Jueces 9
1 Y se fue Abimelec hijo de Jerobaal a Siquem, a los hermanos de su madre, y habló con ellos, y con toda la familia de la casa del padre de su madre, diciendo:
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 Yo os ruego que habléis a oídos de todos los señores de Siquem: ¿Qué tenéis por mejor, que os señoreen setenta hombres, todos los hijos de Jerobaal; o que os señoree un varón? Acordaos que yo soy hueso vuestro, y carne vuestra.
“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 Y hablaron por él los hermanos de su madre a oídos de todos los señores de Siquem todas estas palabras; y el corazón de ellos se inclinó en favor de Abimelec, porque decían: Nuestro hermano es.
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 Y le dieron setenta siclos de plata del templo de Baal-berit, con los cuales Abimelec alquiló varones vacíos y vagabundos, que le siguieron.
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 Y viniendo a la casa de su padre en Ofra, mató a sus hermanos los hijos de Jerobaal, setenta varones, sobre una piedra; mas quedó Jotam, el más pequeño hijo de Jerobaal, que se escondió.
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 Y reunidos todos los señores de Siquem con toda la casa de Milo ( la congregación ), fueron y eligieron a Abimelec por rey, cerca de la llanura del pilar que estaba en Siquem.
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 Cuando se lo dijeron a Jotam, fue y se puso en la cumbre del monte de Gerizim, y alzando su voz clamó, y les dijo: Oídme, varones de Siquem; que Dios os oiga.
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 Fueron los árboles a elegir rey sobre sí, y dijeron al olivo: Reina sobre nosotros.
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 Mas el olivo respondió: ¿He de dejar mi aceite, con el que por mi causa Dios y los hombres son honrados, por ir a ser grande sobre los árboles?
“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 Y dijeron los árboles a la higuera: Anda tú, reina sobre nosotros.
“Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’
11 Y respondió la higuera: ¿He de dejar mi dulzura y mi buen fruto, por ir a ser grande sobre los árboles?
“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 Dijeron luego los árboles a la vid: Pues ven tú, reina sobre nosotros.
“Then the trees said to the grapevine, ‘Come and be our king!’
13 Y la vid les respondió: ¿He de dejar mi mosto, que alegra a Dios y a los hombres, por ir a ser grande sobre los árboles?
“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 Dijeron entonces todos los árboles al escaramujo: Anda tú, reina sobre nosotros.
“Then all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and be our king!’
15 Y el escaramujo respondió a los árboles: Si en verdad me elegís por rey sobre vosotros, venid, y aseguraos debajo de mi sombra; y si no, fuego salga del escaramujo que devore los cedros del Líbano.
“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 Ahora pues, si con verdad y con integridad habéis procedido en hacer rey a Abimelec, y si lo habéis hecho bien con Jerobaal y con su casa, y si le habéis pagado conforme a la obra de sus manos;
“[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 (Pues que mi padre peleó por vosotros, y echó lejos su vida por libraros de mano de Madián;
“[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 y vosotros os levantasteis hoy contra la casa de mi padre, y matasteis sus hijos, setenta varones, sobre una piedra; y habéis puesto por rey sobre los señores de Siquem a Abimelec, hijo de su criada, por cuanto es vuestro hermano);
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 con verdad y con integridad habéis obrado hoy con Jerobaal y con su casa, que gocéis de Abimelec, y él goce de vosotros.
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 Y si no, fuego salga de Abimelec, que consuma a los señores de Siquem y a la casa de Milo; y fuego salga de los de Siquem y de la casa de Milo, que consuma a Abimelec.
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 Y huyó Jotam, y se fugó, y se fue a Beer, y allí se estuvo por causa de Abimelec su hermano.
[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 Y después que Abimelec hubo dominado sobre Israel tres años,
Abimelech [became the leader of all the people of Israel. He] ruled them for three years.
23 envió Dios un espíritu malo entre Abimelec y los señores de Siquem; que los de Siquem se levantaron contra Abimelec;
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 para que el agravio de los setenta hijos de Jerobaal, y la sangre de ellos, viniera a ponerse sobre Abimelec su hermano que los mató, y sobre los señores de Siquem que corroboraron las manos de él para matar a sus hermanos.
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 Y los señores de Siquem le pusieron asechadores en las cumbres de los montes, los cuales salteaban a todos los que pasaban junto a ellos por el camino; de lo que fue dado aviso a Abimelec.
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 Y Gaal hijo de Ebed vino con sus hermanos, y se pasaron a Siquem; y los señores de Siquem se confiaron en él.
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 Y saliendo al campo, vendimiaron sus viñas, y pisaron la uva, e hicieron alegrías; y entrando en el templo de sus dioses, comieron y bebieron, y maldijeron a Abimelec.
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 Y Gaal hijo de Ebed dijo: ¿Quién es Abimelec y qué es Siquem, para que nosotros le sirvamos a él? ¿No es hijo de Jerobaal? ¿Y no es Zebul su asistente? Servid a los varones de Hamor padre de Siquem. ¿Por qué habíamos de servir a él?
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 Fuérame dado este pueblo bajo mi mano, yo echaría luego a Abimelec. Y decía a Abimelec: Aumenta tus escuadrones, y sal.
