Judges 9
1 And Abimelech son of Jerubba‘al goes to Shechem, to his mother’s brothers, and speaks to them, and to all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,
And Abimelech son of Jerobaal went to Sychem to his mother's brethren; and he spoke to them and to all the kindred of the house of his mother's father, saying,
2 “Now speak in the ears of all the masters of Shechem, Which [is] good for you—seventy men ruling over you (all the sons of Jerubba‘al), or one man ruling over you? And you have remembered that I [am] your bone and your flesh.”
Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Sychem, saying, Which [is] better for you, that seventy men, even all the sons of Jerobaal, should reign over you, or that one man should reign over you? and remember that I am your bone and your flesh.
3 And his mother’s brothers speak concerning him, in the ears of all the masters of Shechem, all these words, and their heart inclines after Abimelech, for they said, “He [is] our brother”;
And his mother's brethren spoke concerning him in the ears of all the men of Sychem all these words; and their heart turned after Abimelech, for they said, He is our brother.
4 and they give seventy [pieces] of silver out of the house of Ba‘al-Berith to him, and Abimelech hires vain and unstable men with them, and they go after him;
And they gave him seventy [pieces] of silver out of the house of Baalberith; and Abimelech hired for himself vain and cowardly men, and they went after him.
5 and he goes into the house of his father at Ophrah, and slays his brothers, sons of Jerubba‘al, seventy men, on one stone; and Jotham, youngest son of Jerubba‘al, is left, for he was hidden.
And he went to the house of his father to Ephratha, and killed his brethren the sons of Jerobaal, seventy men upon one stone; but Joatham the youngest son of Jerobaal was left, for he hid himself.
6 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;
And all the men of Sicima, and all the house of Bethmaalo, were gathered together, and they went and made Abimelech king by the oak of Sedition, which was at Sicima.
7 and they declare [it] to Jotham, and he goes and stands on the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifts up his voice, and calls, and says to them, “Listen to me, O masters of Shechem, and God listens to you:
And it was reported to Joatham, and he went and stood on the top of mount Garizin, and lifted up his voice, and wept, and said to them, Hear me, you men of Sicima, and God shall hear you.
8 The trees have diligently gone to anoint a king over them, and they say to the olive, Reign over us.
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive, Reign over us.
9 And the olive says to them, Have I ceased from my fatness, by which they honor gods and men, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?
But the olives said to them, Shall I leave my fatness, with which men shall glorify God, and go to be promoted over the trees?
10 And the trees say to the fig, Come, reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come, reign over us.
11 And the fig says to them, Have I ceased from my sweetness, and my good increase, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?
But the fig tree said to them, Shall I leave my sweetness an my good fruits, and go to be promoted over the trees?
12 And the trees say to the vine, Come, reign over us.
And the trees said to the vine, Come, reign over us.
13 And the vine says to them, Have I ceased from my new wine, which is making gods and men glad, that I have gone to stagger over the trees?
And the vine said to them, Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men, and go to be promoted over the trees?
14 And all the trees say to the bramble, Come, reign over us.
Then all the trees said to the bramble, Come you and [reign] over us.
15 And the bramble says to the trees, If in truth you are anointing me for king over you, come, take refuge in my shadow; and if not—fire comes out from the bramble, and devours the cedars of Lebanon.
And the bramble said to the trees, If you in truth anoint me to reign over you, come, stand under my shadow; and if not, let fire come out from me and devour the cedars of Libanus.
16 And now, if you have acted in truth and in sincerity when you make Abimelech king; and if you have done good with Jerubba‘al, and with his house; and if you have done to him according to the deed of his hands—
And now, if you have done it in truth and integrity, and have made Abimelech king, and if you have wrought well with Jerobaal, and with his house, and if you have done to him according to the reward of his hand,
17 because my father has fought for you, and casts his life away from [him], and delivers you from the hand of Midian;
as my father fought for you, and put his life in jeopardy, and delivered you out of the hand of Madiam;
18 and you have risen against the house of my father today, 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—
and you are risen up this day against the house of my father, and have slain his sons, being seventy men, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech the son of his bondwoman king over the men of Sicima, because he is your brother:
19 indeed, if in truth and in sincerity you have acted with Jerubba‘al and with his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech, and he rejoices—even he—in you;
if then you have done truly and faithfully with Jerobaal, and with his house this day, rejoice you in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice over you:
20 and if not—fire comes out from Abimelech and devours the masters of Shechem and the house of Millo, and fire comes out from the masters of Shechem and from the house of Millo, and devours Abimelech.”
but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Sicima, and the house of Bethmaalo; and let fire come out from the men of Sicima and from the house of Bethmaalo, and devour Abimelech.
