Jeremiah - Ferrar Fenton Bible Translation page 532

who were in the open field, and their men heard that the king of Babel had appointed Ghedaliah-ben—Akhikam over the land———for those were not transported to Babel, they came to Ghedaliah to Mitzfah, with Ishmael- ben·Nathaniah, and ]okhanen, and jonathan, and Izniah—ben-Karakh, and Sariah-ben-Thankhumath, and the sons of Aufi, the Natofathite, Izniah-ben—I{amakathite, and their men, and Gheda1iah—ben-Akhikam-— ben—Shafan promised them and their Fear not to serve the Kasdim; stay in the country and serve the king of Babel, and you will prosper. Butyl myself will reside in Mitzfah, to stand before the Kasdim who have came to us,-—-and you can gather the wine, and harvest, and oil, and lay up for provisions, and reside in the towns you have seized. And the jews also who are in Moab,

and among the Beni-Amon, and in Edom, and in all the countries heard that the king of Babel had given allot- ments in judah, and that he had appointed Ghedaliah-ben-Akhikam—

12 ben-Shafan over them, consequently all the jews returned from all the places where they had lied, and came to the land of judah, to Ghedaliah at Mitzfah, and harvested the wine, and :6 com to a great amount. Gnnzpirncg in Marker Wjzhaliuly. jokhanan-ben-Korakh, and all the

generals of the field forces, at`ter· wards came to Ghedaliah at Mitzfah, Do you know that Balis, king of the Beni—Amon, has sent Ishmael-ben-Nathaniah to take But Gheda1iah—ben- Akhikam did not believe them. Consequently jokhanan - ben Korakh spoke in private to Gheda- I will go now, and assail Ishmael—ben—Natha— niah, and no one shall know. Why should he take your life, and scatter all judea which is collecting to you, when the remnant of judea will perish ? ’ But Ghedaliah-ben-Akhikam re- shall not do such a thing;-for you speak falsely about Ishmael} But in the seventh month, 41 Ishmael- ben - Nathaniah - ben - Alis - hama, of the Royal Family, and a You royal noble came, and ten men with him, to Ghedalialrben-Akhikam, at Mitzfah, and dined with him in Mitz- fah. Then Ishmael-ben—Nathaniah and the ten men who were with him arose and assailed Ghedaliah-ben- Akhikam·ben—Shafan with the sword and killed him, whom the king of Babel had appointed over the country, and the whole of the jews who were with Ghedaliah in Mitzfah, along with the Kasdim found there, the soldiers of Ishmael killed. But two days after the murder of

Ghedaliah, while no one knew, it happened that eighty men came from Shekem, from Shiloh, and from Shomeron, each with his beard shaven, and clothes torn, and with gashes, and with bread offerings and incense in their hands to go to the House of the Evniz—L1v1Nc;, and Ishmael-ben—Nathaniah went out from Mitzfah to meet them, advancing and weeping, and when he reached Come to Ghedaliah- But when they had come to the inner court of the citadel, Ishmael-ben—Nathaniah and the men who were with him, assassinated them at the deep well. Ten of the men, 8 however, who had met him, exclaimed Do not kill us! for we have wheat, and barley, and oil, and So he refrained, and did not kill them with their friends. The well where Ish- g mae} threw all the bodies of the men he murdered, besides Ghedaliah, was that which King Asa made when opposing Basha king of Israel, Ishmael-ben—Nathaniah filled it with his victims. Then Ishmael captured all the remainder of the people who were at Mitzfah, the king’s daughter and all the people whom Nebuzara~ dan, the commander of the guards, had entrusted to Ghedaliah · ben- Akhikam,—·—-lshmael - ben · Nathaniah seized them and went off to Beni- Amon. But ]okhanan—ben·Korakh and all

the generals of the forces who were with him heard of all the wickedness that Ishmael - ben - Nathaniah had done, so they took their men and went to attack Ishmael ben- 532 IO II I2