Judges 9
1 And Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's brethren, and spoke to them, and to 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 citizens of Shechem, Which is better for you, that seventy persons, all sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you? And remember 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 spoke of him in the ears of all the citizens of Shechem all these words. And their heart inclined 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 gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech hired with them vain and wanton men, and they followed 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 came to his father's house, to Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons upon one stone; but there remained Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal; for he had hid himself.
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 citizens of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the memorial-oak that 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 told it to Jotham, and he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said to them, Hearken to me, ye citizens of Shechem, that God may hearken to 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 once went forth to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive-tree, Reign 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-tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to wave 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 said to the fig-tree, Come thou, reign over us.
Then the trees asked the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king.’
11 But the fig-tree said to them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave 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 Then said the trees 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 said to them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave 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 Then said all the trees to the thorn-bush, Come thou, reign over us.
Then all the trees asked the thorn bush, ‘You come and be our king.’
15 And the thorn-bush said to the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, come, put confidence in my shadow; but if not, fire shall come out of the thorn-bush and devour 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 Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and sincerely in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and if ye have done to him according to the deserving of his hands;
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 — for my father fought for you, and endangered his life, and delivered you out of 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 but ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy men, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, king over the citizens 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 — if ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice 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 but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the citizens of Shechem and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the citizens of Shechem and from the house of Millo, and devour 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 ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, because 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 ruled over Israel three years.
Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem; and the citizens of Shechem dealt 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 that the violence [done] to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and upon the citizens of Shechem, who had 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 citizens of Shechem set liers in wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them. And it was told 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 the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem; and the citizens of Shechem put confidence 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 they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode [the grapes], and made rejoicings, and went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed 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 the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is he not the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his overseer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem! and why should we serve him?
“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 Oh! would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, 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 the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, and his anger was kindled;
When Zebul, the governor of the city, got to hear what Gaal was saying, he became very angry.
31 and he sent messengers to Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem, and behold, they shut up 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 up by night, thou and the people that are with thee, and lie in ambush in the fields.
So come at night with your army and hide in the countryside.
33 And it shall be in the morning when the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and fall upon the city; and behold, he and the people that is with him shall come out against thee, and thou shalt do with him as thou shalt find occasion.
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 rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they lay in ambush against Shechem in four companies.
Abimelech left at night along with his army, and they separated into four companies that lay in wait near Shechem.
35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. Then Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, out of 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 saw the people, and said to Zebul, Behold, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said to him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as 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 spoke again, and said, Behold, people are coming down from the high part of the land, and one company is coming along by the way of the Magician's oak.
“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 Then said Zebul to him, Where is now thy mouth, thou that saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight against them.
“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 went out before the citizens of Shechem, and fought against Abimelech.
So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out of the town and fought with Abimelech.
40 And Abimelech pursued him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, as far as the entrance 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 dwelt at Arumah. And Zebul drove out Gaal and his brethren, that they might not dwell in Shechem.
Abimelech went back to Arumah while Zebul expelled Gaal and his relatives from Shechem.
42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
The following day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and Abimelech was informed about it.
43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and lay in ambush in the field. And he looked, and behold, the people came forth out of the city; and he rose up against them and smote 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 companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city; and two of the companies ran upon all that were in the fields, and slew 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 fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that were in it, and broke down the city, and sowed 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 men of the tower of Shechem heard [that], and they entered into the stronghold 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 was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem had gathered together.
When Abimelech found out that all the leaders in the tower of Shechem had gathered there,
48 Then Abimelech went up to 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 took it up and laid it on his shoulder, and said to the people that was with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, do as I have done.
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 likewise cut down every man his bough, and they followed Abimelech, and put [them] to the hold, and burned the hold with fire upon them. And all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, 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 went to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
Then Abimelech went to attack Thebez and captured it.
51 But there was a strong tower in the midst of the city, and thither fled all the men and women, all the citizens of the city; and they shut it behind them, and went up to 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 came to the tower, and fought against it, and he drew near to the entrance 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 woman cast the upper stone of a handmill on Abimelech's head, and crushed his skull.
a woman dropped millstone down on Abimelech's head and cracked his skull open.
54 Then he called hastily to the young man that carried his armour, and said to him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that they say not of me, A woman killed him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
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 when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they went every man to his place.
When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all left and went home.
56 And God rendered back the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father in slaying 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 did God render back upon their heads; and upon them came the curse of Jotham the 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.