21 And Jotham hurries, and flees, and goes to Beer, and dwells there, from the face of his brother Abimelech.
And Joatham fled, and ran away, and went as far as Baeer, and lived there out of the way of his brother Abimelech.
22 And Abimelech is prince over Israel [for] three years,
And Abimelech reigned over Israel three years.
23 and God sends an evil spirit between Abimelech and the masters of Shechem, and the masters of Shechem deal treacherously with Abimelech,
And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Sicima; and the men of Sicima dealt treacherously with the house of Abimelech:
24 for [the] coming in of [the] violence [against] seventy sons of Jerubba‘al, and to place their blood on their brother Abimelech, who slew them, and on the masters of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brothers.
to bring the injury done to the seventy sons of Jerobaal, and to lay their blood upon their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and upon the men of Sicima, because they strengthened his hands to kill his brethren.
25 And the masters of Shechem set ambushes for him on the top of the hills, and rob everyone who passes over by them in the way, and it is declared to Abimelech.
And the men of Sicima set liers in wait against him on the top of the mountains, and robbed every one who passed by them on the way; and it was reported to the king Abimelech.
26 And Gaal son of Ebed comes—also his brothers—and they pass over into Shechem, and the masters of Shechem trust in him,
And Gaal son of Jobel came, and his brethren, and passed by Sicima, and the men of Sicima trusted in him.
27 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.
And they went out into the field, and gathered their grapes, and trod them, and made merry; and they brought [the grapes] into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.
28 And Gaal son of Ebed says, “Who [is] Abimelech, and who [is] Shechem, that we serve him? Is [he] not son of Jerubba‘al? And his commander Zebul? The men of Hamor father of Shechem serve you, and why do we serve him—we?
And Gaal the son of Jobel said, Who is Abimelech, and who is the son of Sychem, that we should serve him? [Is he] not the son of Jerobaal, and [is] not Zebul his steward, his servant with the son of Emmor the father of Sychem? and why should we serve him?
29 And oh that this people were in my hand—then I turn Abimelech aside”; and he says to Abimelech, “Increase your host, and come out.”
And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech, and I would say to him, Multiply your host, and come out.
30 And Zebul, prince of the city, hears the words of Gaal son of Ebed, and his anger burns,
And Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Jobel, and he was very angry.
31 and he sends messengers to Abimelech deceitfully, saying, “Behold, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming into Shechem, and behold, they are fortifying the city against you;
And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Jobel and his brethren are come to Sychem; and behold, they have besieged the city against you.
32 and now, rise by night, you and the people who [are] with you, and lay wait in the field,
And now rise up by night, you and the people with you, and lay wait in the field.
33 and it has been, in the morning, about the rising of the sun, you rise early, and have pushed against the city; and behold, he and the people who [are] with him are going out to you—and you have done to him as your hand finds.”
And it shall come to pass in the morning at sunrising, you shall rise up early and draw towards the city; and behold, he and the people with him will come forth against you, and you shall do to him according to your power.
34 And Abimelech rises, and all the people who [are] with him, by night, and they lay wait against Shechem—four detachments;
And Abimelech and all the people with him rose up by night, and formed an ambuscade against Sychem in four companies.
35 and Gaal son of Ebed goes out, and stands at the opening of the gate of the city, and Abimelech rises—also the people who [are] with him—from the ambush,
And Gaal the son of Jobel went forth, and stood by the door of the gate of the city: and Abimelech and the people with him rose up from the ambuscade.
36 and Gaal sees the people and says to Zebul, “Behold, people are coming down from the top of the hills”; and Zebul says to him, “You are seeing the shadow of the hills like men.”
And Gaal the son of Jobel saw the people, and said to Zebul, Behold, a people comes down from the top of the mountains: and Zebul said to him, You see the shadow of the mountains as men.
37 And Gaal adds yet to speak and says, “Behold, people are coming down from the high part of the land, and another detachment is coming by the way of the oak of Meonenim.”
And Gaal continued to speak and said, Behold, a people comes down westward from the part bordering on the middle of the land, and another company comes by the way of Helon Maonenim.
