Judges 9
1 Now Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem, to his maternal brothers, and he spoke to them, and to all the relatives of the house of his maternal grandfather, saying:
and Abimelech son of Jerubbaal goeth to Shechem, unto his mother's brethren, and speaketh unto them, and unto all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,
2 “Speak to all the men of Shechem: Which is better for you: that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, should rule over you, or that one man should rule over you? And consider also that I am your bone and your flesh.”
'Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the masters of Shechem, Which [is] good for you — the ruling over you of seventy men (all the sons of Jerubbaal), or the ruling over you of one man? — and ye have remembered that I [am] your bone and your flesh.'
3 And his maternal brothers spoke about him to all the men of Shechem, all these words, and they inclined their hearts after Abimelech, saying, “He is our brother.”
And his mother's brethren speak concerning him, in the ears of all the masters of Shechem, all these words, and their heart inclineth after Abimelech, for they said, 'He [is] our brother;'
4 And they gave to him the weight of seventy silver coins from the shrine of Baal-berith. With this, he hired for himself indigent and wandering men, and they followed him.
and they give to him seventy silverings out of the house of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech hireth with them men, vain and unstable, and they go after him;
5 And he went to his father’s house in Ophrah, and he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, upon one stone. And there remained only Joatham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, and he was in hiding.
and he goeth into the house of his father at Ophrah, and slayeth his brethren, sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone; and Jotham, youngest son of Jerubbaal, is left, for he was hidden.
6 Then all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the families of the city of Millo, and they went and appointed Abimelech as king, beside the oak that stood at Shechem.
And all the masters of Shechem are gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and come and cause Abimelech to reign for king at the oak of the camp which [is] in Shechem;
7 When this had been reported to Jotham, he went and stood at the top of Mount Gerizim. And lifting up his voice, he cried out and said: “Listen to me, men of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
and they declare [it] to Jotham, and he goeth and standeth on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifteth up his voice, and calleth, and saith to them, 'Hearken unto me, O masters of Shechem, and God doth hearken unto you:
8 The trees went to anoint a king over themselves. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
'The trees have diligently gone to anoint over them a king, and they say to the olive, Reign thou over us.
9 And it responded, ‘How could I abandon my fatness, which both gods and men make use of, and depart to be promoted among the trees?’
And the olive saith to them, Have I ceased from my fatness, by which they honour gods and men, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and accept royal power over us.’
And the trees say to the fig, Come thou, reign over us.
11 And it responded to them, ‘How could I abandon my sweetness, and my very sweet fruits, and depart to be promoted among the other trees?’
And the fig saith to them, Have I ceased from my sweetness, and my good increase, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?
12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and reign over us.’
'And the trees say to the vine, Come thou, reign over us.
13 And it responded to them, ‘How could I abandon my wine, which gives joy to God and men, and be promoted among the other trees?’
And the vine saith to them, Have I ceased from my new wine, which is rejoicing gods and men, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?
14 And all the trees said to the bramble, ‘Come and reign over us.’
And all the trees say unto the bramble, Come thou, reign over us.
15 And it responded to them: ‘If truly you would appoint me as king, come and rest under my shadow. But if you are not willing, let fire go forth from the bramble, and let it devour the cedars of Lebanon.’”
And the bramble saith unto the trees, If in truth ye are anointing me for king over you, come, take refuge in my shadow; and if not — fire cometh out from the bramble, and devoureth the cedars of Lebanon.
16 So now, if you are upright and without sin in appointing Abimelech as a king over you, and if you have acted well with Jerubbaal, and with his house, and if you have repaid, in turn, the benefits of him who fought on your behalf,
'And, now, if in truth and in sincerity ye have acted, when ye make Abimelech king; and if ye have done good with Jerubbaal, and with his house; and if according to the deed of his hands ye have done to him —
17 and who gave his life to dangers, so that he might rescue you from the hand of Midian,
because my father hath fought for you, and doth cast away his life from [him], and deliver you from the hand of Midian;
18 though you now have risen up against my father’s house, and have killed his sons, seventy men, upon one stone, and have appointed Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, as a king over the inhabitants of Shechem, since he is your brother,
and ye have risen against the house of my father to-day, and slay his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and cause Abimelech son of his handmaid to reign over the masters of Shechem, because he [is] your brother —
19 if therefore you are upright and have acted without fault with Jerubbaal and his house, then you should rejoice on this day in Abimelech, and he should rejoice in you.
yea, if in truth and in sincerity ye have acted with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice ye in Abimelech, and he doth rejoice — even he — in you;
20 But if you have acted perversely, may fire go forth from him and consume the inhabitants of Shechem and the town of Millo. And may fire go forth from the men of Shechem and from the town of Millo, and devour Abimelech.”
and if not — fire cometh out from Abimelech and devoureth the masters of Shechem and the house of Millo, and fire cometh out from the masters of Shechem and from the house of Millo, and devoureth Abimelech.'
