הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת יְהוָה אַחַר שַׁלַּח אֹתֹו נְבוּזַרְאֲדָן רַב־טַבָּחִים מִן־הָרָמָה בְּקַחְתֹּו   40:1 אֹתֹו וְהוּא־אָסוּר בָּאזִקִּים בְּתֹוךְ כָּל־גָּלוּת יְרוּשָׁלִַם וִיהוּדָה הַמֻּגְלִים בָּבֶלָה׃

Jere. 40:1   The word that occurred to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan, captain of the guardsmen, had set him free from Ramah, on his taking him when he was bound in chains in the midst of all the exiles of Jerusalem and Judah, departing to Babylon:

וַיִּקַּח רַב־טַבָּחִים לְיִרְמְיָהוּ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ דִּבֶּר אֶת־הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת אֶל־הַמָּקֹום הַזֶּה׃   40:2

Jere. 40:2   And the captain of the guardsmen laid hold to Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord, your God, promised this evil to this place,

וַיָּבֵא וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוָה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר כִּי־חֲטָאתֶם לַיהוָה וְלֹא־שְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקֹולֹו וְהָיָה לָכֶם (דָּבָר)   40:3          

 הַדָּבָר] הַזֶּה׃]

Jere. 40:3   and the Lord came and did as He promised, for you had sinned toward the Lord and not listened in to His voice; so this thing has happened to you.”

Whereas in the preceding verse the captain of the guardsmen was speaking to Jeremiah, the continuation of his words in this verse refer to all the people, because here the second-person pronouns are plural, not singular.  Notice also that the word in the parentheses is missing a heh prefix and is therefore in error.  The correction is in the brackets.

וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה פִתַּחְתִּיךָ הַיֹּום מִן־הָאזִקִּים אֲשֶׁר עַל־יָדֶךָ אִם־טֹוב בְּעֵינֶיךָ לָבֹוא אִתִּי בָבֶל בֹּא וְאָשִׂים   40:4 אֶת־עֵינִי עָלֶיךָ וְאִם־רַע בְּעֵינֶיךָ לָבֹוא־אִתִּי בָבֶל חֲדָל רְאֵה כָּל־הָאָרֶץ לְפָנֶיךָ אֶל־טֹוב וְאֶל־הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת שָׁמָּה לֵךְ׃

Jere. 40:4   “And now, behold, I free you today from the chains that are on your hand.  If coming with me to Babylon is a good thing in your eyes, come, and I will set my eyes over you, but if coming with me to Babylon is a bad thing in your eyes, hold back.  See, the entire land is before you, to be agreeable and to be pleasing in your eyes to go; go there.”

Now the captain is speaking again only to Jeremiah.

וְעֹודֶנּוּ לֹא־יָשׁוּב וְשֻׁבָה אֶל־גְּדַלְיָה בֶן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן אֲשֶׁר הִפְקִיד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה וְשֵׁב   40:5 אִתֹּו בְּתֹוךְ הָעָם אֹו אֶל־כָּל־הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֶיךָ לָלֶכֶת לֵךְ וַיִּתֶּן־לֹו רַב־טַבָּחִים אֲרֻחָה וּמַשְׂאֵת וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ׃

Jere. 40:5   And yet he would not turn back.  “Then return to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon had made overseer in the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people; or to anywhere right in your eyes to go, go.”  Then the captain of the guardsmen gave an allowance and a gift to him, and let him go.

וַיָּבֹא יִרְמְיָהוּ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָה בֶן־אֲחִיקָם הַמִּצְפָּתָה וַיֵּשֶׁב אִתֹּו בְּתֹוךְ הָעָם הַנִּשְׁאָרִים בָּאָרֶץ׃   40:6

Jere. 40:6   Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam to Mizpah and dwelled with him among the people remaining in the land.

וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כָל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה הֵמָּה וְאַנְשֵׁיהֶם כִּי־הִפְקִיד מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ   40:7

בֶן־אֲחִיקָם בָּאָרֶץ וְכִי הִפְקִיד אִתֹּו אֲנָשִׁים וְנָשִׁים וָטָף וּמִדַּלַּת הָאָרֶץ מֵאֲשֶׁר לֹא־הָגְלוּ בָּבֶלָה׃

Jere. 40:7   Now all the chiefs of the forces that were in the field heard, they and their men, that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah son of Ahikam overseer in the land and that he had appointed men and women and children and the poorest of the land from those not exiled to Babylon, to be with him,

וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָה הַמִּצְפָּתָה וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָהוּ וְיֹוחָןָן וְיֹונָתָן בְּנֵי־קָרֵחַ וּשְׂרָיָה בֶן־תַּנְחֻמֶת   40:8              וּבְנֵי (עֹופַי) [עֵיפַי] הַנְּטֹפָתִי וִיזַנְיָהוּ בֶּן־הַמַּעֲכָתִי הֵמָּה וְאַנְשֵׁיהֶם׃

Jere. 40:8   and they came to Gedaliah, to Mizpah, with Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and Johanan and Jonathan, the sons of Koreah, and Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, and the sons of Ephai, the Netophathite, and Jezaniah, a son of the Maacathite, they and their men.

