Jij 9
1 Abimélec, fis a Jerubbaal la te ale nan Sichem vè fanmi manman li. Li te pale ak yo e a tout fanmi lakay granpapa li bò kote manman l. Li te di:
Gideon’s son Abimelech went to [talk with] his mother’s brothers in Shechem [city]. He said to them and to all his mother’s relatives,
2 “Pale koulye a, pou tout chèf Sichem yo tande: ‘Kisa k ap pi bon pou nou, ke swasann-dis lòm, tout fis a Jerubbaal yo vin renye sou nou, oswa ke yon sèl moun renye sou nou?’ Anplis, sonje byen ke mwen se zo nou ak chè nou.”
“Ask all the leaders of your city: ‘Do you [think it would be] good for all 70 of Gideon’s sons to rule over you? Or would it be better to have only one of his sons, [me], to rule over you?’ And do not forget that I am your relative! [MTY]”
3 Fanmi li yo te pale tout pawòl sila yo pou li menm kote pou tout chèf Sichem yo tande. Kè yo te apye vè Abimélec, akoz yo te di: “Li se fanmi nou.”
So Abimelech’s mother’s brothers spoke to all the leaders of Shechem about what Abimelech had said. They said to each other, “We should allow Abimelech to rule over us, because he is our relative.”
4 Yo te ba li swasann-dis pyès ajan soti lakay Baal-Berith, avèk sila Abimélec te anplwaye kalite mesye sanzave yo san kontwòl e yo te swiv li.
So the leaders of Shechem took from the temple of [their god] Baal-Berith (almost 2 pounds/0.8 kg.) of silver and gave it to Abimelech. With that silver he paid some worthless troublemakers to help him, and they went with Abimelech wherever he went.
5 Konsa, li te ale lakay papa li nan Ophra e te touye frè li yo, fis a Jerubbaal yo, swasann-dis zòm, sou yon sèl wòch. Men Jotham, fis pi piti a Jerubbaal la te chape, akoz li te kache kò li.
They went to Ophrah, his father’s town, and murdered 69 of his 70 brothers, the sons of his father Gideon. They killed all those men on one huge rock. But Gideon’s youngest son Jotham hid [from Abimelech and his men], and he escaped.
6 Tout mesye a Sichem yo avèk tout Beth-Millo yo te rasanble ansanm pou yo te ale fè Abimélec wa kote bwadchenn nan akote pilye ki te Sichem nan.
Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth-Millo gathered under the big sacred tree in Shechem. There they appointed Abimelech to be their leader.
7 Alò, lè yo te di Jotham sa, li te ale kanpe sou tèt Mòn Garizim nan. Li te leve vwa li pou rele fò Konsa, li te di yo: “Koute mwen, O mesye Sichem yo, pou Bondye kapab tande nou.
When Jotham heard about that, he climbed up Gerizim Mountain. He stood at the top of the mountain and shouted to the people [down below], “You leaders of Shechem, listen to me, in order that God will listen to you!
8 Yon fwa pyebwa yo te ale pou onksyone yon wa sou yo. Yo te di a bwa doliv la: ‘Vin renye sou nou!’
One day the trees decided to appoint a king to rule over all of them. So they said to the olive tree, ‘You be our king!’
9 “Men oliv la te di yo: ‘Èske mwen ta kite tout grès mwen, ke ni Bondye ni lèzòm onore, pou m ta balanse feyaj mwen sou bwa yo?
“But the olive tree said, ‘No! [I will not be your king] Men and gods enjoy the oil from my fruit. I will not [RHQ] stop producing [olives from which we make] that oil, in order to rule over you other trees!’
10 “Epi bwa yo te di a pye fig la: ‘Ou menm, vin renye sou nou!’
“Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’
11 “Men pye fig la te di yo: ‘Èske mwen ta dwe kite dousè mwen ak bon fwi mwen, pou m ta balanse feyaj mwen sou bwa yo?’
“But the fig tree replied, ‘No! I do not want to [RHQ] stop producing my good sweet fruit, and rule over you other trees!’
