Judges 9
1 Then went Abimelech son of Jerubbaal, to Shechem, unto the brethren of his mother, —and spake unto them, and unto 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 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the owners of Shechem—Which is better for you, that there should rule over you, seventy men, all sons of Jerubbaal, or that there should rule over you, one man? And remember that, your bone and your flesh, am I.
“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 So the brethren of his mother spake for him, in the ears of all the owners of Shechem, all these words, —and their heart inclined after Abimelech, for they said—Our own brother, is he.
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 So they gave him seventy pieces of silver, out of the house of Baal-berith, —and Abimelech hired therewith, loose and unstable men, and they followed 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 entered the house of his father, at Ophrah, and slew his brethren, sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, upon one stone, —but there remained Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, for he had hidden himself.
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 Then were gathered together all the owners of Shechem, and all the house of Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, —by the oak of the pillar, that was 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, when it was told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried aloud, —and said unto them—Hearken unto me, ye owners of Shechem, and may God, hearken unto 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, went their way, to anoint over them, a king, —and they said unto the olive tree—Reign thou over us.
The trees went to anoint a king over themselves. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, which, in me, gods and men do honour, —and go to wave to and fro, 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 Then said the trees unto the fig-tree, —Come! thou reign over us.
And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and accept royal power over us.’
11 But the fig-tree said unto them, Should I leave my sweetness, and mine excellent increase, —and go to wave to and fro, 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 Then said the trees unto the vine, —Come! thou, reign over us.
And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and reign over us.’
13 But the vine said unto them, Should I leave my new wine, that rejoiceth gods and men, —and go to wave to and fro, 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 Then said all the trees, unto the bramble, —Come, thou, to reign over us.
And all the trees said to the bramble, ‘Come and reign over us.’
15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If, in truth, ye are about to anoint me to be king over you, come, take refuge in my shade, —but, if not, there shall come forth fire out of the bramble, and devour 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 Now, therefore, if, in truth and sincerity, ye have acted, in making Abimelech king, —and if ye have dealt, well, with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if, according to the deserving of his hands, ye have done unto him;
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 in that my father fought for you, and cast his soul away from before him, and rescued you out of the hand of Midian; —
and who gave his life to dangers, so that he might rescue you from the hand of Midian,
18 yet have, ye, risen up against the house of my father, to-day, and slain his sons—seventy men, upon one stone, —and made Abimelech, son of his maidservant, king over the owners 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 if then, in truth and in sincerity, ye have dealt with Jerubbaal and with his house, this day, rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let, him also, rejoice 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 but, if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the owners of Shechem, and the house of Millo, —and let fire come out from the owners of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour 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 hasted away, and fled, and went to Beer, —and dwelt there, away from the face of Abimelech his brother.
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 ruled over Israel three years.
And so Abimelech reigned over Israel for three years.
23 Then God let go a spirit of mischief between Abimelech and the owners of Shechem, —and the owners of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
And the Lord put a very grievous spirit between Abimelech and the inhabitants of Shechem, who began to detest him,
24 that the cruel wrong to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might [come upon them], —and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the owners of Shechem who strengthened his hands, to slay his brethren.
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 So the owners of Shechem set for him liers in wait, upon the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who crossed over them by the road, —and it was told 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 came, with his brethren, and they passed through to Shechem, —and the owners of Shechem put their 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 Then went they out into the fields, and gathered the fruit of their vineyards and trode [the grapes], and held a vintage festival, —and entered the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and poured contempt on 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 said: Who is Abimelech—and who is the son of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? Serve ye the men of Hamor, Shechem’s father, but why should, we, serve him?
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 Would, then, this people were in my hand! that I might set aside Abimelech, —and say to Abimelech, Increase thine army, 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, when Zubul, governor of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, then was kindled his anger.
For Zebul, the ruler of the city, upon hearing the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, became very angry.
31 And he sent messengers unto Abimelech, by deceit, saying, —Lo! Gaal son of Ebed, and his brethren, are coming into Shechem; and lo! are fortifying the city against thee.
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 Now, therefore, up by night, thou and the people that are with thee, and lie in 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 shall be, in the morning, about sunrise, thou shalt get up early, and spread thyself out against the city, —when lo! he and the people that are with him coming out against thee, so shalt thou do unto him as thy hand shall find opportunity.
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 So Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, —and they lay in wait above Shechem, in four companies.
And so Abimelech rose up, with all his army, by night, and he set ambushes near Shechem in four places.
35 Then came forth Gaal son of Ebed, and took his stand at the opening of the gate of the city, —so Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the place of 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, when Gaal saw the people, he said unto Zebul, Lo! people coming down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, The shadow of the mountains, thou seest, 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 Then did Gaal yet further speak, and say—Lo! people coming down from the highest part of the land, —and one company, coming in by way of the Conjurers’ Terebinth.
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 So then Zebul said unto him—Where, then, is thy mouth that kept on saying, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? Is not, this, the people which thou didst despise? Go forth, I pray thee, now, and fight with them!
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 went forth before the owners of Shechem, —and fought against Abimelech.
Therefore, Gaal went out, with the people of Shechem watching, and he fought against Abimelech,
40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, —and there fell a multitude of slain as far as the entering 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 Then dwelt Abimelech in Arumah, —and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell 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 came to pass, on the morrow, that the people went forth into the field, —and they told Abimelech.
Therefore, on the following day, the people departed into the field. And when this had been reported to Abimelech,
43 So he took the people and divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field, —and he looked, and lo! the people coming forth out of the city, so he rose up against them, and smote 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 companies that were with him, spread themselves out, and [one of the companies] took their stand at the opening of the gate of the city, —while, the two companies, spread themselves out against all that were in the field, and smote 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, fought against the city, all that day, and captured the city, the people also that were therein, he slew, —and brake down the city, and sowed 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, when all the owners of the tower of Shechem heard, they entered into the basement of the house of El-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 was told Abimelech, that all the owners of the tower of Shechem had gathered themselves together.
Abimelech, also hearing that the men of the tower of Shechem had joined together,
48 So Abimelech went up Mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him, and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and lifted it, and laid it on his shoulder, —and said unto the people that were with him—What ye have seen me do, haste! do likewise.
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 So, even all the people cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and laid them over the basement, and set it on fire over them who were therein, —even all the men of the tower of Shechem died about a 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 Then went Abimelech unto Thebez, —and encamped against Thebez, and captured it.
Then Abimelech, setting out from there, arrived at the town of Thebez, which he surrounded and besieged with his army.
51 Now, a strong tower, was in the midst of the city, and there fled thither all the men and the women, and all the owners of the city, and shut themselves in, —and went 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 came in as far as the tower, and fought against it, —and so came near, as far as the entrance 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 cast an upper millstone upon the head of Abimelech, —and brake in pieces his skull.
And behold, one woman, throwing a fragment of a millstone from above, struck the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull.
54 Then called he hastily unto the young man bearing his armour, and said unto him—Draw thy sword, and put me to death, lest they say of me, A woman, slew him! So his young man thrust him through, and he died.
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, when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was, dead, they went their way every man to his own place.
And when he was dead, all those of Israel who were with him returned to their homes.
56 Thus did God requite the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father, in slaying his seventy brethren;
And so did God repay the evil that Abimelech had done against his father by killing his seventy brothers.
57 all the wickedness also, of the men of Shechem, did God requite upon their own head, —and so brought in upon, them the curse of Jotham, son of Jerubbaal.
The Shechemites also were given retribution for what they had done, and the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal, fell upon them.
