Judges 9
New English Translation
Abimelech Murders His Brothers
9 Now Abimelech son of Jerub Baal[a] went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives.[b] He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family,[c] 2 “Tell[d] all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want[e] to have seventy men, all Jerub Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’”[f] 3 His mother’s relatives[g] spoke on his behalf to[h] all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal.[i] The leaders were drawn to Abimelech;[j] they said, “He is our close relative.”[k] 4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous[l] men as his followers.[m] 5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half brothers,[n] the seventy legitimate[o] sons of Jerub Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub Baal’s youngest son, escaped,[p] because he hid. 6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar[q] in Shechem.
Jotham’s Parable
7 When Jotham heard the news,[r] he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,[s] “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
8 “The trees were determined to go out[t] and choose a king for themselves.[u] They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’[v] 9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my oil, which is used to honor gods and men, just to sway above the other trees!’[w]
10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’[x] 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my sweet figs, my excellent fruit, just to sway above the other trees!’[y]
12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’[z] 13 But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!’[aa]
14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’[ab] 15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose[ac] me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches.[ad] Otherwise[ae] may fire blaze from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’
16 “Now, if you have shown loyalty and integrity when you made Abimelech king, if you have done right to Jerub Baal and his family,[af] if you have properly repaid him[ag]— 17 my father fought for you; he risked his life[ah] and delivered you from Midian’s power.[ai] 18 But you have attacked[aj] my father’s family[ak] today. You murdered his seventy legitimate[al] sons on one stone and made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the leaders of Shechem, just because he is your close relative.[am] 19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub Baal and his family[an] today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness![ao] 20 But if not, may fire blaze from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo! May fire also blaze from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and consume Abimelech!” 21 Then Jotham ran away[ap] to Beer and lived there to escape from[aq] Abimelech his half-brother.[ar]
God Fulfills Jotham’s Curse
22 Abimelech commanded[as] Israel for three years. 23 God sent a spirit to stir up hostility[at] between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. He made the leaders of Shechem disloyal[au] to Abimelech. 24 He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub Baal’s seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother[av] who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them.[aw] 25 The leaders of Shechem rebelled against Abimelech by putting[ax] bandits in[ay] the hills, who robbed everyone who traveled by on the road. But Abimelech found out about it.[az]
26 Gaal son of Ebed[ba] came through Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem transferred their loyalty to him.[bb] 27 They went out to the field, harvested their grapes,[bc] squeezed out the juice,[bd] and celebrated. They came to the temple[be] of their god and ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. 28 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, and is not Zebul the deputy he appointed?[bf] Serve the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech?[bg] 29 If only these men[bh] were under my command,[bi] I would get rid of Abimelech!” He challenged Abimelech,[bj] “Muster[bk] your army and come out for battle!”[bl]
30 When Zebul, the city commissioner, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious.[bm] 31 He sent messengers to Abimelech, who was in Arumah,[bn] reporting, “Beware![bo] Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers are coming[bp] to Shechem and inciting the city to rebel against you.[bq] 32 Now, come up[br] at night with your men[bs] and set an ambush in the field outside the city.[bt] 33 In the morning at sunrise quickly attack the city. When he and his men come out to fight you, do what you can to him.”[bu]
34 So Abimelech and all his men came up[bv] at night and set an ambush outside Shechem; they divided into[bw] four units. 35 When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city’s gate, Abimelech and his men got up from their hiding places. 36 Gaal saw the men[bx] and said to Zebul, “Look, men are coming down from the tops of the hills.” But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadows on the hills—it just looks like men.”[by] 37 Gaal again said, “Look, men are coming down from the very center[bz] of the land. A unit[ca] is coming by way of the Oak Tree of the Diviners.”[cb] 38 Zebul said to him, “Where now are your bragging words,[cc] ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the men[cd] you insulted?[ce] Go out now and fight them!” 39 So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out[cf] and fought Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal[cg] ran from him. Many Shechemites[ch] fell wounded at the entrance of the gate. 41 Abimelech went back[ci] to Arumah; Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.[cj]
42 The next day the Shechemites[ck] came out to the field. When Abimelech heard about it,[cl] 43 he took his men[cm] and divided them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city,[cn] he attacked and struck them down.[co] 44 Abimelech and his units[cp] attacked and blocked[cq] the entrance to the city’s gate. Two units then attacked all the people in the field and struck them down. 45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled[cr] the city and spread salt over it.[cs]
46 When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem[ct] heard the news, they went to the stronghold[cu] of the temple of El Berith.[cv] 47 Abimelech heard[cw] that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place.[cx] 48 He and all his men[cy] went up on Mount Zalmon. He[cz] took an ax[da] in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it[db] on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!”[dc] 49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches[dd] against the stronghold and set fire to it.[de] All the people[df] of the Tower of Shechem died—about 1,000 men and women.
