3 كما قَتَلوا جميعَ اليَهودِ الّذينَ كانوا معَ جَدَليا في مِصفاة، والجُنودَ البابِليِّينَ الّذينَ وجَدوهُم هُناكَ.
4 وفي اليومِ الثَّاني بَعدَ مَقتَلِ جَدَليا، وقَبلَ أنْ يَعلَمَ أحدٌ، 5 جاءَ مِنْ شكيمَ‌ وشيلوهَ‌ والسَّامِرةِ‌ ثمانونَ رَجُلا حَلَقوا لِحاهُم‌ ومَزَّقوا ثيابَهُم وخَدَشوا وجوهَهُم، وبِأيديهِم تَقدِمَةٌ ولُبانٌ ليُقَرِّبوهُما في بَيتِ الرّبِّ. 6 فخَرَجَ إسماعيلُ بنُ نَثَنيا لِلقائِهِم مِنْ مِصفاةَ، وكانَ يَسيرُ باكيا، ولمَّا ا‏ستقبَلَهُم قالَ لهُم: «تعالَوا إلى جَدَليا بنِ أحيقامَ». 7 فلمَّا دَخلوا إلى وسَطِ المدينةِ ذبَحَهُم إسماعيلُ وألقاهُم في الجُبِّ، هوَ والرِّجالُ الّذينَ معَهُ. 8 وكانَ بـينَهُم عَشَرَةُ رِجالٍ قالوا لإسماعيلَ: «لا تَقتُلْنا، فلنا كُنوزٌ في البرِّيَّةِ مِنْ حِنطَةٍ وشعيرٍ وزيتٍ وعسَلٍ». فا‏متَنَعَ عَنْ قَتْلِهِم بَينَ رِفاقِهِم.
9 وكانَ الجُبُّ الّذي ألقى فيهِ إسماعيلُ جُثَثَ الرِّجالِ الّذينَ قَتلَهُم، هوَ الجُبُّ الكبـيرُ‌ الّذي حفَرَهُ المَلِكُ آسا لِحِمايَتِهِ مِنْ بَعشا‌ مَلِكِ إِسرائيلَ، فمَلأهُ إِسماعيلُ بِالقَتلى. 10 وا‏عتقَلَ إِسماعيلُ جميعَ مَنْ بَقيَ في مِصفاةَ، ومِنهُم بناتُ المَلِكِ والّذينَ جعَلَهُم نَبوزَرادانُ رئيسُ الشِّرطةِ في عِهدَةِ جَدَليا بنِ أحيقامَ، وأخَذَهُم معَهُ أسرى إلى بَني عَمُّونَ.
11 فسَمِعَ يوحانانُ بنُ قاريحَ وجميعُ قادةِ الجيشِ الّذينَ معَهُ بِالشَّرِّ العظيمِ الّذي فعَلَهُ إسماعيلُ بنُ نَثَنيا، 12 فأخَذوا جميعَ رِجالِهِم وساروا إلى مُحاربَةِ إسماعيلَ. فصادَفوهُ عِندَ البِرْكَةِ الكبـيرةِ الّتي في جبعونَ‌. 13 فلمَّا رأى جميعُ الأسرى الّذينَ معَ إسماعيلَ قادةَ الجيشِ وعلى رأسِهِم يوحانانُ بنُ قاريحَ فرحوا، 14 وأقبَلوا علَيهِ مُسرعينَ. 15 أمَّا إسماعيلُ فهرَبَ معَ ثمانيةِ رجالٍ مِنْ وجهِ يوحانانَ وذهَبَ إلى بَني عمُّونَ. 16 فا‏سترَدَّ يوحانانُ وقادةُ الجيشِ الّذينَ معَهُ بَقيَّةَ شعبِ مِصفاةَ مِنْ إسماعيلَ بَعدَ مَقتَلِ جَدَليا وأعادَهُم إلى جبعونَ، وهُم جنودٌ ونِساءٌ وأطفالٌ وخِصيان. 17 فساروا وأقاموا في جَيروتَ كِمهامَ‌ الّتي بِـجوارِ بَيت لَحمَ، وفي نيَّتِهِم أنْ يَلجأُوا إلى مِصْرَ 18 خَوفا مِنَ البابِليِّينَ لأنَّ إسماعيلَ بنَ نَثَنيا قتَلَ جَدَليا بنَ أحيقامَ الّذي ولاَّهُ مَلِكُ بابِلَ على كُلِّ أرضِ يَهوذا.