Johanan

22And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.

Some people were still left in Judah. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon chose Gedaliah to be their leader. Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan.

23And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

Army leaders and their men heard that Gedaliah was now governor. So they came to him at a town called Mizpah. They were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Careah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from Netophah, and Jaazaniah the Maachathite. Their men came with them.

24And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

Gedaliah made a promise to them and their men. He said, "Do not be afraid to serve the Babylonians. Live here in the land. Serve the king of Babylon, and things will go well for you."

25But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

But in month seven, Ishmael came with ten men. He was the son of Nethaniah and the grandson of Elishama, and he came from the king's family. They killed Gedaliah. They also killed the men from Judah and Babylon who were with him at Mizpah.

26And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.

Then all the people, young and old, got up and left. The army leaders went too. They all ran away to Egypt because they were afraid of the Babylonians.

7Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;

Some army leaders and their men were still out in the open country. They heard that the king of Babylon had put Gedaliah in charge of the land. Gedaliah was to care for the men, women, and children left behind. These were the poorest people, who had not been taken away to Babylon.

8Then they came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

So they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan, the sons of Kareah. Seraiah son of Tanhumeth came too. So did the sons of Ephai from Netophah, and Jezaniah son of the Maacathite. Their men came with them.

9And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan sware unto them and to their men, saying, Fear not to serve the Chaldeans: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.

Gedaliah son of Ahikam made a promise to them and their men. He said, "Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans, the people of Babylon. Live here in the land and serve the king of Babylon. Then things will go well for you."

10As for me, behold, I will dwell at Mizpah, to serve the Chaldeans, which will come unto us: but ye, gather ye wine, and summer fruits, and oil, and put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that ye have taken.

"As for me, I will stay here in Mizpah. I will speak for you to the men from Babylon who come to us. You should gather grapes, summer fruit, and olive oil. Put them in your jars. Live in the towns you have taken."

11Likewise when all the Jews that were in Moab, and among the Ammonites, and in Edom, and that were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan;

Some Jews were living in Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other lands. They heard that the king of Babylon had left some people alive in Judah. They also heard that he had put Gedaliah son of Ahikam in charge of them.

12Even all the Jews returned out of all places whither they were driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah, unto Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruits very much.

So they all came back from the places where they had been sent. They came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. There they gathered a very large amount of grapes and summer fruit.

13Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields, came to Gedaliah to Mizpah,

Then Johanan son of Kareah came to Gedaliah at Mizpah. The other army leaders from the open country came with him.

14And said unto him, Dost thou certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites hath sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to slay thee? But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam believed them not.

They said to him, "Do you know what Baalis, the king of Ammon, has done? He has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to kill you." But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe them.

15Then Johanan the son of Kareah spake to Gedaliah in Mizpah secretly, saying, Let me go, I pray thee, and I will slay Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no man shall know it: wherefore should he slay thee, that all the Jews which are gathered unto thee should be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?

Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah alone at Mizpah. He said, "Please let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah. No one will know who did it. Why should he kill you? Then all the Jews who came to you would be scattered. The few people left in Judah would die."

16But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said unto Johanan the son of Kareah, Thou shalt not do this thing: for thou speakest falsely of Ishmael.

But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, "Do not do this. What you are saying about Ishmael is not true."

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

Johanan son of Kareah heard about all the terrible things Ishmael had done. The army leaders who were with him heard about it too.

12Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that are in Gibeon.

So they gathered all their men and went to fight Ishmael. They found him beside the big pool of water at Gibeon.

13Now it came to pass, that when all the people which were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, then they were glad.

The people with Ishmael saw Johanan son of Kareah coming. They saw all the army leaders with him, and they were glad.

14So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah.

All the people Ishmael had taken from Mizpah turned around. They walked over and joined Johanan son of Kareah.

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

But Ishmael got away from Johanan with eight of his men. He went to the land of the Ammonites.

16Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after that he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, even mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon:

So Johanan and the army leaders took charge of the people who were left. He had won them back from Ishmael after Ishmael killed Gedaliah. Among them were soldiers, women, children, and palace servants. Johanan brought them all back from Gibeon.

17And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt,

They traveled on and stayed at a place called Chimham, near the town of Bethlehem. They planned to keep going and enter the land of Egypt.

18Because of the Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land.

They were afraid of the Chaldeans, the people of Babylon. Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the man the king of Babylon had put in charge of the land.

1Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,

Then the leaders of the soldiers came to Jeremiah. Johanan son of Kareah came. Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah came. All the people came too, from the least important to the greatest.

2And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)

They said to Jeremiah, a prophet who told people what God said, "Please listen to what we ask. Please pray to the LORD your God for us. Pray for all of us who are left. Only a few of us are left out of many. You can see that yourself."

3That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.