50 Abimelech moved on[dg] to Thebez; he besieged and captured it.[dh] 51 There was a fortified[di] tower[dj] in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman threw an upper millstone[dk] down on his[dl] head and shattered his skull. 54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons,[dm] “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say,[dn] ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.[do]
56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half brothers.[dp] 57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub Baal fell[dq] on them.
Footnotes
- Judges 9:1 sn That is, Gideon, and so throughout Judges 9. Gideon was given the name Jerub Baal (meaning “Let Baal fight”) in Judges 6:32.
- Judges 9:1 tn Heb “brothers.”
- Judges 9:1 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
- Judges 9:2 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
- Judges 9:2 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
- Judges 9:2 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “brothers.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “and all these words.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
- Judges 9:3 tn Heb “our brother.”
- Judges 9:4 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
- Judges 9:4 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
- Judges 9:5 tn Heb “his brothers.”
- Judges 9:5 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:5 tn Heb “remained.”
- Judges 9:6 tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) should be מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).
- Judges 9:7 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
- Judges 9:7 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
- Judges 9:8 tn Heb “Going they went, the trees.” The precise emphatic force of the infinitive absolute (“Going”) is not entirely clear. Perhaps here it indicates determination, as in Gen 31:30, where one might translate, “You have insisted on going away.”
- Judges 9:8 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
- Judges 9:8 tn Or “Rule over us!”
- Judges 9:9 tn Heb “Should I stop my abundance, with which they honor gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
- Judges 9:10 tn Or “and rule over us!”
- Judges 9:11 tn Heb “Should I stop my sweetness and my good fruit and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
- Judges 9:12 tn Or “and rule over us!”
- Judges 9:13 tn Heb “Should I stop my wine, which makes happy gods and men, and go to sway over the trees?” The negative sentence in the translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question.
- Judges 9:14 tn Or “and rule over us!”
- Judges 9:15 tn Heb “are about to anoint [with oil].”
- Judges 9:15 tn Heb “in my shade.”
- Judges 9:15 tn Heb “If not.”
- Judges 9:16 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 9:16 tn Heb “if according to the deeds of his hands you have done to him.”
- Judges 9:17 tc Heb “threw his life out in front,” that is, “exposed himself to danger.” The MT form מִנֶּגֶד (minneged, “from before”) should probably be read as מִנֶּגְדּוֹ (minnegdo, “from before him”); haplography of vav has likely occurred here in the MT.
- Judges 9:17 tn Heb “hand.”
- Judges 9:18 tn Heb “have risen up against.”
- Judges 9:18 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 9:18 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:18 tn Heb “your brother.”
- Judges 9:19 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 9:19 tn Heb “then rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.”
- Judges 9:21 tn Heb “fled and ran away and went.”
- Judges 9:21 tn Heb “there from before.”
- Judges 9:21 tn Heb “his brother.”
- Judges 9:22 tn The Hebrew verb translated “commanded” (שָׂרַר, sarar), which appears only here in Judges, differs from the ones employed earlier in this chapter (מָשַׁל [mashal] and מָלַךְ [malakh]).sn Abimelech commanded Israel. Perhaps while ruling as king over the city-state of Shechem, Abimelech also became a leader of the Israelite tribal alliance (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 175).
