Judges 9
1 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,
Abimelech, son of Jerub-baal, went to his mother's brothers at Shechem and told them and all his mother's relatives,
2 '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.'
“Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘What's best for you? That seventy men, all of them Jerub-baal's sons, rule over you—or just one man?’ Remember I'm your own flesh and blood!”
3 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;'
His mother's brothers shared his proposal with all the leaders of Shechem, and they decided to follow Abimelech, because they said, “He is our relative.”
4 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;
They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech used the money to hire some arrogant troublemakers as his gang.
5 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.
He went to his father's house in Ophrah, and on one stone killed his seventy half-brothers, the sons of Jerub-baal. But Jotham, Jerub-baal's youngest son, escaped by going into 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 the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo all assembled by the oak at the pillar in Shechem and made Abimelech their king.
7 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:
When Jotham got to hear this, he went up to the top of Mount Gerizim, and shouted in a loud voice: “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, and God may to listen to you!
8 'The trees have diligently gone to anoint over them a king, and they say to the olive, Reign thou over us.
Once upon a time the trees were determined to anoint a king to rule over them. They said to the olive tree, ‘You shall be our king.’
9 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?
But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my rich oil that benefits both gods and men just to go and sway to and fro over the trees?’
10 And the trees say to the fig, Come thou, reign over us.
Then the trees asked the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king.’
11 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?
But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my good sweet fruit just to go and sway to and fro over the trees?’
12 'And the trees say to the vine, Come thou, reign over us.
Then the trees asked the grape vine, ‘You come and be our king.’
13 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?
But the grape vine replied, ‘Should I stop giving my wine that makes both gods and men happy just to go and sway to and fro over the trees?’
14 And all the trees say unto the bramble, Come thou, reign over us.
Then all the trees asked the thorn bush, ‘You come and be our king.’
15 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.
The thorn bush replied to the trees, ‘If you're really sincere about anointing me as your king, come and find shelter in my shade. But if not, may fire flame out of the thorn bush and burn up the cedars of Lebanon!’
16 '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 —
Have you acted sincerely and honestly by making Abimelech your king? Have you been acted honorably to Jerub-baal and his family? Have you respected him for all that he accomplished?
17 because my father hath fought for you, and doth cast away his life from [him], and deliver you from the hand of Midian;
Don't forget how my father fought for you and risked his own life to save you from the Midianites!
18 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 —
But you have rebelled against my father's family today. You have killed his seventy sons on one stone and have made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the leaders of Shechem simply because he's related to you.
19 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;
Have you acted sincerely and honestly toward Jerub-baal and his family today? If so, may you be happy with Abimelech, and may he be happy with too!
20 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.'
But if you haven't, then may fire flame out from Abimelech, and may it burn up the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire flame out from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and burn up Abimelech!”
21 And Jotham hasteth, and fleeth, and goeth to Beer, and dwelleth there, from the face of Abimelech his brother.
Then Jotham escaped and ran away. He went to Beer and stayed there because of the threat of Abimelech his brother.
22 And Abimelech is prince over Israel three years,
Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
23 and God sendeth 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 to cause trouble between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. The leaders of Shechem betrayed Abimelech.
24 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.
This happened because of the murder of the seventy sons of Jerub-baal and that responsibility for their blood be placed on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the leaders of Shechem, who provided the means to kill his brothers.
25 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.
The leaders of Shechem sent men to the hill passes to lie in wait and attack Abimelech, and, in the meantime, they robbed everyone who passed by on the road. Abimelech found out what was happening.
26 And Gaal son of Ebed cometh — also his brethren — and they pass over into Shechem, and the masters of Shechem trust in him,
Gaal, son of Ebed, had moved to Shechem with his relatives, and he gained the loyalty of the leaders of Shechem.
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.
At harvest time they went out into the countryside and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them. They celebrated by having a festival in the temple of their god, where they ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.
28 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?
“Who is this Abimelech?” asked Gaal, son of Ebed. “And who is Shechem, that we should have to serve him? Isn't he the son of Jerub-baal, while Zebul is actually the one in charge? You should serve the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we have to serve Abimelech?
29 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.'
If I was the one in charge of you people, I would dispose of Abimelech! I would tell him, ‘Get your army together, and come and fight!’”
