Jeremiah 41 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Netaniah son of Elishama — a man of royal blood, one of the king's top officials — came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah. While they were eating a meal together there at Mizpah,

Ishmael son of Netaniah and the ten men with him got up and struck down Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan with the sword, killing the man the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.

Ishmael also killed all the Judeans who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with the Babylonian soldiers stationed there.

The second day after Gedaliah's murder — before anyone had found out —

eighty men arrived from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria. They had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes, and cut themselves, and they were carrying grain offerings and incense to bring to the house of Yahweh.

Ishmael son of Netaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he walked. When he reached them, he said, "Come to Gedaliah son of Ahikam."

But once they were inside the city, Ishmael son of Netaniah and his men slaughtered them and threw their bodies into a cistern.

But ten of them said to Ishmael, "Don't kill us! We have hidden stores out in the fields — wheat, barley, olive oil, and honey." So he held off and didn't kill them along with the others.

Now the cistern where Ishmael dumped all the bodies of the men he had killed was a large one — the one King Asa had dug during his war with King Baasha of Israel. Ishmael son of Netaniah filled it with the dead.

Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people in Mizpah — the king's daughters and everyone else left in Mizpah, the people Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had placed under Gedaliah son of Ahikam. Ishmael son of Netaniah took them captive and set out to cross over to the Ammonites.

But when Johanan son of Kareah and all the military commanders with him heard about everything Ishmael son of Netaniah had done,

they gathered all their men and went to fight Ishmael son of Netaniah. They caught up with him at the great pool in Gibeon.

When all the people Ishmael had taken from Mizpah saw Johanan son of Kareah and all the military commanders with him, they were overjoyed.

All the people Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and went back to Johanan son of Kareah.

But Ishmael son of Netaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and fled to the Ammonites.

Then Johanan son of Kareah and all the military commanders with him gathered up all the survivors from Mizpah whom he had recovered from Ishmael son of Netaniah after Ishmael had assassinated Gedaliah son of Ahikam — soldiers, women, children, and court officials whom Johanan brought back from Gibeon.

They set out and stopped at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem, intending to head down to Egypt

to get away from the Babylonians. They were afraid of them because Ishmael son of Netaniah had killed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had appointed as governor over the land.