- Judges 9:23 tn Heb “an evil spirit.” A nonphysical, spirit being is in view, like the one who volunteered to deceive Ahab (1 Kgs 22:21). The traditional translation, “evil spirit,” implies the being is inherently wicked, perhaps even demonic, but this is not necessarily the case. The Hebrew adjective רָעַה (raʿah) can have a nonethical sense, “harmful; dangerous; calamitous.” When modifying רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) it may simply indicate that the being in view causes harm to the object of God’s judgment. G. F. Moore (Judges [ICC], 253) here refers to a “mischief-making spirit.”
- Judges 9:23 tn Heb “The leaders of Shechem were disloyal.” The words “he made” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:24 tn Heb “their brother.”
- Judges 9:24 tn Heb “so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerub Baal might come, and their blood might be placed on Abimelech, their brother, who murdered them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.”
- Judges 9:25 tn Heb “set against him bandits.” sn Putting bandits in the hills. This piracy certainly interrupted or discouraged trade, and probably deprived Abimelech of tariffs or tribute. See C. F. Burney, Judges, 277; G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 253.
- Judges 9:25 tn Heb “on the tops of.”
- Judges 9:25 tn Heb “It was told to Abimelech.”
- Judges 9:26 sn The name Gaal derives from, or at least sounds like, a Hebrew verb meaning “to abhor, loathe.” His father’s name, Ebed, means “servant.” Perhaps then this could be translated, “loathsome one, son of a servant.” This individual’s very name (which may be the narrator’s nickname for him, not his actual name) seems to hint at his immoral character and lowly social status.
- Judges 9:26 tn Heb “trusted in him.” Here the verb probably describes more than a mental attitude. It is likely that the Shechemites made an alliance with Gaal and were now trusting him for protection in return for their loyalty (and probably tribute).
- Judges 9:27 tn Heb “vineyards.”
- Judges 9:27 tn Heb “stomped” or “trampled.” This refers to the way in which the juice was squeezed out in the wine vats by stepping on the grapes with one’s bare feet. For a discussion of grape harvesting in ancient Israel, see O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 110-14.
- Judges 9:27 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 9:28 tn Heb “and Zebul his appointee.”
- Judges 9:28 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Abimelech) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 9:29 tn Heb “people.”
- Judges 9:29 tn Heb “in my hand.”sn If only these men were under my command. One might assume from v. 26b that the men were already at his disposal, but perhaps that was not one of the terms of the agreement. Another possibility is that v. 26 is a general summary statement, with vv. 27-29 then detailing how the alliance with Gaal came about.
- Judges 9:29 tn Heb “said to Abimelech.” On the other hand, the preposition ל (lamed) prefixed to the proper name may be vocative (see R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178). If so, one could translate, “He boasted, ‘Abimelech….’”
- Judges 9:29 tn Heb “Make numerous.”
- Judges 9:29 tn The words “for battle” are interpretive.
- Judges 9:30 tn Heb “his anger burned.”
- Judges 9:31 tn The form בְּתָרְמָה (betormah) in the Hebrew text, which occurs only here, has traditionally been understood to mean “secretly” or “with deception.” If this is correct, it is derived from II רָמָה (ramah, “to deceive”). Some interpreters object, pointing out that this would imply Zebul was trying to deceive Abimelech, which is clearly not the case in this context. But this objection is unwarranted. If retained, the phrase would refer instead to deceptive measures used by Zebul to avoid the suspicion of Gaal when he dispatched the messengers from Shechem. The present translation assumes an emendation to “in Arumah” (בָּארוּמָה, baʾrumah), a site mentioned in v. 41 as the headquarters of Abimelech. Confusion of ʾalef and tav in archaic Hebrew script, while uncommon, is certainly not unimaginable.
- Judges 9:31 tn Heb “Look!”