21 And when he had said these things, he fled and went away to Beer. And he lived in that place, out of fear of Abimelech, his brother.
And Jotham hasteth, and fleeth, and goeth to Beer, and dwelleth there, from the face of Abimelech his brother.
22 And so Abimelech reigned over Israel for three years.
And Abimelech is prince over Israel three years,
23 And the Lord put a very grievous spirit between Abimelech and the inhabitants of Shechem, who began to detest him,
and God sendeth an evil spirit between Abimelech and the masters of Shechem, and the masters of Shechem deal treacherously with Abimelech,
24 and to place blame for the crime of the killing of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, and for the shedding of their blood, upon Abimelech, their brother, and upon the rest of the leaders of the Shechemites, who assisted him.
for the coming in of the violence [to] the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, and of their blood to place [it] on Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and on the masters of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren.
25 And they stationed an ambush against him at the summit of the mountains. And while they were waiting for his arrival, they committed robberies, taking spoils from those passing by. And this was reported to Abimelech.
And the masters of Shechem set for him ambushes on the top of the hills, and rob every one who passeth over by them in the way, and it is declared to Abimelech.
26 Now Gaal, the son of Ebed, went with his brothers, and crossed over to Shechem. And the inhabitants of Shechem, uplifted by his arrival,
And Gaal son of Ebed cometh — also his brethren — and they pass over into Shechem, and the masters of Shechem trust in him,
27 departed into the fields, laying waste to the vineyards, and trampling the grapes. And while singing and dancing, they entered into the shrine of their god. And while feasting and drinking, they cursed Abimelech.
and go out into the field, and gather their vineyards, and tread, and make praises, and go into the house of their god, and eat and drink, and revile Abimelech.
28 And Gaal, the son of Ebed, cried out: “Who is Abimelech, and what is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, who has appointed Zebul, his servant, as ruler over the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem? Why then should we serve him?
And Gaal son of Ebed saith, 'Who [is] Abimelech, and who [is] Shechem, that we serve him? is [he] not son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his commander? Serve ye the men of Hamor father of Shechem, and wherefore do we serve him — we?
29 I wish that someone would set this people under my hand, so that I might take away Abimelech from their midst.” And it was told to Abimelech, “Gather the multitude of an army, and approach.”
and oh that this people were in my hand — then I turn Abimelech aside;' and he saith to Abimelech, 'Increase thy host, and come out.'
30 For Zebul, the ruler of the city, upon hearing the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, became very angry.
And Zebul, prince of the city, heareth the words of Gaal son of Ebed, and his anger burneth,
31 And he sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, saying: “Behold, Gaal, the son of Ebed, has arrived at Shechem with his brothers, and he has set the city against you.
and he sendeth messengers unto Abimelech deceitfully, saying, 'Lo, Gaal son of Ebed and his brethren are coming into Shechem, and lo, they are fortifying the city against thee;
32 And so, rise up in the night, with the people who are with you, and lie hidden in the field.
and, now, rise by night, thou and the people who [are] with thee, and lay wait in the field,
33 And at first light in the morning, as the sun is rising, rush upon the city. And when he goes out against you, with his people, do to him what you are able to do.”
and it hath been, in the morning, about the rising of the sun, thou dost rise early, and hast pushed against the city; and lo, he and the people who [are] with him are going out unto thee — and thou hast done to him as thy hand doth find.'
34 And so Abimelech rose up, with all his army, by night, and he set ambushes near Shechem in four places.
And Abimelech riseth, and all the people who [are] with him, by night, and they lay wait against Shechem — four detachments;
35 And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out, and he stood at the entrance to the gate of the city. Then Abimelech rose up, and all the army with him, from the places of the ambushes.
and Gaal son of Ebed goeth out, and standeth at the opening of the gate of the city, and Abimelech riseth — also the people who [are] with him — from the ambush,
36 And when Gaal had seen the people, he said to Zebul, “Behold, a multitude is descending from the mountains.” And he responded to him, “You are seeing the shadows of the mountains, as if they were the heads of men, and so you are being deceived by this error.”
and Gaal seeth the people, and saith unto Zebul, 'Lo, people are coming down from the top of the hills;' and Zebul saith unto him, 'The shadow of the hills thou art seeing like men.'
37 Again, Gaal said, “Behold, a people is descending from the middle of the land, and one company is arriving by the way that looks towards the oak.”
And Gaal addeth yet to speak, and saith, 'Lo, people are coming down from the high part of the land, and another detachment is coming by the way of the oak of Meonenim.'
38 And Zebul said to him: “Where is your mouth now, with which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people that you were despising? Go out and fight against him.”
