Yirmiyahu 41-42

The appointing of Gedalya as governor over Judah gave hope for a renewal of life after the destruction. With the assassination of Gedalya by Yishmael ben Netanya and his men, this hope was cut off, and the destruction and the exile became an indisputable fact. Gedalya refuses to hear the warnings of Yochanan ben Kareach and his soldiers (in perek 40) and is caught in the trap set for him by Yishmael ben Netanya and his men, who murder him in Mitzpa during the Rosh Hashana meal.  In addition to this foul murder, there is a massacre of the pilgrims to Jerusalem who came from the Shomron area. Gedalya's murder has an immediate effect on the small Jewish population remaining in Israel, who are hesitant to stay in Israel and want to emigrate to Egypt because they are afraid of the Babylonians taking revenge on them.

After the Assassination, those remaining in Judah are at a loss as to what to do. In their distress, they turn to Yirmiyahu, and ask to hear the word of God from him. Yirmiyahu encourages them to stay in Israel and to continue Gedalyahu's work to rebuild the nation. He warns them not to go to Egypt, despite their fear of revenge by the Babylonians for murdering the governor whom they had placed in the land. But their fear of revenge overcomes their commitment to God and the remaining people, under the leadership of Yochanan ben Kareach and his officers, decide to go to Egypt and request refuge there.