1In the seventh month Ishmael son of Nethaniah, son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal house, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating together there,
2Ishmael son of Nethaniah and his ten men rose and assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor of the land.
3Ishmael also murdered all the Judaeans who were with Gedaliah in Mizpah as well as the Chaldaean soldiers stationed there.
4Next day, while the murder of Gedaliah was not yet common knowledge,
5eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and gashed their bodies; they were carrying grain-offerings and frankincense to present to the house of the LORD.
6Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went, and when he met them he said, “Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam.”
7But as soon as they were well inside the town, Ishmael son of Nethaniah and his men murdered them and threw their bodies into a cistern,
8all except ten of them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have a secret hoard in the country, wheat and barley, oil and honey.” So he held his hand and did not kill them with the others.
9The cistern into which he threw all the bodies of those whom he had killed was the large one which King Asa had made when threatened by King Baasha of Israel, and this Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled with the slain.
10He rounded up the rest of the people in Mizpah, that is the king's daughters and all who had remained in Mizpah when Nebuzaradan captain of the guard appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam governor; and with these he set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
11When Johanan son of Kareah and the captains of the armed bands heard of all the crimes committed by Ishmael son of Nethaniah,
12they mustered their men and set out to attack him. They came up with him by the great pool in Gibeon.
13The people with Ishmael were glad when they saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the captains of the armed bands with him,
14while those whom Ishmael had taken prisoner at Mizpah turned and joined Johanan son of Kareah.
15But Ishmael son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men to make his way to the Ammonites.
16Johanan son of Kareah and the captains of the armed bands took from Mizpah all the survivors whom he had rescued from Ishmael son of Nethaniah after the murder of Gedaliah son of Ahikam -- men, both armed and unarmed, women, children, and eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon.
17They started out and broke their journey at Kimham's holding near Bethlehem, on their way into Egypt
18to escape the Chaldaeans. They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Nethaniah had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed governor of the country.