Immerse: Prophets - Flipbook - Page 292
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IMMERSE
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PROPHETS
41:14–42:17
captain of the guard. Taking them with him, he started back toward the
land of Ammon.
But when Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders heard
about Ishmael’s crimes, they took all their men and set out to stop him.
They caught up with him at the large pool near Gibeon. The people Ish
mael had captured shouted for joy when they saw Johanan and the other
military leaders. And all the captives from Mizpah escaped and began to
help Johanan. Meanwhile, Ishmael and eight of his men escaped from Jo
hanan into the land of Ammon.
Then Johanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders took all the
people they had rescued in Gibeon—the soldiers, women, children, and
court officials whom Ishmael had captured after he killed Gedal iah. They
took them all to the village of Geruth-kimham near Bethlehem, where
they prepared to leave for Egypt. They were afraid of what the Babylonians
would do when they heard that Ishmael had killed Gedaliah, the governor
appointed by the Babylonian king.
Then all the military leaders, including Johanan son of Kareah and Jez
aniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest,
approached Jeremiah the prophet. They said, “Please pray to the Lord
your God for us. As you can see, we are only a tiny remnant compared to
what we were before. Pray that the Lord your God will show us what to
do and where to go.”
“All right,” Jeremiah replied. “I will pray to the Lord your God, as you
have asked, and I will tell you everything he says. I will hide nothing from
you.”
Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord your God be a faithful wit
ness against us if we refuse to obey whatever he tells us to do! Whether
we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God to whom we are sending
you with our plea. For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us.”
Ten days later the Lord gave his reply to Jeremiah. So he called for Jo
hanan son of Kareah and the other military leaders, and for all the people,
from the least to the greatest. He said to them, “You sent me to the Lord,
the God of Israel, with your request, and this is his reply: ‘Stay here in this
land. If you do, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you
and not uproot you. For I am sorry about all the punishment I have had
to bring upon you. Do not fear the king of Babylon anymore,’ says the
Lord. ‘For I am with you and will save you and rescue you from his power.
I will be merciful to you by making him kind, so he will let you stay here
in your land.’
“But if you refuse to obey the Lord your God, and if you say, ‘We will
not stay here; instead, we will go to Egypt where we will be free from war,
