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Judges 9:22-11:28
Lexham English Bible

The Downfall of Shechem and Abimelech

22 Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. 23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem, and the lords of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 so that the violence done to the seventy brothers of Abimelech would be avenged and their blood be placed on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the lords of Shechem, who helped[a] to kill his brothers. 25 And the lords of Shechem set for him ambushes on the top of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along the road; and it was reported to Abimelech.

26 And Gaal son of Ebel and his relatives came, and they crossed over into Shechem, and the lords of Shechem gave him confidence.[b] 27 They went out into the field and harvested their vineyards and trod them, and they held a festival.[c] And they went into the temple[d] of their god, and they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech. 28 Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who are we of Shechem that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerub-Baal, and is not Zebul his chief officer?[e] Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem. Why should we serve him?[f] 29 If only this people were in my command![g] Then I would remove Abimelech, and I would have said,[h] ‘Increase your army and come out!’”

30 When Zebul the commander of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he became angry,[i] 31 and he sent messengers to Abimelech in Tormah, saying, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives are coming to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you. 32 So then, get up by night, you and the army that is with you, and lie in ambush in the field. 33 And in the morning at sunrise, get up and rush the city; and look, when he and the troops who are with him come out to you, you must act according to whatever opportunity offers itself.[j]

34 So Abimelech and all the army that was with him got up by night, and they lay in ambush against Shechem in four divisions.[k] 35 Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate, and Abimelech and the army that was with him got up from the ambush. 36 When Gaal saw the army, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the top of the mountains!” And Zebul said to him, “The shadows of the mountains look like people to you.”[l] 37 And Gaal spoke again[m] and said, “Look, people are coming down from Tabbur-erez, and one division[n] is coming from the direction of Elon-meonenim.”[o] 38 And Zebul said to him, “Where then is your boast,[p] you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the army that you rejected? Please, go out now and fight against them.”[q] 39 So Gaal went out before the lords of Shechem and fought against Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him; many fell slain up to the entrance of the gate. 41 So Abimelech resided at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives[r] from living in Shechem.

42 On the next day the people went out to the field; and it was reported to Abimelech, 43 so he took the army and divided them into three divisions,[s] and he laid an ambush in the field. And he saw the people were coming out from the city, and he arose against them and killed them. 44 Then Abimelech and the divisions[t] that were with him dashed out and stood at the entrance of the city gate, and the two divisions dashed out against all who were in the field, and they killed them. 45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he captured the city and killed the people that were in it; then he broke down the city and sowed it with salt.

46 When all the lords of the tower of Shechem heard, they went to the vault[u] of the temple[v] of El-Berith. 47 It was told to Abimelech that all the lords of the tower of Shechem had gathered. 48 So Abimelech went up Mount Zalmon, he and all his army that were with him, and Abimelech took the ax[w] in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood, and he lifted it and put it on his shoulder. And he said to the army that was with him, “What you have seen me do, quickly do also.” 49 So the whole army cut down each one branch for himself and followed Abimelech, and they put them against the vault[x] and set the vault ablaze with fire on those inside, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower in the middle of the city, and all the men, women, and lords of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up to the roof of the tower. 52 Abimelech came up to the tower and fought against it, and he came near the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 But a certain woman[y] threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and cracked open his skull. 54 He called quickly to the young man carrying his weapons, and he said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they will not say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man[z] stabbed him, and he died. 55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each one went to his home.[aa] 56 So God repaid[ab] the wickedness[ac] that Abimelech committed against his father by killing his seventy brothers. 57 And God also repaid all the wickedness[ad] of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell on them.

The Philistines and Ammonites Afflict the Israelites

10 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dod, a man of Issachar, rose up to deliver Israel; and he was living at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 And he judged Israel twenty-three years. And he died and was buried in Shamir. 3 After him Jair the Gileadite rose up, and he judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 And he had thirty sons who would ride on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty towns that are in the land of Gilead that they called Havvoth Jair until this day. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

6 And again, the Israelites[ae] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh. They served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites[af] and Philistines; they abandoned Yahweh and did not serve him. 7 And the anger of Yahweh burned[ag] against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and the Ammonites.[ah] 8 They crushed and oppressed the Israelites[ai] in that year; for eighteen years they crushed all the Israelites[aj] who were beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites,[ak] which is in Gilead. 9 The Ammonites[al] crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was very distressed.

