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,
Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family 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.”
“Please speak in the ears of all the men of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are seventy persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember 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”;
His mother’s brothers spoke of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words. Their hearts inclined to follow 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;
They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal Berith, with which Abimelech hired vain and reckless fellows who 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.
He went to his father’s house at Ophrah, and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy persons, on one stone; but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal 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;
All the men of Shechem assembled themselves together with all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king by the oak of the pillar that was in 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 they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice, cried out, and said to them, “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, 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 set out to anoint a king over themselves. 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?
“But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I stop producing my oil, with which they honour God and man by me, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?’
10 And the trees say to the fig, Come, reign over us.
“The trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and 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, ‘Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?’
12 And the trees say to the vine, Come, reign over us.
“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?
“The vine said to them, ‘Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave back and forth 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 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.
“The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and 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—
“Now therefore, if you have dealt truly and righteously, in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands
17 because my father has fought for you, and casts his life away from [him], and delivers you from the hand of Midian;
(for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of 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—
and you have risen up against my father’s house today and have slain his sons, seventy persons, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, 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 you then have dealt truly and righteously with Jerubbaal and with his house today, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also 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 not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from the house 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.
Jotham ran away and fled, and went to Beer and lived there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
22 And Abimelech is prince over Israel [for] three years,
Abimelech was prince 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,
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with 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.
that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother who killed them, and on the men of Shechem who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.
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.
The men of Shechem set an ambush for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who came along that way by them; and Abimelech was told about it.
26 And Gaal son of Ebed comes—also his brothers—and they pass over into Shechem, and the masters of Shechem trust in him,
Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust 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.
They went out into the field, harvested their vineyards, trod the grapes, celebrated, and went 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?
Gaal the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal? Isn’t Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem, but 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.”
I wish that this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech.” He said to Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!”
30 And Zebul, prince of the city, hears the words of Gaal son of Ebed, and his anger burns,
When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger burnt.
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;
He sent messengers to Abimelech craftily, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and behold, they incite the city against you.
32 and now, rise by night, you and the people who [are] with you, and lay wait in the field,
Now therefore, go up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in 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.”
It shall be that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early and rush on the city. Behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, then may you do to them as you shall find occasion.”
34 And Abimelech rises, and all the people who [are] with him, by night, and they lay wait against Shechem—four detachments;
Abimelech rose up, and all the people who were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem 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,
Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. Abimelech rose up, and the people who were with him, from the ambush.
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.”
When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Behold, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains.” Zebul said to him, “You see the shadows of the mountains as if they were 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.”
Gaal spoke again and said, “Behold, people are coming down by the middle of the land, and one company comes by the way of the oak of Meonenim.”
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.”
Then Zebul said to him, “Now where is your mouth, that you said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Isn’t this the people that you have despised? Please go out now and fight with them.”
39 And Gaal goes out before the masters of Shechem, and fights against Abimelech,
Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40 and Abimelech pursues him, and he flees from his presence, and many fall wounded—to the opening of the gate.
Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many fell wounded, even to the entrance of the gate.
41 And Abimelech abides in Arumah, and Zebul casts out Gaal and his brothers from dwelling in Shechem.
Abimelech lived at Arumah; and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42 And it comes to pass, on the next day, that the people go out to the field, and they declare [it] to Abimelech,
On the next day, the people went out into the field; and they told 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 the people and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field; and he looked, and behold, the people came out of the city. So, 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,
Abimelech and the companies that were with him rushed forward and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city; and the two companies rushed on all who 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.
Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city and killed the people in it. He beat down 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,
When all the men of the tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered into the stronghold of the house of Elberith.
47 and it is declared to Abimelech that all the masters of the Tower of Shechem have gathered themselves together,
Abimelech was told that all the men of the tower of Shechem 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].”
Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done!”
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.
All the people likewise each cut down his bough, followed Abimelech, and put them at the base of the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
50 And Abimelech goes to Thebez, and encamps against Thebez, and captures it,
Then Abimelech went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez, 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.
But there was a strong tower within the city, and all the men and women of the city fled there, and shut themselves in, and went up to 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,
Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and came 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,
A certain woman cast an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, 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.
Then he called hastily to the young man, his armour bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, that men not say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ 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;
When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they each departed to his place.
56 and God turns back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father to slay his seventy brothers;
Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father in 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.
and God repaid all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads; and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came on them.