12 “Epi bwa te di a pye rezen an: ‘Ou menm, vin renye sou nou!’
“Then the trees said to the grapevine, ‘Come and be our king!’
13 “Men pye rezen an te di yo: ‘Èske mwen ta dwe kite diven nèf mwen ki fè kè Bondye ak kè lezòm kontan, pou m ta balanse feyaj mwen sou bwa?’
“But the grapevine replied, ‘No! [I will not be your king] The new wine [that is made from my grapes] causes people and gods [who drink it] to become very happy. I do not want to stop producing grapes and rule over you other trees!’ [RHQ]
14 “An dènye, tout bwa yo te di a raje pikan yo: ‘Ou menm, vin renye sou nou!’
“Then all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and be our king!’
15 “Epi raje pikan yo te di a bwa yo: ‘Si anverite w ap onksyone mwen kòm wa sou nou, vin pwoteje nou menm anba lonbraj mwen. Men si se pa sa, kite dife a sòti nan raje pikan an pou brile nèt tout sèd Liban yo.’
“The thornbush replied, ‘If you truly want to appoint me to be your king, come into the shade of my [tiny branches]. But if you do not want to do that, I hope/desire that fire will come out from me and burn up all the huge cedar trees in Lebanon [country]!’”
16 “Pou sa, si nou te aji an bòn fwa avèk entegrite nan fè Abimélec wa, si nou te aji byen avèk Jerubbaal avèk lakay li e te aji avèk li jan li te merite a——
“[After] Jotham [finished telling them this parable, he] said, “So now [I ask you], were you being completely honest and sincere when you appointed Abimelech to be your king [RHQ]? And have you treated Gideon and his family [RHQ] fairly? Have you rewarded Gideon by honoring him as he deserved [because of all the good things he did for you]? No!
17 paske papa m te goumen pou nou e li te riske lavi li pou te delivre nou nan men Madian.
“[Do not forget that] my father fought a battle for you, and he was willing to die for you [if that had been necessary], to save you from the Midian people-group.
18 Men nou te leve kont lakay papa m jodi a e nou te touye fis li yo, swasann-dis moun sou yon sèl wòch pou te fè Abimélec, fis a bòn lakay li a, wa sou mesye Sichem yo, akoz li se moun fanmi nou;
But now you have rebelled against my father’s family, and you have killed 69 of his sons on one huge rock. And you have appointed Abimelech—who is the son of my father’s slave girl, [not the son of his wife]—to be the king who will rule you people of Shechem. You have done that only because he is one of your relatives!
19 si, alò, an bon fwa avèk entegrite, nou te aji avèk Jerubbaal avèk lakay li a nan jou sa a, rejwi nan Abimélec e ke li rejwi nan nou.
So, if today you have truly acted fairly and sincerely toward Gideon and his family, I hope/desire that he will cause you to be happy and that you will cause him to be happy.
20 Men si se pa sa, ke dife sòti nan Abimélec pou manje nèt tout mesye a Sichem avèk Beth-Millo yo; epi ke dife sòti nan mesye Sichem nan ak Beth-Millo yo pou manje Abimélec nèt.”
But if what you did was not right, I wish/desire that Abimelech will burn up all of you leaders of Shechem and Beth-Millo with fire! And I also hope/desire that the leaders of Shechem and Beth-Millo will cause fire to burn up Abimelech!”
21 Konsa, Jotham te sove ale pou te chape ale Beer e te rete la akoz Abimélec, frè li a.
[After] Jotham [finished saying that, he] escaped from them and ran away to Beer [town]. He stayed there because he was afraid that his brother Abimelech [would try to kill him].
22 Abimélec te renye sou Israël pandan twazan.
Abimelech [became the leader of all the people of Israel. He] ruled them for three years.
23 Epi Bondye te voye yon move lespri antre nan Abimélec avèk mesye Sichem yo. Konsa mesye a Sichem yo te aji an movèz fwa avèk Abimélec,
Then God sent an evil spirit [to cause trouble] between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, with the result that the leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech.