10 Then the Israelites[am] cried out to Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against you; we have abandoned our God and served the Baals.” 11 And Yahweh said to the Israelites,[an] “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians,[ao] the Amorites,[ap] from the Ammonites,[aq] and from the Philistines?[ar] 12 And when the Sidonians, the Amalekites,[as] and the Maonites[at] oppressed you, you cried out to me, and I delivered you from their hand. 13 Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. Therefore I will no longer deliver you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your trouble.” 15 And the Israelites[au] said to Yahweh, “We have sinned; do to us accordingly as you see fit;[av] only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they removed the foreign gods from their midst and served Yahweh; and he could no longer bear[aw] the misery of Israel.

17 And the Ammonites[ax] were summoned,[ay] and they camped in Gilead. And the Israelites[az] gathered and camped at Mizpah. 18 The people, the ones commanding Gilead, said to each other,[ba] “Who is the man that will begin to fight against the Ammonites?[bb] He will be as head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Jephthah

11 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior; he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father.[bc] 2 Gilead’s wife also bore for him sons; and the sons of his wife grew up and drove Jephthah away, and they said to him, “You will not inherit the house of our father because you are the son of another woman.” 3 So Jephthah fled from the presence of his brothers, and he lived in the land of Tob. And outlaws[bd] gathered around Jephthah and went with him.

4 After a time the Ammonites[be] made war with Israel. 5 When the Ammonites[bf] made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 And they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, so that we may make war against the Ammonites.”[bg] 7 Jephthah said to the elders, “Did you not shun me and drive me out from the house of my father? Why do you come to me now when you have trouble?” 8 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That being so, we have now returned to you, that you may go with us to fight[bh] against the Ammonites[bi] and become for us as head of all the inhabitants of Gilead.” 9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you bring me back to fight[bj] against the Ammonites,[bk] and Yahweh gives them over to me,[bl] will I be your head?” 10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “Yahweh will be a witness[bm] between us; we will act according to your word.” 11 So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh at Mizpah.

