me unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in
the court of the guard, saying, "Go, and speak to Ebed-melech the
Ethiopian, saying, 'Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:
Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for
good; and they shall be accomplished before thee in that day. But I
will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be
given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will
surely save thee, and thou {318} shalt not fall by the sword, but thy
life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in
me, saith the Lord.'"

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after Nebuzaradan the
captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him
bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah, which
were carried away captive unto Babylon. And the captain of the guard
took Jeremiah, and said unto him, "The Lord thy God pronounced this
evil upon this place: and the Lord hath brought it, and done according
as he spake; because ye have sinned against the Lord, and have not
obeyed his voice, therefore this thing is come upon you. And now,
behold, I loose thee this day from the chains which are upon thine
hand. If it seem good unto thee to come with me into Babylon, come,
and I will look well unto thee; but if it seem ill unto thee to come
to Babylon, forbear. All the land is before thee; whither it seemeth
good and convenient for thee to go, thither go."

Again he said: "Go back to Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon has made
governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the
people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go."

So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a present, and let
him go. Then went Jeremiah to Gedaliah the royal governor to Mizpah,
and dwelt with him among the people that were left in the land.

Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even
they and their men, heard that the {319} king of Babylon had made
Gedaliah governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and
women, and children, and of the poorest of the land, of them that were
not carried away captive to Babylon; then 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 the Maacathite, they
and their men.

And