"Ask the LORD your God to show us which way to go. Ask him to show us what to do."

4Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the LORD your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the LORD shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.

Jeremiah the prophet said, "I have heard you. I will pray to the LORD your God, just as you asked. Whatever the LORD answers, I will tell you. I will not hold back one word."

5Then they said to Jeremiah, The LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not even according to all things for the which the LORD thy God shall send thee to us.

Then they said to Jeremiah, "Let the LORD be a true and honest witness. May he judge us if we do not do all he tells you to say."

6Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God, to whom we send thee; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.

"Whether the answer is nice or hard, we will obey the LORD our God. He is the one we are sending you to. Then things will go well with us, because we obeyed him."

7And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.

Ten days later, a message from the LORD came to Jeremiah.

8Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,

So Jeremiah called Johanan son of Kareah. He called all the soldiers' leaders who were with him. He called all the people too, from the least important to the greatest.

9And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;

He said to them, "You sent me to bring your request to God. Here is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says."

10If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you.

"If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you here and not pull you up. I am sorry about the trouble I brought on you."

11Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the LORD: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.

"Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon. You are afraid of him now. Do not be afraid of him, says the LORD. I am with you. I will save you and keep you out of his hands."

12And I will shew mercies unto you, that he may have mercy upon you, and cause you to return to your own land.

"I will be kind to you. Then he will be kind to you too. He will let you go back to your own land."

13But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,

"But you might say, 'We will not stay in this land.' Then you would not be obeying the LORD your God."

14Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:

"You might say, 'No. We will go to Egypt instead. There we will not see war. We will not hear the war horn. We will not be hungry. We will live there.'"

15And now therefore hear the word of the LORD, ye remnant of Judah; Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; If ye wholly set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to sojourn there;

"If you say that, then listen to the LORD's word, you few people of Judah who are left. The LORD who leads heaven's armies, the God of Israel, says this. 'Suppose you make up your minds to go and live in Egypt.'"

16Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

"'Then the sword you are afraid of will catch you there in Egypt. The hunger you fear will follow right behind you. And you will die there.'"

17So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.

"'That will happen to everyone who chooses to go live in Egypt. They will die by the sword, by hunger, and by sickness. Not one of them will get away from the trouble I bring.'"

18For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; As mine anger and my fury hath been poured forth upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem; so shall my fury be poured forth upon you, when ye shall enter into Egypt: and ye shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach; and ye shall see this place no more.

"The LORD who leads heaven's armies, the God of Israel, says this. 'My anger poured out on the people of Jerusalem. My anger will pour out on you too if you go to Egypt. People will use your name when they curse. They will be shocked at you and make fun of you. You will never see this place again.'"

19The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.

Jeremiah said, "The LORD has spoken to you who are left of Judah. He said, 'Do not go to Egypt.' Be very sure of this. I have warned you today."

20For ye dissembled in your hearts, when ye sent me unto the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us unto the LORD our God; and according unto all that the LORD our God shall say, so declare unto us, and we will do it.

"You were not honest with yourselves when you sent me to the LORD your God. You said, 'Pray to the LORD for us. Tell us everything he says, and we will do it.'"

21And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you.

"Today I have told you what he says. But you have not obeyed the LORD your God. You have not done what he sent me to tell you."

22Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.

"So be very sure of this. You will die by the sword, by hunger, and by sickness. It will happen in the place where you want to go and live."

1And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words,

Jeremiah finished telling the people everything the LORD their God had said. God had sent him to tell them all these words.

2Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:

Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah spoke up. Johanan son of Kareah spoke too, with all the proud men. They said to Jeremiah, "You are lying! The LORD our God did not send you to say, 'Do not go live in Egypt.'"

3But Baruch the son of Neriah setteth thee on against us, for to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they might put us to death, and carry us away captives into Babylon.

"Baruch son of Neriah is turning you against us. He wants the Chaldeans to catch us. Then they will kill us or take us far away to Babylon."

4So Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, and all the people, obeyed not the voice of the LORD, to dwell in the land of Judah.

So Johanan son of Kareah did not obey the LORD. The army leaders and all the people did not obey either. God had told them to stay in the land of Judah.

5But Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces, took all the remnant of Judah, that were returned from all nations, whither they had been driven, to dwell in the land of Judah;

Instead, Johanan son of Kareah and the army leaders took everyone who was left in Judah. These people had come back home from all the lands where they had been scattered.

6Even men, and women, and children, and the king’s daughters, and every person that Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.

They took the men, the women, and the children. They took the king's daughters too. They took everyone Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, had left with Gedaliah son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan. They also took Jeremiah the prophet, a man who told people what God said, and Baruch son of Neriah.

7So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: thus came they even to Tahpanhes.

So they went into the land of Egypt, because they did not obey the LORD. They went all the way to a town called Tahpanhes.