24 jiskaske vyolans ki te fèt a swasann-dis fis Jerubbaal yo te kapab remonte e san pa yo ta kapab vin poze sou Abimélec, frè yo a, ki te touye yo, ak sou mesye Sichem yo, ki te ranfòse men li pou l ta kab touye frè li yo.
The leaders of Shechem had previously helped Abimelech to kill 69 of Gideon’s sons, who were his brothers. So now God sent the evil spirit to punish all of them.
25 Mesye Sichem yo te mete moun an anbiskad kont li sou tèt mòn yo e yo te vòlè tout moun ki te pase bò kote yo nan wout la. Tout sa te pale a Abimélec.
The leaders of Shechem (set an ambush/sent men to hide) on the hilltops to ambush Abimelech. Those men robbed everyone who passed by. But someone told Abimelech about it, [so he did not go near them].
26 Alò Gaal, fis Ébed la, te vini avèk fanmi pa li yo pou te travèse Sichem, epi mesye Sichem yo te mete konfyans yo nan li.
There was a man named Gaal, the son of Ebed, who moved into Shechem [city], along with his brothers. Soon the leaders of Shechem started to trust him.
27 Yo te antre nan chan an pou te ranmase rezen, te kraze yo anba pye e te fè yon fèt. Konsa, yo te antre lakay dye pa yo pou te manje, bwè, e te modi Abimélec.
They went out [of the city] to their vineyards and picked some grapes. They pressed the grapes [to make juice, and then they made wine]. Then they had a feast in the temple of their god, and they ate [a lot of food] and drank [a lot of wine]. Then they cursed Abimelech.
28 Konsa, Gaal, fis a Ébed la te di: “Kilès Abimélec sa a ye, e kilès Sichem ye pou nou ta dwe sèvi li? Se pa fis a Jerubbaal la? Se pa Zebul ki lyetnan li? Sèvi pito mesye Hamor yo, fis a Sichem lan, men poukisa nou ta dwe sèvi li menm?
Gaal said, “(Why should [we allow] Abimelech to rule over us?/We should not allow Abimelech to rule over us!) [RHQ] He is only one of Gideon’s sons [so he really does not belong to us] [RHQ]! And he appointed Zebul, the governor of our city, to be his deputy! We should (serve/be loyal to) [one of the descendants of] Hamor, [the founder of our city], and let him be our leader, not Abimelech [RHQ]!
29 Pito sa, ke pèp sa a te anba otorite pa m! Konsa, mwen ta retire Abimélec.” Konsa li te pale Abimélec: “Fè lame ou a vin pi gran e vin parèt deyò!”
If you would appoint me to be your leader, I would get rid of Abimelech. I would say to him, ‘Get your army ready, [and then come to fight us]!’”
30 Lè Zebul, chèf lavil la te tande pawòl a Gaal yo, fis a Ébed la, kòlè li te vin brile.
When someone told Zebul what Gaal said, he was very angry.
31 Li te voye mesaje vè Abimélec pou twonpe li, e te di: “Veye byen, Gaal, fis a Ébed la avèk fanmi li te vini Sichem; epi gade, y ap konplote vil la kont ou.
He secretly sent some messengers to Abimelech. They told him, “Gaal and his brothers have come here to Shechem, and they are causing [the people of] the city to rebel against you.
32 Pou sa, fòk nou leve pandan nwit lan, nou menm avèk pèp nou an, pou kouche tann nan chan an.
You and your men should get up during the night and go and hide in the fields outside the city.
33 Nan maten, depi solèy la leve, nou va leve bonè pou kouri sou vil la. Epi gade, lè li menm avèk pèp pa li a sòti deyò kont nou, nou va fè avèk yo nenpòt sa nou jwenn chans fè.”
As soon as the sun rises in the morning, get up and attack the city. When Gaal and his men come out to fight against you, you can do to them whatever you want to.”