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 Y Zebul asistente de la ciudad, oyendo las palabras de Gaal hijo de Ebed, se encendió su ira;
When someone told Zebul what Gaal said, he was very angry.
31 y envió sagazmente mensajeros a Abimelec, diciendo: He aquí que Gaal hijo de Ebed y sus hermanos han venido a Siquem, y he aquí, que han cercado la ciudad contra ti.
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 Levántate pues ahora de noche, tú y el pueblo que está contigo, y pon emboscada en el campo.
You and your men should get up during the night and go and hide in the fields outside the city.
33 Y por la mañana al salir el sol te levantarás y acometerás la ciudad; y él y el pueblo que está con él saldrán contra ti, y tú harás con él según que se te ofrecerá.
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 Levantándose, pues, de noche Abimelec y todo el pueblo que con él estaba, pusieron emboscada contra Siquem con cuatro compañías.
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 Y Gaal hijo de Ebed salió, y se puso a la entrada de la puerta de la ciudad; y Abimelec y todo el pueblo que con él estaba, se levantaron de la emboscada.
[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 Y viendo Gaal el pueblo, dijo a Zebul: He allí pueblo que desciende de las cumbres de los montes. Y Zebul le respondió: La sombra de los montes te parece hombres.
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 Mas Gaal volvió a hablar, y dijo: He allí pueblo que desciende por medio de la tierra, y un escuadrón viene camino de la campiña de Meonenim.
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 Y Zebul le respondió: ¿Dónde está ahora aquel dicho que decías: Quién es Abimelec para que le sirvamos? ¿No es éste el pueblo que tenías en poco? Sal pues ahora, y pelea con él.
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 Y Gaal salió delante de los señores de Siquem, y peleó contra Abimelec.
So Gaal led the men of Shechem outside [the city] to fight Abimelech [and his men].
40 Mas lo persiguió Abimelec, delante del cual él huyó; y cayeron heridos muchos hasta la entrada de la puerta.
Abimelech and his men pursued them, and they killed many of Gaal’s men before they could return [safely] inside the city gate.
41 Y Abimelec se quedó en Aruma; y Zebul echó fuera a Gaal y a sus hermanos, para que no morasen en Siquem.
Abimelech then stayed at Arumah, [about five miles away from Shechem], and Zebul’s men forced Gaal and his brothers to leave Shechem.
42 Y aconteció al siguiente día, que el pueblo salió al campo; y fue dado aviso a Abimelec.
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 El cual, tomando gente, la repartió en tres compañías, y puso emboscadas en el campo; y cuando miró, he aquí el pueblo que salía de la ciudad; y se levantó contra ellos, y los hirió.
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 Pues Abimelec y el escuadrón que estaba con él, acometieron con ímpetu, y pararon a la entrada de la puerta de la ciudad; y las otras dos compañías acometieron a todos los que estaban en el campo, y los hirieron.
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 Y después de combatir Abimelec la ciudad todo aquel día, la tomó, y mató el pueblo que en ella estaba, y asoló la ciudad, y la sembró de sal.
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 Cuando oyeron esto todos los que estaban en la torre de Siquem, entraron en la fortaleza del templo del dios Berit.
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 Y fue dicho a Abimelec como todos los de la torre de Siquem estaban reunidos.
But someone told Abimelech that all the leaders had gathered there.
48 Entonces subió Abimelec al monte de Salmón, él y toda la gente que con él estaba; y tomó Abimelec un hacha en su mano, y cortó una rama de los árboles, y levantándola se la puso sobre sus hombros, diciendo al pueblo que estaba con él: Lo que me veis a mí que hago, haced vosotros prestamente como yo.
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 Y así todo el pueblo cortó también cada uno su rama, y siguieron a Abimelec, y las pusieron junto a la fortaleza, y prendieron fuego con ellas a la fortaleza; de manera que todos los de la torre de Siquem murieron, como unos mil hombres y mujeres.
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 Después Abimelec se fue a Tebes; y puso cerco a Tebes, y la tomó.
Then Abimelech and his men went to Thebes [city]. They surrounded it and captured it.
51 En medio de aquella ciudad había una torre fuerte, a la cual se retiraron todos los hombres y mujeres, y todos los señores de la ciudad; y cerrando tras sí las puertas, se subieron al techo de la torre.
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 Y vino Abimelec a la torre, y combatiéndola, llegó a la puerta de la torre para pegarle fuego.
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 Mas una mujer dejó caer un pedazo de una rueda de molino sobre la cabeza de Abimelec, y le quebró los cascos.
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 Y luego él llamó a su escudero, y le dijo: Saca tu espada y mátame, para que no se diga de mí: Una mujer lo mató. Y su escudero le atravesó, y murió.
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 Y cuando los israelitas vieron muerto a Abimelec, se fueron cada uno a su casa.
When the Israeli soldiers saw that Abimelech was dead, they all returned to their homes.
56 Así devolvió Dios a Abimelec el mal que hizo contra su padre matando a sus setenta hermanos.
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 Y aun todo el mal de los señores de Siquem tornó Dios sobre sus cabezas; y la maldición de Jotam, hijo de Jerobaal, vino sobre ellos.
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].