The name of Ephai is misspelled in the parentheses.  It is corrected in the brackets.

וַיִּשָּׁבַע לָהֶם גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן וּלְאַנְשֵׁיהֶם לֵאמֹר אַל־תִּירְאוּ מֵעֲבֹוד הַכַּשְׂדִּים שְׁבוּ   40:9

 בָאָרֶץ וְעִבְדוּ אֶת־מֶלֶךְ בָּבֶל וְיִיטַב לָכֶם׃

Jere. 40:9   And Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan swore to them and to their men saying, “Do not fear serving the Chaldeans.  Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be good for you.”

וַאֲנִי הִנְנִי יֹשֵׁב בַּמִּצְפָּה לַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי הַכַּשְׂדִּים אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ אֵלֵינוּ וְאַתֶּם אִסְפוּ יַיִן וְקַיִץ וְשֶׁמֶן וְשִׂמוּ   40:10 בִּכְלֵיכֶם וּשְׁבוּ בְּעָרֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר־תְּפַשְׂתֶּם׃

Jere. 40:10   “And I, behold, I will dwell in Mizpah, to stand before the Chaldeans who will come to us, but you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, and place in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken hold of.”

וְגַם כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר־בְּמֹואָב וּבִבְנֵי־עַמֹּון וּבֶאֱדֹום וַאֲשֶׁר בְּכָל־הָאֲרָצֹות שָׁמְעוּ כִּי־נָתַן   40:11                מֶלֶךְ־בָּבֶל שְׁאֵרִית לִיהוּדָה וְכִי הִפְקִיד עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם בֶּן־שָׁפָן׃

Jere. 40:11   When all the Jews who were also in Moab and with the children of Ammon and in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had permitted a remnant for Judah, and that he had made Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan overseer over them,

וַיָּשֻׁבוּ כָל־הַיְּהוּדִים מִכָּל־הַמְּקֹמֹות אֲשֶׁר נִדְּחוּ־שָׁם וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶרֶץ־יְהוּדָה אֶל־גְּדַלְיָהוּ הַמִּצְפָּתָה   40:12 וַיַּאַסְפוּ יַיִן וָקַיִץ הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד׃

Jere. 40:12   then all the Jews returned from all the places where they had been driven, and they came to the land of Judah to Gedaliah to Mizpah, and they gathered wine and a great many summer fruits.

וְיוֹחָנָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ וְכָל־שָׂרֵי הַחֲיָלִים אֲשֶׁר בַּשָּׂדֶה בָּאוּ אֶל־גְּדַלְיָהוּ הַמִּצְפָּתָה׃   40:13

Jere. 40:13   Now Johanan son of Kareah and all the chiefs of the forces that were in the field came to Gedaliah to MIzpah,

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו הֲיָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי בַּעֲלִיס מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי־עַמֹּון שָׁלַח אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה לְהַכֹּתְךָ נָפֶשׁ   40:14        וְלֹא־הֶאֱמִין לָהֶם גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם׃

Jere. 40:14   and they said to him, “Will you assuredly know that Baalis, the king of the children of Ammon, has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to smite you of life?”  But Gedaliah son of Ahikam had no trust regarding them.

וְיֹוחָןָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ אָמַר אֶל־גְּדַלְיָהוּ בַסֵּתֶר בַּמִּצְפָּה לֵאמֹר אֵלְכָה נָּא וְאַכֶּה אֶת־יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן־נְתַנְיָה   40:15 וְאִישׁ לֹא יֵדָע לָמָּה יַכֶּכָּה נֶּפֶשׁ וְנָפֹצוּ כָּל־יְהוּדָה הַנִּקְבָּצִים אֵלֶיךָ וְאָבְדָה שְׁאֵרִית יְהוּדָה׃

Jere. 40:15   Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke to Gedaliah secretly in Mizpah saying, “I will go now and smite Ishmael son of Nethaniah and no one will know.  Why should he smite a life so all of Judah gathered to you would be scattered and the remnant of Judah perish?”

וַיֹּאמֶר גְּדַלְיָהוּ בֶן־אֲחִיקָם אֶל־יֹוחָןָן בֶּן־קָרֵחַ אַל־(תַּעַשׂ) [תַּעֲשֵׂה] אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה כִּי־שֶׁקֶר   40:16            אַתָּה דֹבֵר אֶל־יִשְׁמָעֵאל׃

Jere. 40:16   But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “You must not do this thing, for you are speaking wrongly about Ishmael.”

The word in parentheses is missing a heh.  The correction is in the brackets.

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