And Zebul saith unto him, 'Where [is] now thy mouth, in that thou sayest, Who [is] Abimelech that we serve him? is not this the people against which thou hast kicked? go out, I pray thee now, and fight against it.'
39 Therefore, Gaal went out, with the people of Shechem watching, and he fought against Abimelech,
And Gaal goeth out before the masters of Shechem, and fighteth against Abimelech,
40 who pursued him, fleeing, and drove him into the city. And many were cut down on his side, even to the gate of the city.
and Abimelech pursueth him, and he fleeth from his presence, and many fall wounded — unto the opening of the gate.
41 And Abimelech made camp at Arumah. But Zebul expelled Gaal and his companions from the city, and he would not permit them to remain in it.
And Abimelech abideth in Arumah, and Zebul casteth out Gaal and his brethren from dwelling in Shechem.
42 Therefore, on the following day, the people departed into the field. And when this had been reported to Abimelech,
And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that the people go out to the field, and they declare [it] to Abimelech,
43 he took his army, and divided it into three companies, and he placed ambushes in the fields. And seeing that the people had departed from the city, he rose up and rushed upon them,
and he taketh the people, and divideth them into three detachments, and layeth wait in a field, and looketh, and lo, the people are coming out from the city, and he riseth against them, and smiteth them.
44 along with his own company, assaulting and besieging the city. But the two other companies pursued the enemies scattered in the field.
And Abimelech and the detachments who [are] with him have pushed on, and stand at the opening of the gate of the city, and the two detachments have pushed against all who are in the field, and smite them,
45 Now Abimelech assaulted the city all that day. And he seized it, and he killed its inhabitants, and he destroyed it, so much so that he scattered salt in it.
and Abimelech hath fought against the city all that day, and captureth the city, and the people who [are] in it he hath slain, and he breaketh down the city, and soweth it [with] salt.
46 And when those living in the tower of Shechem had heard about this, they entered the temple of their god, Berith, where they had formed a covenant with him. And it was because of this, that the place had taken its name. And it was greatly fortified.
And all the masters of the tower of Shechem hear, and go in unto the high place of the house of the god Berith,
47 Abimelech, also hearing that the men of the tower of Shechem had joined together,
and it is declared to Abimelech that all the masters of the tower of Shechem have gathered themselves together,
48 ascended to mount Zalmon, with all his people. And taking an axe, he cut down the branch of a tree. And laying it on his shoulder, and carrying it, he said to his companions, “What you see me do, you must do quickly.”
and Abimelech goeth up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people who [are] with him, and Abimelech taketh the great axe in his hand, and cutteth off a bough of the trees, and lifteth it up, and setteth [it] on his shoulder, and saith unto the people who [are] with him, 'What ye have seen I have done — haste, do ye like it.'
49 And so, eagerly cutting down branches from the trees, they followed their leader. And surrounding the fortified place, they set it on fire. And so it happened that, by smoke and fire, one thousand persons died, men and women together, the occupants of the tower of Shechem.
And all the people also cut down each one his bough, and go after Abimelech, and set [them] at the high place, and burn by these the high place with fire, and also all the men of the tower of Shechem die, about a thousand men and women.
50 Then Abimelech, setting out from there, arrived at the town of Thebez, which he surrounded and besieged with his army.
And Abimelech goeth unto Thebez, and encampeth against Thebez, and captureth it,
51 Now there was, in the midst of the city, a high tower, to which men and women were fleeing together, with all the leaders of the city. And, having very strongly sealed the gate, they were standing on the roof of the tower to defend themselves.
and a strong tower hath been in the midst of the city, and thither flee do all the men and the women, and all the masters of the city, and they shut [it] behind them, and go up on the roof of the tower.
52 And Abimelech, drawing near the tower, fought valiantly. And approaching the gate, he strove to set it on fire.
And Abimelech cometh unto the tower, and fighteth against it, and draweth nigh unto the opening of the tower to burn it with fire,
53 And behold, one woman, throwing a fragment of a millstone from above, struck the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull.
and a certain woman doth cast a piece of a rider on the head of Abimelech, and breaketh his skull,
54 And he quickly called to his armor bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and strike me, otherwise it may be said that I was slain by a woman.” And, doing as he was ordered, he killed him.
and he calleth hastily unto the young man bearing his weapons, and saith to him, 'Draw thy sword, and thou hast put me to death, lest they say of me — A woman slew him;' and his young man pierced him through, and he dieth.
55 And when he was dead, all those of Israel who were with him returned to their homes.
And the men of Israel see that Abimelech [is] dead, and go each one to his place;
56 And so did God repay the evil that Abimelech had done against his father by killing his seventy brothers.
and God turneth back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father to slay his seventy brethren;
57 The Shechemites also were given retribution for what they had done, and the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal, fell upon them.
and all the evil of the men of Shechem hath God turned back on their head, and come unto them doth the cursing of Jotham son of Jerubbaal.
