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,
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:
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 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.”
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 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.”
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 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.
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 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.
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;
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.
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:
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.
8 The trees have diligently gone to anoint a king over them, and they say to the olive, Reign over us.
The trees went to anoint a king over themselves. And they said to the olive tree, ‘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?
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?’
10 And the trees say to the fig, Come, reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and accept royal power 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?
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?’
12 And the trees say to the vine, Come, reign over us.
And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and 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 it responded to them, ‘How could I abandon my wine, which gives joy to God and men, and be promoted among the other trees?’
14 And all the trees say to the bramble, Come, reign over us.
And all the trees said to the bramble, ‘Come 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 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.’”
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—
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,
17 because my father has fought for you, and casts his life away from [him], and delivers you from the hand of Midian;
and who gave his life to dangers, so that he might rescue you from the hand of Midian,
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—
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,
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 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.
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 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.”
21 And Jotham hurries, and flees, and goes to Beer, and dwells there, from the face of his brother Abimelech.
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.
22 And Abimelech is prince over Israel [for] three years,
And so Abimelech reigned over Israel for 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 the Lord put a very grievous spirit between Abimelech and the inhabitants of Shechem, who began to detest him,
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.
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.
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 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.
26 And Gaal son of Ebed comes—also his brothers—and they pass over into Shechem, and the masters of Shechem trust in him,
Now Gaal, the son of Ebed, went with his brothers, and crossed over to Shechem. And the inhabitants of Shechem, uplifted by his arrival,
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.
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.
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 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?
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.”
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.”
30 And Zebul, prince of the city, hears the words of Gaal son of Ebed, and his anger burns,
For Zebul, the ruler of the city, upon hearing the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, became 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 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.
32 and now, rise by night, you and the people who [are] with you, and lay wait in the field,
And so, rise up in the night, with the people who are with you, and lie hidden 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 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.”
34 And Abimelech rises, and all the people who [are] with him, by night, and they lay wait against Shechem—four detachments;
And so Abimelech rose up, with all his army, by night, and he set ambushes near Shechem in four places.
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 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.
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 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.”
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.”
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.”
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: “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.”
39 And Gaal goes out before the masters of Shechem, and fights against Abimelech,
Therefore, Gaal went out, with the people of Shechem watching, and he fought against Abimelech,
40 and Abimelech pursues him, and he flees from his presence, and many fall wounded—to the opening of the gate.
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.
41 And Abimelech abides in Arumah, and Zebul casts out Gaal and his brothers from dwelling in Shechem.
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.
42 And it comes to pass, on the next day, that the people go out to the field, and they declare [it] to Abimelech,
Therefore, on the following day, the people departed into the field. And when this had been reported 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.
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,
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,
along with his own company, assaulting and besieging the city. But the two other companies pursued the enemies scattered in the field.
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.
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.
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 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.
47 and it is declared to Abimelech that all the masters of the Tower of Shechem have gathered themselves together,
Abimelech, also hearing that the men of the tower of Shechem had joined 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].”
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.”
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 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.
50 And Abimelech goes to Thebez, and encamps against Thebez, and captures it,
Then Abimelech, setting out from there, arrived at the town of Thebez, which he surrounded and besieged with his army.
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.
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.
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, drawing near the tower, fought valiantly. And approaching the gate, he strove to set it on fire.
53 and a certain woman casts a piece of a millstone on the head of Abimelech, and breaks his skull,
And behold, one woman, throwing a fragment of a millstone from above, struck 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 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.
55 And the men of Israel see that Abimelech [is] dead, and each one goes to his place;
And when he was dead, all those of Israel who were with him returned to their homes.
56 and God turns back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father to slay his seventy brothers;
And so did God repay the evil that Abimelech had done against his father by killing his seventy brothers.
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.
The Shechemites also were given retribution for what they had done, and the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal, fell upon them.