- Judges 9:31 tn The participle, as used here, suggests Gaal and his brothers are in the process of arriving, but the preceding verses imply they have already settled in. Perhaps Zebul uses understatement to avoid the appearance of negligence on his part. After all, if he made the situation sound too bad, Abimelech, when he was informed, might ask why he had allowed this rebellion to reach such a stage.
- Judges 9:31 tn The words “to rebel” are interpretive. The precise meaning of the Hebrew verb צוּר (tsur) is unclear here. It is best to take it in the sense of “to instigate; to incite; to provoke” (see Deut 2:9, 19 and R. G. Boling, Judges [AB], 178).
- Judges 9:32 tn Heb “arise.”
- Judges 9:32 tn Heb “you and the people who are with you.”
- Judges 9:32 tn The words “outside the city” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:33 tn Heb “Look! He and the people who are with him will come out to you, and you will do to him what your hand finds [to do].”
- Judges 9:34 tn Heb “and all the people who were with him arose.”
- Judges 9:34 tn Heb “four heads.” The words “they divided into” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:36 tn Heb “the people” (also in vv. 38, 43, 48). These were warriors, so “men” has been used in the translation, since in ancient Israelite culture soldiers would have been exclusively males.
- Judges 9:36 tn Heb “the shadow on the hills you are seeing, like men.”
- Judges 9:37 tn Heb “navel.” On the background of the Hebrew expression “the navel of the land,” see R. G. Boling, Judges (AB), 178-79.
- Judges 9:37 tn Heb “head.”
- Judges 9:37 tn Some English translations simply transliterated this as a place name (Heb “Elon-meonenim”); cf. NAB, NRSV.
- Judges 9:38 tn Heb “is your mouth that says.”
- Judges 9:38 tn Heb “the people.”
- Judges 9:38 tn Or “despised.”
- Judges 9:39 tn Heb “So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem.”
- Judges 9:40 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gaal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 9:40 tn The word “Shechemites” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for clarification.
- Judges 9:41 tc Heb “stayed.” Some scholars revise the vowel pointing on this verb from that of the MT, resulting in the translation “and he returned to.” The Lucianic recension of the LXX understands the word in this way.
- Judges 9:41 tn Heb “drove…out from dwelling in Shechem.”
- Judges 9:42 tn Heb “the people”; the referent (the Shechemites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Judges 9:42 tn Heb “And they told Abimelech.”
- Judges 9:43 tn Heb “his people.”
- Judges 9:43 tn Heb “And he saw and, look, the people were coming out of the city.”
- Judges 9:43 tn Heb “he arose against them and struck them.”
- Judges 9:44 tn Or possibly, “the unit that was with him.”
- Judges 9:44 tn Heb “stood [at].”
- Judges 9:45 tn Or “destroyed.”
- Judges 9:45 tn Heb “sowed it with salt.”sn The spreading of salt over the city was probably a symbolic act designed to place the site under a curse, deprive it of fertility, and prevent any future habitation. The practice is referred to outside the Bible as well. For example, one of the curses in the Aramaic Sefire treaty states concerning Arpad: “May Hadad sow in them salt and weeds, and may it not be mentioned again!” See J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire (BibOr), 15, 53. Deut 29:23, Jer 17:6, and Zeph 2:9 associate salt flats or salty regions with infertility and divine judgment.
- Judges 9:46 sn Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
- Judges 9:46 tn Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
- Judges 9:46 sn The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
- Judges 9:47 tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
- Judges 9:47 tn Heb “were assembled.”
- Judges 9:48 tn Heb “his people.”
- Judges 9:48 tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
- Judges 9:48 tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.
- Judges 9:48 tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
- Judges 9:48 tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
- Judges 9:49 tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
- Judges 9:49 tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
- Judges 9:49 tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.
- Judges 9:50 tn Or “went.”
- Judges 9:50 tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
- Judges 9:51 tn Or “strong.”