38 And Zebul says to him, “Where [is] your mouth now, in that you say, Who [is] Abimelech that we serve him? Is this not the people against which you have kicked? Please go out now and fight against it.”
And Zebul said to him, And where is your mouth as you spoke, Who is Abimelech that we should serve him? [Is] not this the people whom you despised? go forth now, and set the battle in array against him.
39 And Gaal goes out before the masters of Shechem, and fights against Abimelech,
And Gaal went forth before the men of Sychem, and set the battle in array against Abimelech.
40 and Abimelech pursues him, and he flees from his presence, and many fall wounded—to the opening of the gate.
And Abimelech pursued him, and he fled from before him; and many fell down slain as far as the door of the gate.
41 And Abimelech abides in Arumah, and Zebul casts out Gaal and his brothers from dwelling in Shechem.
And Abimelech entered into Arema, and Zebul cast out Gaal and his brethren, so that they should not dwell in Sychem.
42 And it comes to pass, on the next day, that the people go out to the field, and they declare [it] to Abimelech,
And it came to pass on the second day that the people went out into the field, and [one] brought word to Abimelech.
43 and he takes the people, and divides them into three detachments, and lays wait in a field, and looks, and behold, the people are coming out from the city, and he rises against them, and strikes them.
And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and formed an ambush in the field; and he looked, and, behold, the people went forth out of the city, and he rose up against them, and struck them.
44 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 strike them,
And Abimelech and the chiefs of companies that were with him rushed forward, and stood by the door of the gate of the city; and the two [other] companies rushed forward upon all that were in the field, and struck them.
45 and Abimelech has fought against the city all that day, and captures the city, and has slain the people who [are] in it, and he breaks down the city, and sows it [with] salt.
And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and took the city, and killed the people that were in it, and destroyed the city, and sowed it with salt.
46 And all the masters of the Tower of Shechem hear, and go into the high place of the house of the god Berith,
And all the men of the tower of Sychem heard, and came to the gathering of Baethel-berith.
47 and it is declared to Abimelech that all the masters of the Tower of Shechem have gathered themselves together,
And it was reported to Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Sychem were gathered together.
48 and Abimelech goes up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who [are] with him, and Abimelech takes the great axe in his hand, and cuts off a bough of the trees, and lifts it up, and sets [it] on his shoulder, and says to the people who [are] with him, “What you have seen me do—hurry, do as I [have done].”
And Abimelech went up to the mount of Selmon, and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a branch of a tree, and took it, and laid it on his shoulders; and said to the people that were with him, What you see me doing, do quickly as I.
49 And every one of the people cuts down his bough and goes after Abimelech, and sets [them] at the high place, and burns the high place with fire by these, and also all the men of the Tower of Shechem die—about one thousand men and women.
And they cut down likewise even every man a branch, and went after Abimelech, and laid them against the place of gathering, and burnt the place of gathering over them with fire; and they died, even all the men of the tower of Sicima, about a thousand men and women.
50 And Abimelech goes to Thebez, and encamps against Thebez, and captures it,
And Abimelech went out of Baethel-berith, and encamped against Thebes, and took it.
51 and a strong tower has been in the midst of the city, and all the men and the women flee there, and all the masters of the city, and they shut [it] behind them, and go up on the roof of the tower.
And there was a strong tower in the midst of the city; and there all the men and the women of the city fled, and shut [the door] without them, and went up on the roof of the tower.
52 And Abimelech comes to the tower, and fights against it, and draws near to the opening of the tower to burn it with fire,
And Abimelech drew near to the tower, and they besieged it; and Abimelech drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53 and a certain woman casts a piece of a millstone on the head of Abimelech, and breaks his skull,
And a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull.
54 and he calls quickly to the young man carrying his weapons and says to him, “Draw your sword, and you have put me to death, lest they say of me—A woman slew him”; and his young man pierced him through, and he dies.
And he cried out quickly to the young man his armour-bearer, and said to him, Draw your sword, and kill me, lest at any time they should say, A woman killed him: and his young man thrust him through and he died.
55 And the men of Israel see that Abimelech [is] dead, and each one goes to his place;
And the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead; and they went each to his place.
56 and God turns back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father to slay his seventy brothers;
So God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he wrought against his father, in slaying his seventy brethren.
57 and God has returned all the evil of the men of Shechem on their [own] head, and the cursing of Jotham son of Jerubba‘al comes to them.
And all the wickedness of the men of Sychem God requited upon their head; and the curse of Joatham the son of Jerobaal came upon them.