34 Konsa, Abimélec avèk tout pèp ki te avèk li a, te leve pandan lannwit lan pou te kouche tann pou leve kont Sichem nan kat konpayi.
So Abimelech and all the men who were with him got up during the night. They [divided into] four groups, [and] hid [in the fields] near Shechem.
35 Alò Gaal, fis a Ébed la te sòti e te kanpe devan antre pòtay vil la. Konsa, Abimélec avèk pèp ki te avèk li yo te leve sòti nan anbiskad la.
[The next morning], Gaal went out and stood at the entrance to the city gate. While he was standing there, Abimelech and his soldiers came out of their hiding places [and started walking toward the city].
36 Lè Gaal te wè pèp la, li te di a Zebul: “Gade, gen moun k ap desann soti nan tèt mòn yo.” Men Zebul te di: “Se lonbraj mòn ke w ap gade tankou moun nan.”
When Gaal saw the soldiers, he said to Zebul, “Look! There are people coming down from the hills!” But Zebul said, “You are seeing only the shadows [of trees] on the hills. They [are not people; they] only resemble people.”
37 Gaal te pale ankò e te di: “Gade, se moun k ap desann soti nan pi wo pati teren an, yon konpayi k ap pase pa chemen bwadchenn divinò yo.”
But Gaal [looked] again [and] said, “Look! There are people coming down from the top of the sacred mountain! There is a group of them coming down from where the tree is where people talk with the spirits of dead people!”
38 Konsa, Zébul te di li: “Kote ògèy ou fè koulye a, lè ou te di: ‘Kimoun Abimélec ye pou nou ta dwe sèvi li?’ Men se pa moun sa yo ke ou meprize konsa? Ale deyò koulye a pou batay avèk yo!”
Zebul said to Gaal, “Now (what good is your bragging?/your bragging is worthless!) [MTY, RHQ] You said, ‘(Why should we serve Abimelech/We should not allow Abimelech to rule over us)?’ You made fun of these men. So now go out and fight them!”
39 Alò, Gaal te sòti deyò devan chèf Sichem yo pou te batay avèk Abimélec.
So Gaal led the men of Shechem outside [the city] to fight Abimelech [and his men].
40 Abimélec te kouri dèyè li. Li te sove ale devan l, epi anpil te vin blese jis rive nan antre gran pòtay la.
Abimelech and his men pursued them, and they killed many of Gaal’s men before they could return [safely] inside the city gate.
41 Abimélec te viv nan Aruma; men Zebul te chase Gaal avèk fanmi li jiskaske yo pa t kab rete Sichem.
Abimelech then stayed at Arumah, [about five miles away from Shechem], and Zebul’s men forced Gaal and his brothers to leave Shechem.
42 Alò, li te vin rive nan jou ki vini an, ke pèp la te sòti rive nan chan an, e yo te pale Abimélec tout sa.
The next day, the people of Shechem [got ready to leave the city and work] in their fields. When someone told Abimelech about that,
43 Konsa, li te pran pèp li a e te divize yo an twa konpayi. Li te kouche tann nan chan an, e lè l te wè pèp ki t ap sòti nan vil la, li te leve kont yo e te touye yo.
he divided his men into three groups, and told them to hide in the fields. So they did that. And when they saw the people coming out of the city, they jumped up and attacked them.
44 Abimélec avèk konpayi ki te avè l la te kouri devan e te kanpe antre nan pòtay vil la. Lòt de konpayi yo te kouri sou tout moun ki te nan chan an e te touye yo.
Abimelech and the men who were with him ran to the city gate. The other two groups ran out to the people in the fields and attacked them.
45 Abimélec te goumen kont vil la pandan tout jounen an. Li te kaptire vil la e te touye pèp ki te ladann yo. Konsa, li te kraze vil la e te simen sèl ladann.
Abimelech and his men fought all day. They captured the city and killed all the people. They tore down all the buildings, and then they threw salt over the ruins [in order that nothing would grow there again].