- Judges 9:51 tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
- Judges 9:53 sn A hand mill consisted of an upper stone and larger lower stone. One would turn the upper stone with a handle to grind the grain, which was placed between the stones. An upper millstone, which was typically about two inches thick and a foot or so in diameter, probably weighed 25-30 pounds (11.4-13.6 kg). See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 268; C. F. Burney, Judges, 288.
- Judges 9:53 tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.
- Judges 9:54 tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Judges 9:54 tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Judges 9:55 tn Heb “each to his own place.”
- Judges 9:56 tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
- Judges 9:57 tn Heb “came.”
士師記 9
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
亞比米勒做王
9 耶路·巴力的兒子亞比米勒去示劍的舅舅家，對外祖父全家說： 2 「請你們去問示劍人，耶路·巴力的七十個兒子統治他們好呢，還是一個人統治他們好呢？別忘記我是你們的骨肉至親。」 3 他們便將他的話轉告示劍人。示劍人因為亞比米勒是他們的親戚，都擁護他， 4 從巴力·比利土的廟裡拿了七十塊銀子給他。他用這些錢收買了一班無賴做隨從。 5 他前往俄弗拉，來到他父親家，在一塊磐石上殺死了他七十個同父異母的兄弟，只有耶路·巴力的小兒子約坦躲了起來，倖免於難。 6 示劍和米羅的人都聚集到示劍石柱旁的橡樹下，擁立亞比米勒為王。
7 約坦聽見這消息，便上到基利心山頂，高喊：「示劍人啊，你們要聽我說，這樣上帝也會聽你們說。 8 從前，樹木要選一個王，它們對橄欖樹說，『你來做我們的王。』 9 橄欖樹說，『我怎能因為貪圖凌駕於眾樹之上而停止出產用來尊崇神與人的橄欖油呢？』 10 樹木對無花果樹說，『你來做我們的王。』 11 無花果樹說，『我怎能因為貪圖淩駕於眾樹之上而停止出產甜美的果子呢？』 12 於是，樹木對葡萄樹說，『你來做我們的王。』 13 葡萄樹說，『我怎能因為貪圖淩駕於眾樹之上而停止出產令神明和世人都快樂的美酒呢？』 14 最後，所有的樹木都對荊棘說，『你來做我們的王。』 15 荊棘回答說，『倘若你們誠心立我為你們的王，就投靠在我的蔭下吧；不然，願火從荊棘中冒出來吞噬黎巴嫩的香柏樹。』
16 「現在你們立亞比米勒為王，光明正大嗎？你們有沒有善待耶路·巴力和他一家？有沒有按他的功績對待他？ 17 你們想想，從前我父親為你們出生入死，從米甸人手中拯救你們。 18 現在你們卻背叛我父親家，在一塊磐石上殺死他七十個兒子。因為他婢女的兒子亞比米勒是你們的親戚，你們就立亞比米勒為王。 19 倘若你們光明正大地對待了耶路·巴力一家，願你們給亞比米勒帶來快樂，也願亞比米勒給你們帶來快樂。 20 否則，願亞比米勒燒滅你們示劍人和米羅人，也願你們示劍人和米羅人燒滅亞比米勒。」 21 約坦因懼怕他的兄弟亞比米勒，就逃往比珥居住。
亞比米勒毀滅示劍
22 亞比米勒治理以色列三年後， 23 上帝派遣一個邪靈挑起亞比米勒和示劍人之間的爭端，示劍人用詭詐的手段對待亞比米勒。 24 這是要懲罰亞比米勒和幫他殘殺耶路·巴力七十個兒子的示劍人。 25 示劍人在山頂設下埋伏，等候亞比米勒，他們搶劫所有過路的行人。有人把這事告訴了亞比米勒。
26 以別的兒子迦勒和他的弟兄來到示劍，示劍人都信任他們。 27 示劍人出城到田間採摘葡萄，踩榨葡萄汁，然後在他們的神廟中歡宴，盡情吃喝，咒詛亞比米勒。 28 以別的兒子迦勒說：「亞比米勒是誰？我們示劍人是誰，竟要服侍他？他不就是耶路·巴力的兒子嗎？他的幫手不就是西布勒嗎？我們為什麼要服侍他？你們要服侍示劍人祖先哈抹的後代。 29 要是這百姓歸我領導就好了！我會除掉亞比米勒，我會挑戰他召集全軍來戰[a]。」
30 示劍城的官長西布勒聽見以別的兒子迦勒的話，勃然大怒， 31 暗中派人對亞比米勒說：「以別的兒子迦勒和他的弟兄已經到了示劍，正在煽動全城反對你。 32 請你晚上帶著部下埋伏在田間， 33 清晨日出時攻城。迦勒帶著部下出來應戰時，你便可以見機行事。」
34 於是，亞比米勒帶領軍隊夜間出發，兵分四路埋伏在示劍城外。 35 早晨，以別的兒子迦勒出來站在城門口時，亞比米勒帶領部下從埋伏的地方衝了出來。 36 迦勒看見他們，便對西布勒說：「看！有人正從山頂下來。」西布勒說：「你把山影看成人了吧。」 37 迦勒說：「看！有人正從山上下來，還有一隊人正從占卜橡樹那邊的路上奔來。」 38 西布勒說：「你的豪氣哪裡去了？你曾說，『亞比米勒是誰，我們竟要服侍他？』這些不就是你譏笑的人嗎？出去迎戰吧！」 39 於是，迦勒率領示劍人出城迎戰亞比米勒。 40 迦勒敗逃，亞比米勒緊追不捨，沿途有許多人受傷倒在地上，一直到城門口。 41 之後，亞比米勒住在亞魯瑪，西布勒把迦勒和他的弟兄逐出示劍。
