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 relatives at Shechem and he said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family,
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 say this, so that all the leaders in Shechem may hear, 'Which is better for you, that all seventy sons of Jerub Baal rule over you, or that just one rule over you?' Remember that I am your bone and your flesh.”
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 relatives spoke for him to the leaders of Shechem, and they agreed to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
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 pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire men of lawless and reckless character, who followed him.
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.
Abimelech went to his father's house at Ophrah, and upon one stone he murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub Baal. Only Jotham was left, the youngest son of Jerub Baal, 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 leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo came together and they went and made Abimelech king, beside the oak near the pillar which is in Shechem.
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 was told about this, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He shouted and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, so that God may 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.
The trees once went out to anoint a king over them. For they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.'
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 said to them, 'Should I give up my oil, which is used to honor gods and mankind, so I may go return, just to sway over the other trees?'
10 And the trees say to the fig, Come thou, reign over us.
The trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and reign over us.'
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 said to them, 'Should I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, just so I could return and sway over the other trees?'
12 'And the trees say to the vine, Come thou, reign over us.
The trees said to the vine, 'Come and reign over us.'
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?
The vine said to them, 'Should I give up my new wine, which cheers gods and mankind, and return and sway over the other trees?'
14 And all the trees say unto the bramble, Come thou, reign over us.
Then said all the trees to the thornbush, 'Come and reign over us.'
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 thornbush said to the trees, 'If you truly want to anoint me as king over you, then come and find safety under my shade. If not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and let it 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 —
Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and honesty, when you made Abimelech king, and if you have done well concerning Jerub Baal and his house, and if you have punished him as he deserves—
17 because my father hath fought for you, and doth cast away his life from [him], and deliver you from the hand of Midian;
—and to think that my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you out of the hand of Midian—
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 today you have risen up against my father's house and have killed his sons, seventy persons, upon one stone. Then you have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative.
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;
If you acted with honesty and integrity with Jerub Baal and his house, then you should rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.
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 not, let fire come out from Abimelech and burn up the men of Shechem and Beth Millo. Let fire come out from the men of Shechem and Beth Millo, to burn up Abimelech.”
21 And Jotham hasteth, and fleeth, and goeth to Beer, and dwelleth there, from the face of Abimelech his brother.
Jotham fled and ran away, and he went to Beer. He lived there because it was far away from 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,
God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. The leaders of Shechem betrayed the trust they had with 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.
God did this so the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub Baal might be avenged, and Abimelech their brother would be held responsible for murdering them, and the men of Shechem would be held responsible because they helped him murder 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.
So the leaders of Shechem positioned men to lie in wait on the hilltops that they might ambush him, and they robbed all who passed by them along that road. This was reported to Abimelech.
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 came with his relatives and they went over to Shechem. The leaders of Shechem had confidence 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 and gathered grapes from the vineyards, and they trampled on them. They held a festival in the house of their god, where they ate and drank, and they 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?
Gaal son of Ebed, said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub Baal? Is Zebul not his officer? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we 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.'
I wish that this people were under my command! Then would I remove Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, 'Call out all your army.'”
30 And Zebul, prince of the city, heareth the words of Gaal son of Ebed, and his anger burneth,
When Zebul, the official of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed his anger was kindled.
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 sent messengers to Abimelech in order to deceive, saying, “See, Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives are coming to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you.
32 and, now, rise by night, thou and the people who [are] with thee, and lay wait in the field,
Now, get up during the night, you and the soldiers with you, and prepare an ambush in the fields.
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.'
Then in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and make a raid on the city. When he and the people with him come out against you, do whatever you can to them.”
34 And Abimelech riseth, and all the people who [are] with him, by night, and they lay wait against Shechem — four detachments;
So Abimelech got up during the night, he and all the men who were with him, and they set an ambush against Shechem—dividing into four units.
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,
Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the city gate. Abimelech and the men who were with him came out of their hiding place.
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.'
When Gaal saw the men, he said to Zebul, “See, men are coming down from the hilltops!” Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills like they are men.”
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.'
Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, men are coming down in the middle of the land, and one unit is coming by way of the oak of the diviners.”
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.'
Then Zebul said to him, “Where are your proud words now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?' Are these not the men you despised? Go out now and fight against them.”
39 And Gaal goeth out before the masters of Shechem, and fighteth against Abimelech,
Gaal went out and he was leading the men of Shechem, and he fought Abimelech.
40 and Abimelech pursueth him, and he fleeth from his presence, and many fall wounded — unto the opening of the gate.
Abimelech chased him, and Gaal fled before him. Many fell with deadly wounds before the entrance to the city gate.
41 And Abimelech abideth in Arumah, and Zebul casteth out Gaal and his brethren from dwelling in Shechem.
Abimelech stayed in Arumah. Zebul forced Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem.
42 And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that the people go out to the field, and they declare [it] to Abimelech,
On the next day the people of Shechem went out into the field, and this was reported to Abimelech.
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 took his people, divided them into three units, and they set an ambush in the fields. He looked and saw the people coming out from the city and 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 the units that were with him attacked and blocked the entrance to the city gate. The other two units attacked all who were in the field and killed 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.
Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city, and killed the people who were in it. He tore down the city walls and spread salt over it.
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 heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-Berith.
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 leaders had gathered together at the tower of Shechem.
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.'
Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the men who were with him. Abimelech took an ax and cut off branches. He put it on his shoulder and ordered the men with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.”
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.
So every one cut off branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the wall of the tower, and they set it on fire, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.
50 And Abimelech goeth unto Thebez, and encampeth against Thebez, and captureth it,
Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against 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 in the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled to it and shut themselves in. Then they 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 came to the tower and fought against it, and he came up near to the door of the tower to burn it.
53 and a certain woman doth cast a piece of a rider on the head of Abimelech, and breaketh his skull,
But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and it cracked his skull.
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.
Then he called urgently to the young man who was his armor-bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so no one will say about me, 'A woman killed him.'” So his young man pierced him through, and he died.
55 And the men of Israel see that Abimelech [is] dead, and go each one to his place;
When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.
56 and God turneth back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father to slay his seventy brethren;
So God avenged the evil of Abimelech that he did to his father by 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.
God made all the evil of the men of Shechem turn back on their own heads and on them came the curse of Jotham son of Jerub Baal.