30 And Zebul, prince of the city, heareth the words of Gaal son of Ebed, and his anger burneth,
When Zebul, the governor of the city, got to hear what Gaal was saying, he became very angry.
31 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;
He secretly sent messengers to Abimelech to tell him, “Look, Gaal, son of Ebed, and his relatives have arrived in Shechem, and they are stirring up the town to rebel against you.
32 and, now, rise by night, thou and the people who [are] with thee, and lay wait in the field,
So come at night with your army and hide in the countryside.
33 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.'
In the morning as soon as the sun comes up, go and attack the town. When Gaal and his men come out to fight you, you can do whatever you want to them.”
34 And Abimelech riseth, and all the people who [are] with him, by night, and they lay wait against Shechem — four detachments;
Abimelech left at night along with his army, and they separated into four companies that lay in wait near Shechem.
35 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,
When Gaal, son of Ebed, went out and stood at the town's entrance gate, Abimelech and his army came out from where they had been hiding.
36 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.'
Gaal saw the army approaching and said to Zebul, “Look! Some people are coming down from the hilltops!” “That's just shadows made by the hills that look like men,” Zebul replied.
37 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.'
“No really, people are coming down from the high ground,” Gaal repeated. “Plus, there's another company coming down the road that passes the diviners' oak tree.”
38 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.'
“Where's your big mouth now? You're the one who said, ‘Who is this Abimelech, that we should have to serve him?’” Zebul told him. “Aren't these the people you detested? Go on then—go and fight with them!”
39 And Gaal goeth out before the masters of Shechem, and fighteth against Abimelech,
So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out of the town and fought with Abimelech.
40 and Abimelech pursueth him, and he fleeth from his presence, and many fall wounded — unto the opening of the gate.
Abimelech attacked, and chased him and his men as they ran away, killing many of them as they tried to get back to the town gate.
41 And Abimelech abideth in Arumah, and Zebul casteth out Gaal and his brethren from dwelling in Shechem.
Abimelech went back to Arumah while Zebul expelled Gaal and his relatives from Shechem.
42 And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that the people go out to the field, and they declare [it] to Abimelech,
The following day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and Abimelech was informed about it.
43 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.
He divided his army into three companies and had them lay in ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he attacked and killed 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 smite them,
Abimelech and his company raced to occupy the town's entrance gate, while the two companies raced to attack everyone in the fields and kill them.
45 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.
The battle for the town lasted all day but eventually Abimelech captured it. He killed the people, demolished the town, and scattered salt over the ground.
46 And all the masters of the tower of Shechem hear, and go in unto the high place of the house of the god Berith,
When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem realized what had happened, they took refuge in the strongroom of the temple of El-berith.
47 and it is declared to Abimelech that all the masters of the tower of Shechem have gathered themselves together,
When Abimelech found out that all the leaders in the tower of Shechem had gathered there,
48 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.'
he and all the men with him went up Mount Zalmon. Abimelech grabbed hold of an ax and cut a branch from the trees. He lifted it onto his shoulder, and told his men, “Quick! You saw what I did. Do the same!”
49 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.
Each of them cut down a branch and followed Abimelech. They placed the branches against the strongroom and set it on fire. So all the people who lived in the tower of Shechem died, around one thousand men and women.
50 And Abimelech goeth unto Thebez, and encampeth against Thebez, and captureth it,
Then Abimelech went to attack Thebez and captured it.
51 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.
But there was a strong tower inside the city. All the men and women and the town leaders ran there and barricaded themselves in, and then went up to the roof of the tower.
52 And Abimelech cometh unto the tower, and fighteth against it, and draweth nigh unto the opening of the tower to burn it with fire,
Abimelech went up to the tower to attack it. But as he came close to the tower's entrance to set it on fire,
53 and a certain woman doth cast a piece of a rider on the head of Abimelech, and breaketh his skull,
a woman dropped millstone down on Abimelech's head and cracked his skull open.
54 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.
He quickly called the young man who carried his weapons, and ordered him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so they won't say about me that a woman killed him.” So the young man drove his sword through him, and he died.
55 And the men of Israel see that Abimelech [is] dead, and go each one to his place;
When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all left and went home.
56 and God turneth back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father to slay his seventy brethren;
This is how God paid back Abimelech's crime against his father of murdering his seventy brothers.
57 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.
He also repaid the people of Shechem for their evil, and the curse of Jotham, son of Jerub-baal, came down upon them.
