Jeremiah decided to stay with Gedaliah

40 The soldiers from Babylonia captured me and many other people from Jerusalem and other places in Judah. They planned to take us to Babylon. So they fastened chains around our wrists and took us to Ramah town north of Jerusalem. While we were there, I was released. This is how it happened: 2 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the king’s bodyguards, found that I was there. He summoned me and said to me, “Yahweh your God said that he would cause this land to experience a disaster. 3 And now he has caused it to happen. He has done just what he said that he would do, because you people sinned against Yahweh and refused to obey him. 4 But today I am going to take the chains off your wrists and release you. If you want to come with me to Babylon, that will be fine. I will take care of you. But if you do not want to come with me, do not come. Stay here. Look, the entire country is available; you can choose whatever part you want to go to. You can go wherever you wish.” Then he took the chains off my wrists. 5 He said, “If you decide to stay here, go to Gedaliah. The King of Babylon appointed him to be the governor of Judah. You will be allowed to stay here with the people that he is governing. But you can do whatever you want to.”

Then Nebuzaradan gave me some food and some money, and he allowed me to go.

6 I returned to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and I stayed in Judah with the people who still remained in the land.