Gedaliah and the Crisis after Jerusalem's Fall

After Jerusalem fell, the king of Babylon left people in Judah and appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam as governor. The military leaders who were still out in the countryside came to Mizpah with their men. Gedaliah urged them not to fear the Chaldeans, but to live in the land, serve the king of Babylon, gather produce, and stay in their towns.

Jews who had been scattered to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other places heard that a remnant was still left in Judah under Gedaliah. They returned to Mizpah and gathered plenty of wine and summer fruit. Then Johanan and the other commanders warned Gedaliah that Baalis king of the Ammonites had sent Ishmael to kill him. Gedaliah did not believe the warning, and he refused Johanan's secret plan to strike Ishmael first.

In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, who was of the royal offspring, came to Mizpah with ten men. As they ate together, Ishmael and his men rose up and killed Gedaliah, the governor Babylon had appointed. They also killed the Jews with Gedaliah and the Chaldean soldiers who were there.

The next day, before anyone knew what had happened, eighty men came from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They were mourning and carrying offerings to bring to the Lord's house. Ishmael went out to meet them, drew them into the city, and killed them. He stopped only when ten begged for their lives and offered hidden stores from the field.

Then Ishmael carried off the people left in Mizpah, including the king's daughters and others Nebuzaradan had entrusted to Gedaliah, and set out towards the Ammonites. When Johanan heard all that Ishmael had done, he and the other commanders went after him. At the great waters of Gibeon, the captives were glad to see Johanan and turned back to him. Ishmael escaped with eight men.

Johanan gathered the rescued remnant, including soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs, and they stayed near Bethlehem as they planned to go to Egypt. They were afraid of the Chaldeans because Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the governor Babylon had set over the land. Kings sums up the fearful flight simply by saying that people both small and great, with the commanders, went to Egypt.