12 And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites,[bn] saying, “What is between you and me that you have come to me to make war against my land?” 13 And the king of the Ammonites[bo] said to Jephthah’s messengers, “Because Israel took my land from the Arnon up to the Jabbok and the Jordan when they came up from Egypt; so then, restore it peacefully.” 14 Once again Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites,[bp] 15 and he said to him, “Thus says Jephthah, ‘Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites,[bq] 16 because when they came up from Egypt, Israel went through the wilderness to the Red Sea[br] and went to Kadesh. 17 Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let us cross through your land,” but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he was not willing. So Israel stayed in Kadesh. 18 Then they traveled through the wilderness, went around the land of Edom and Moab, and came to the east[bs] side of the land of Moab, and they[bt] encamped beyond the Arnon; and they did not go into the territory of Moab because the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites,[bu] king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, ‘Please let us cross through your land to our country.’[bv] 20 But Sihon did not trust Israel to cross through his territory, so Sihon gathered all his people and then encamped at Jahaz; and he made war with Israel. 21 And Yahweh, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they defeated them; and Israel occupied all the land of the Amorites[bw] inhabiting that land. 22 They occupied all the territory of the Amorites[bx] from the Arnon up to the Jabbok, and from the wilderness up to the Jordan. 23 So then Yahweh, the God of Israel, has driven out the Amorites[by] from before his people Israel, and you want to possess it? 24 Do you not possess what Chemosh your god gave you to possess? Whoever Yahweh our God has driven out before us, we will possess it. 25 So then, are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel, or did he ever make war against them? 26 When Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the towns that are along the Arnon,[bz] for three hundred years,[ca] why did you not recover them at that time? 27 I have not sinned against you; but you are the one who is doing wrong by making war against me. Let Yahweh judge[cb] today between the Israelites[cc] and the Ammonites.”[cd] 28 But the king of the Ammonites[ce] did not listen to the message that Jephthah sent to him.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 9:24 Literally “who strengthened his hands”
  2. Judges 9:26 Literally “put confidence into him”
  3. Judges 9:27 Literally “made a rejoicing”
  4. Judges 9:27 Or “house”
  5. Judges 9:28 Or “overseer”
  6. Judges 9:28 That is, Abimelech
  7. Judges 9:29 Literally “were in my hand”
  8. Judges 9:29 Hebrew “he said”; the translation “I would have said” follows the LXX
  9. Judges 9:30 Literally “his nose became hot”
  10. Judges 9:33 Literally “you must do to him just as it will find your hand”
  11. Judges 9:34 Or “companies”
  12. Judges 9:36 Literally “the shadows of the mountains you are seeing as men”
  13. Judges 9:37 Literally “And he did again again Gaal to speak”
  14. Judges 9:37 Or “company”
  15. Judges 9:37 Or “the Sorcerer’s Oak”
  16. Judges 9:38 Literally “is your mouth”
  17. Judges 9:38 Hebrew “against him”
  18. Judges 9:41 Or “brothers”
  19. Judges 9:43 Or “companies”
  20. Judges 9:44 Or “companies”
  21. Judges 9:46 Or “cellar”
  22. Judges 9:46 Or “house”
  23. Judges 9:48 Hebrew “axes”
  24. Judges 9:49 Or “cellar”
  25. Judges 9:53 Or “But one woman”
  26. Judges 9:54 Hebrew “his young man”
  27. Judges 9:55 Or “place”
  28. Judges 9:56 Or “returned”
  29. Judges 9:56 Or “evil”
  30. Judges 9:57 Or “evil”
  31. Judges 10:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  32. Judges 10:6 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  33. Judges 10:7 Literally “the nose of Yahweh became hot”
  34. Judges 10:7 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  35. Judges 10:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  36. Judges 10:8 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  37. Judges 10:8 Hebrew “Amorite”
  38. Judges 10:9 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  39. Judges 10:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  40. Judges 10:11 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  41. Judges 10:11 Hebrew “from Egypt”
  42. Judges 10:11 Hebrew “Amorite”
  43. Judges 10:11 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  44. Judges 10:11 Hebrew “Philistine”
  45. Judges 10:12 Hebrew “Amalekite”
  46. Judges 10:12 Hebrew “Maonite”
  47. Judges 10:15 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  48. Judges 10:15 Literally “do to us according to the good in your eyes”
  49. Judges 10:16 Literally “his soul was short with”
  50. Judges 10:17 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  51. Judges 10:17 Or “were called to arms”
  52. Judges 10:17 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  53. Judges 10:18 Literally “said each to his neighbor”
  54. Judges 10:18 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  55. Judges 11:1 Literally “Gilead fathered Jephthah”
  56. Judges 11:3 Literally “unprincipled/worthless men”
  57. Judges 11:4 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  58. Judges 11:5 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  59. Judges 11:6 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  60. Judges 11:8 Literally “to make war”
  61. Judges 11:8 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  62. Judges 11:9 Literally “to make war”
  63. Judges 11:9 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  64. Judges 11:9 Literally “before me”
  65. Judges 11:10 Literally “hearer”
  66. Judges 11:12 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  67. Judges 11:13 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  68. Judges 11:14 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  69. Judges 11:15 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  70. Judges 11:16 Literally “sea of reed”
  71. Judges 11:18 Literally “from rise of sun”
  72. Judges 11:18 Hebrew “he”
  73. Judges 11:19 Hebrew “Amorite”
  74. Judges 11:19 Literally “to our place”
  75. Judges 11:21 Hebrew “Amorite”
  76. Judges 11:22 Hebrew “Amorite”
  77. Judges 11:23 Hebrew “Amorite”
  78. Judges 11:26 Literally “on the hands of the Arnon”
  79. Judges 11:26 Hebrew “year”
  80. Judges 11:27 Literally “Let Yahweh the judge, judge”
  81. Judges 11:27 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  82. Judges 11:27 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
  83. Judges 11:28 Literally “sons/children of Ammon”
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