42 第二天，示劍人出城來到田間。亞比米勒得知後， 43 把部下兵分三隊，埋伏在田間，等城裡的人出來時，伏擊他們。 44 亞比米勒率領一隊人衝到示劍的城門口，截斷示劍人的退路，其他兩隊擊殺田間的示劍人。 45 亞比米勒鏖戰一天，攻陷了示劍城，殺了城內的居民，把整座城夷為平地，還撒上了鹽。
46 示劍樓的人聽到風聲，躲進了巴力·比利土神廟的內堂。 47 亞比米勒得知後， 48 便領兵上撒門山用斧頭砍下樹枝，扛在肩上，並命令部下趕緊照做。 49 他們都砍下一根樹枝，跟著亞比米勒把樹枝堆在神廟內堂的四周，放火燒死了裡面所有的人，男女約一千人。
50 隨後，亞比米勒去圍攻提備斯，佔領了該城。 51 全城的人都逃進城中一座堅固的城樓內，鎖上大門，爬上樓頂。 52 亞比米勒攻打城樓，走到城樓門口正準備放火時， 53 有個婦人扔下一塊磨石，砸爛了他的頭。 54 亞比米勒連忙對為他拿兵器的年輕人說：「拔刀殺了我吧，免得人們說，『一位婦人殺了他。』」於是，那年輕人刺死了他。 55 以色列人見亞比米勒已死，便各自回家了。 56 上帝就這樣使亞比米勒得到了報應，因為他殘殺了自己的七十個兄弟， 57 也讓示劍人因自己的一切惡行而得到了報應。耶路·巴力的兒子約坦的咒詛臨到了他們。
Footnotes
- 9·29 「我會挑戰他召集全軍來戰」參考七十士譯本；希伯來文為「他對亞比米勒說：『召集你的全軍來戰吧！』」
Judges 9
King James Version
9 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,
2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
3 And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.
4 And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
5 And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.
16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;
17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18 And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)
19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.
21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
24 That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
25 And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
26 And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?
29 And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.
30 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
31 And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.
32 Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:
33 And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.
34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
35 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.
36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.
37 And Gaal spake again, and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.
38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.
39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.
44 And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.
45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.
47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48 And Abimelech gat him 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, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
49 And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
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