46 Lè tout chèf nan fò Sichem nan te tande sa, yo te antre kache nan chanm enteryè tanp El-Berith la.
When the leaders who lived in the tower/fortress outside of Shechem heard what had happened, they ran and hid inside the [fortress, which was also a] temple of [their god] El-Berith.
47 Kèk moun te avèti Abimélec ke tout chèf fò Sichem nan te rasanble ansanm.
But someone told Abimelech that all the leaders had gathered there.
48 Konsa, Abimélec te monte Mòn Tsalmon an, ansanm ak tout pèp ki te avè l yo. Li te pran yon rach nan men l, e te koupe yon branch nan bwa yo. Li te leve li monte sou zepòl li, e te di pèp ki te avè l yo: “Sa nou wè ke m fè a, fè vit e fè l menm jan an.”
So he and all the men who were with him went up Zalmon Mountain [which is near Shechem]. Abimelech cut some branches of trees with an axe, and put them on his shoulders. Then he said to all the men who were with him, “Quickly, do what I have just done!”
49 Tout pèp la te koupe branch yo menm jan an, yo te swiv Abimélec, yo te plase yo kont chanm enteryè a, e yo te limen chanm enteryè a avèk dife anwo sila ki te anndan yo. Konsa, tout mesye nan fò Sichem yo te mouri, anviwon mil gason ak fanm.
So his men all cut branches [then carried them down the mountain], following Abimelech. They went to the fortress and piled the branches against its walls. Then they kindled a fire, and the fire burned down the fortress and killed all the people who were inside. So all the people who were inside the fortress—about 1,000 men and women—died.
50 Epi Abimélec te ale Thébets. Yo te fè kan kont Thébets e yo te kaptire li.
Then Abimelech and his men went to Thebes [city]. They surrounded it and captured it.
51 Men te gen yon fò ki te byen fòtifye nan mitan vil la. Tout gason, ni fanm, ni tout chèf lavil la te sove ale rive la e te fèmen kò yo anndan, pou monte sou twati fò a.
But there was a strong tower inside the city. So all the men, women, and leaders of the city ran to the tower. When they were all inside, they locked the door. Then they climbed up to the roof of the tower.
52 Pou sa, Abimélec te vini vè fò a, e te goumen kont li. Li te pwoche antre nan fò a pou brile li avèk dife.
Abimelech and his men came to the tower and tried to get in the door, [but they could not]. Then Abimelech prepared to light a fire to burn down the door.
53 Men yon sèten fanm te jete yon wòch moulen (sila a ki sòti anwo nan moulen an) sou tèt Abimélec e te kraze zo tèt li.
But when Abimelech came near the doorway, a woman [who was on the roof] dropped a big grinding stone on his head, and crushed his skull.
54 Byen vit li te rele gason an ki te pote zam li yo. Li te di li: “Rale nepe ou touye mwen pou yo pa kab pale de mwen, ke yon fanm te touye m.” Konsa, jennonm nan te frennen li nèt e li te mouri.
Abimelech quickly called to the young man who carried Abimelech’s weapons, and said, “Pull out your sword and kill me with it! I do not want people to say ‘It was a woman who killed Abimelech.’” So the young man thrust his sword into Abimelech, and Abimelech died.
55 Lè mesye Israël yo te wè ke Abimélec te mouri, yo tout te pati rive lakay yo.
When the Israeli soldiers saw that Abimelech was dead, they all returned to their homes.
56 Konsa, Bondye te rekonpanse mechanste Abimélec te fè a papa l, nan touye swasann-dis frè li yo.
In that way God punished Abimelech for the evil things that he had done to his father and especially for killing all 69 of his brothers.
57 Bondye te retounen tout mechanste a mesye Sichem yo sou pwòp tèt pa yo, epi madichon Jotham nan, fis Jerubbaal la, te vin sou yo.
God also punished the men of Shechem for the evil things that they had done. And when those things happened, it fulfilled what Gideon’s son Jotham said when he cursed [Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem].
