Jeremiah 41

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I have been studying the Word of God for 3 years every night; this is the first time that reading one chapter a day has been challenging.  Chapters 40 and 41 have me in suspense.  I do not hear God speaking and I do not know where Jeremiah is.  Because of my journey of not reading but one chapter a day, I will have to wait to see what is going on after the children of Israel were taken by king Nebuchadnezzar.  OH! MY! the drama!

Jeremiah 41:1-18 (KJV) 

1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month, [that] Ishmael the son of Nethaniah the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, and the princes of the king, even ten men with him, came unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam to Mizpah; and there they did eat bread together in Mizpah. 

Ishmael along with 10 men came to the house of Gedaliah and ate together.

2 Then arose Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men that were with him, and smote Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan with the sword, and slew him, whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. 

Ishmael and the 10 men killed Gedaliah who was made governor by Nebuchadnezzar.

3 Ishmael also slew all the Jews that were with him, [even] with Gedaliah, at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans that were found there, [and] the men of war.

Ishmael killed all the men that were with Gedaliah including the men of Babylon who were men of war.

 4 And it came to pass the second day after he had slain Gedaliah, and no man knew [it],

On the second day after killing Gedaliah and no one knew about it,

 5 That there came certain from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, [even] fourscore men, having their beards shaven, and their clothes rent, and having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring [them] to the house of the LORD. 

80 men came from different cities all beginning with the letter S; these men came dressed as men who were in mourning with an offering in their hand to bring to the house of the Lord.

6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went forth from Mizpah to meet them, weeping all along as he went: and it came to pass, as he met them, he said unto them, Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. 

Ishmael pretending to be weeping and courteous, asked the men if they were coming to see Gedaliah?

7 And it was [so], when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah slew them, [and cast them] into the midst of the pit, he, and the men that [were] with him.

Then Ishamael killed 70 of the men and threw their bodies in the pit, the men who were with Ishmael helped him kill the men.

 8 But ten men were found among them that said unto Ishmael, Slay us not: for we have treasures in the field, of wheat, and of barley, and of oil, and of honey. So he forbare, and slew them not among their brethren. 

10 of the men ask not to be killed and offered the men food.  Ishmael did not kill them at this time.

9 Now the pit wherein Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men, whom he had slain because of Gedaliah, [was] it which Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel: [and] Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with [them that were] slain. 

Many years ago king Asa made the place Ishmael threw the bodies into.  Ishmael filled that place with the bodies he killed.  Ishmael's hate for Gedaliah being governor is the reason he killed at Mizpah.

10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the residue of the people that [were] in Mizpah, [even] the king's daughters, and all the people that remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam: and Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive, and departed to go over to the Ammonites. 

All of the people who were left in Mizpah, Ishmael carried them away captive to the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot.

11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that [were] with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 

When the men with Johanan who warned Gedaliah about the plot of Ishamael heard of what Ishmael had done,

12 Then they took all the men, and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and found him by the great waters that [are] in Gibeon.

Johanan and his men gathered an army to fight against Ishmael and they found him in Gibeon.

 13 Now it came to pass, [that] when all the people which [were] with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that [were] with him, then they were glad. 

When the people Ishmael held captive saw Johanan they were glad.

14 So all the people that Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah cast about and returned, and went unto Johanan the son of Kareah. 

The captive broke loose and returned to Johanan.

15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men, and went to the Ammonites. 

Ishmael ran from Johanan and the 8 men who were with him.

16 Then took Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that [were] with him, all the remnant of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, from Mizpah, after [that] he had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, [even] mighty men of war, and the women, and the children, and the eunuchs, whom he had brought again from Gibeon: 

Then Johanan took all the people who were with him including those who were  held captive by Ishmael:

17 And they departed, and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem, to go to enter into Egypt, 18 Because of the Chaldeans: for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had slain Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon made governor in the land.

Johanan and the people stayed outside of Egypt because of the Chaldeans, who were the people of Babylon; they were afraid of what the Babylonian army might do to them because of what Ishmael did to Gedaliah.