9:1 Now Abimelech the son of ①Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother’s relatives, and spoke to them and to the entire family of the household of his mother’s father, saying,
▷ ①I.e., Gideon
9:2 “Speak, now, in the hearing of all the ①leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you: for seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, to rule over you, or for one man to rule over you?’ Also, remember that I am your bone and your flesh.”
▷ ①Or landowners
9:3 So his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the hearing of all the ①leaders of Shechem; and ②they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our relative.”
▷ ①Or landowners ②Lit their hearts inclined after
9:4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men, and they followed him.
9:5 Then he went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, ①on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself.
▷ ①Perhaps a mass human sacrifice
9:6 All the ①leaders of Shechem and all ②Beth-millo assembled together, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the ③oak of the memorial stone which was in Shechem.
▷ ①Or landowners ②Or the house of Millo ③Or terebinth
9:7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and raised his voice and called out. And he said to them, “Listen to me, you ①leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.
▷ ①Or landowners
9:8 Once the trees went to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’
9:9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I give up my fatness with ①which God and mankind are honored, and go to wave over the trees?’
▷ ①Lit which by me
9:10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You, come, reign over us!’
9:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I give up my sweetness and my good ①fruit, and go to wave over the trees?’
▷ ①Lit produce
9:12 Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You, come, reign over us!’
9:13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I give up my new wine, which cheers God and mankind, and go to wave over the trees?’
9:14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You, come, reign over us!’
9:15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you ①really are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out of the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
▷ ①Or sincerely
9:16 “Now then, if you have acted with ①honesty and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and ②have dealt with him ③as he deserved—
▷ ①Or sincerity ②Lit if you have ③Lit according to the accomplishment of his hands
9:17 for my father fought for you, and ①risked his life and saved you from the hand of Midian;
▷ ①Lit threw his soul away
9:18 but in fact you have risen against my father’s house today and have killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the ①leaders of Shechem, because he is your relative—
▷ ①Or landowners
9:19 so if you have acted with ①honesty and integrity toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, be joyful about Abimelech, and may he also be joyful about you.
▷ ①Or sincerity
9:20 But if not, may fire come out of Abimelech and consume the ①leaders of Shechem and ②Beth-millo; and may fire come out of the ③leaders of Shechem and from ④Beth-millo, and consume Abimelech.”
▷ ①Or landowners ②Or the house of Millo ③Or landowners ④Or the house of Millo
9:21 Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer; and he stayed there because of his brother Abimelech.
9:22 Now Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
9:23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the ①leaders of Shechem; and the ②leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,
▷ ①Or landowners ②Or landowners
9:24 so that the violence ①done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal would come, and the responsibility for their blood would be placed on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the ②leaders of Shechem, who ③encouraged him to kill his brothers.
▷ ①Lit of the seventy ②Or landowners ③Lit strengthened his hands
9:25 The ①leaders of Shechem set up men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed everyone who would pass by them on the road; and it was reported to Abimelech.
▷ ①Or landowners
9:26 Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his relatives, and crossed over into Shechem; and the ①leaders of Shechem trusted him.
▷ ①Or landowners
9:27 So they went out to the field and gathered the grapes of their vineyards and trampled them, and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.
9:28 Then 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 is Zebul not his governor? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?
9:29 ①If only this people were under my authority! Then I would do away with Abimelech.” And he said to Abimelech, “Enlarge your army and come out!”
▷ ①Lit And who will hand this people over to me
9:30 When Zebul the leader of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger burned.
9:31 So using deception, he successfully sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, “Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem; and behold, they are ①stirring up the city against you.
▷ ①Or besieging
9:32 So now, arise by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field.
9:33 Then in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early and attack the city; and behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you shall do to them ①whatever you can.”
▷ ①Lit as your hand finds
9:34 So Abimelech and all the people who were with him got up at night, and lay in wait against Shechem, in four ①units.
▷ ①Lit heads
9:35 Now Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate; and Abimelech and the people who were with him arose from the ambush.
9:36 When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “ ①Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were people.”
▷ ①Lit Behold
9:37 And Gaal spoke yet again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the ①highest part of the land, and one ②unit is coming by way of ③the diviners’ ④oak.”
▷ ①Lit center ②Lit head ③Heb Elon-meonenim ④Or terebinth
9:38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where then is your ①boasting with which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people whom you rejected? Go out now and fight them!”
▷ ①Lit mouth
9:39 So Gaal went out ①in the sight of the ②leaders of Shechem and fought Abimelech.
▷ ①Or at the head of ②Or landowners
9:40 But Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate.
9:41 Then Abimelech stayed in Arumah, but Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives so that they could not stay in Shechem.
9:42 Now it came about the next day, that the people went out to the field, and it was reported to Abimelech.
9:43 So he took ①his people and divided them into three ②units, and lay in wait in the field; when he looked and ③saw the people coming out from the city, he ④attacked them and killed them.
▷ ①Lit the ②Lit heads ③Lit behold, the ④Lit rose against
9:44 Then Abimelech and the ①company who was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the city gate; the other two ②companies then attacked all who were in the field and killed them.
▷ ①Lit heads ②Lit heads
9:45 Abimelech fought against the city that whole day, and he captured the city and killed the people who were in it; then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.
9:46 When all the ①leaders of the tower of Shechem heard about it, they entered the inner chamber of the ②temple of El-berith.
▷ ①Or landowners ②Lit house
9:47 And it was reported to Abimelech that all the ①leaders of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
▷ ①Or landowners
9:48 So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took ①an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees, and lifted it and put it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you saw me do, hurry and do ②likewise.”
▷ ①Lit the axes ②Lit like me
9:49 So all the people also cut down, each one, his branch and followed Abimelech, and put them on top of the inner chamber and set the inner chamber on fire over those inside, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.
9:50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it.
9:51 But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the ①leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower.
▷ ①Or landowners
9:52 So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it down with fire.
9:53 But a woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
9:54 Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that it will not be said of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So ①the young man pierced him through, and he died.
▷ ①Lit his
9:55 Now when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each left for his ①home.
▷ ①Lit place
9:56 So God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers.
9:57 God also returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came ①upon them.
▷ ①Lit to