Judges 9:22-11:28

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Abimelech’s Punishment

²² When Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years, ²³ God sent an evil spirit^(A) between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem. They treated Abimelech deceitfully, ²⁴ so that the crime against the 70 sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the lords of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers. ²⁵ The lords of Shechem rebelled against him by putting people on the tops of the mountains to ambush^(B) and rob everyone who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.

²⁶ Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the lords of Shechem trusted him. ²⁷ So they went out to the countryside and harvested grapes from their vineyards. They trampled the grapes and held a celebration.^(C) Then they went to the house of their god, and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech. ²⁸ Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal, and isn’t Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem.^(D) Why should we serve Abimelech? ²⁹ If only these people were in my power, I would remove Abimelech.” So he said^[a] to Abimelech, “Gather your army and come out.”

³⁰ When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was angry. ³¹ So he sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, saying, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed, with his brothers, have come to Shechem and are turning the city against you.^{[b] 32} Now tonight, you and the people with you are to come wait in ambush in the countryside. ³³ Then get up early, and at sunrise charge the city. When he and the people who are with him come out against you, do to him whatever you can.”^{[c] 34} So Abimelech and all the people with him got up at night and waited in ambush for Shechem in four units.

³⁵ Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate. Then Abimelech and the people who were with him got up from their ambush. ³⁶ When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountaintops!” But Zebul said to him, “The shadows of the mountains look like men to you.”

³⁷ Then Gaal spoke again, “Look, people are coming down from the central part of the land,^(E) and one unit is coming from the direction of the Diviners’ Oak.” ³⁸ Zebul replied,^[d] “Where is your mouthing off now? You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Aren’t these the people you despised? Now go and fight them!”

³⁹ So Gaal went out leading the lords of Shechem and fought against Abimelech, ⁴⁰ but Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal fled before him. Many wounded died^(F) as far as the entrance of the gate. ⁴¹ Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers from Shechem.

⁴² The next day when the people went into the countryside, this was reported to Abimelech. ⁴³ He took the people, divided them into three companies, and waited in ambush in the countryside. He looked, and the people were coming out of the city, so he arose against them and struck them down. ⁴⁴ Then Abimelech and the units that were with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate. The other two units rushed against all who were in the countryside and struck them down. ⁴⁵ So Abimelech fought against the city that entire day, captured it, and killed the people who were in it. Then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.

⁴⁶ When all the lords of the Tower of Shechem heard, they entered the inner chamber^[e] of the temple of El-berith.^{[f] 47} Then it was reported to Abimelech that all the lords of the Tower of Shechem had gathered together. ⁴⁸ So Abimelech and all the people who were with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his ax in his hand and cut a branch from the trees. He picked up the branch, put it on his shoulder, and said to the people who were with him, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.” ⁴⁹ Each person also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire around the people, and all the people in the Tower of Shechem died—about 1,000 men and women.

⁵⁰ Abimelech went to Thebez,^(G) camped against it, and captured it. ⁵¹ There was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and lords of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower. ⁵² When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire. ⁵³ But a woman threw the upper portion of a millstone on Abimelech’s head and fractured his skull. ⁵⁴ He quickly called his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, or they’ll say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his armor-bearer thrust him through, and he died. ⁵⁵ When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.

⁵⁶ In this way, God turned back on Abimelech the evil that he had done against his father, by killing his 70 brothers. ⁵⁷ And God also returned all the evil of the men of Shechem on their heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came on them.^(H)

Tola and Jair

10 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo became judge and began to deliver Israel. He was from Issachar and lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. ² Tola judged Israel 23 years and when he died, was buried in Shamir.

³ After him came Jair the Gileadite,^(I) who judged Israel 22 years. ⁴ He had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys. They had 30 towns^[g] in Gilead, which are called Jair’s Villages^[h] to this day. ⁵ When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

Israel’s Rebellion and Repentance

⁶ Then the Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.^(J) They worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Aram, Sidon, and Moab, and the gods of the Ammonites and the Philistines.^(K) They abandoned Yahweh and did not worship Him.^{(L) 7} So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel, and He sold them to^[i] the Philistines and the Ammonites. ⁸ They shattered and crushed the Israelites that year, and for 18 years they did the same to all the Israelites who were on the other side of the Jordan^(M) in the land of the Amorites^(N) in Gilead. ⁹ The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. Israel was greatly oppressed, ¹⁰ so they cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against You.^(O) We have abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.”

¹¹ The Lord said to the Israelites, “When the Egyptians,^(P) Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, ¹² Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites^[j](Q) oppressed you, and you cried out to Me, did I not deliver you from their power? ¹³ But you have abandoned Me and worshiped other gods. Therefore, I will not deliver you again. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen.^(R) Let them deliver you in the time of your oppression.”

¹⁵ But the Israelites said, “We have sinned. Deal with us as You see fit;^[k] only deliver us^(S) today!” ¹⁶ So they got rid of the foreign gods^(T) among them and worshiped the Lord,^(U) and He became weary^(V) of Israel’s misery.

¹⁷ The Ammonites were called together, and they camped in Gilead. So the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah.^{(W) 18} The rulers^[l] of Gilead said to one another, “Which man will lead the fight against the Ammonites? He will be the leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Jephthah Becomes Israel’s Leader

11 Jephthah^(X) the Gileadite was a great warrior,^(Y) but he was the son of a prostitute, and Gilead was his father. ² Gilead’s wife bore him sons, and when they grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You will have no inheritance in our father’s house, because you are the son of another woman.” ³ So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob.^(Z) Then some lawless men joined Jephthah and traveled with him.

⁴ Some time later, the Ammonites fought against Israel. ⁵ When the Ammonites made war with Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. ⁶ They said to him, “Come, be our commander, and let’s fight against the Ammonites.”

⁷ Jephthah replied to the elders of Gilead, “Didn’t you hate me and drive me from my father’s house? Why then have you come to me now when you’re in trouble?”

⁸ They answered Jephthah, “Since that’s true, we now turn to you. Come with us, fight the Ammonites, and you will become leader of all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

⁹ So Jephthah said to them, “If you are bringing me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, I will be your leader.”

¹⁰ The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is our witness if we don’t do as you say.” ¹¹ So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. The people put him over themselves as leader and commander, and Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the Lord at Mizpah.

Jephthah Rejects Ammonite Claims

¹² Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What do you have against me that you have come to fight against me in my land?”

¹³ The king of the Ammonites said to Jephthah’s messengers, “When Israel came from Egypt, they seized my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok^(AA) and the Jordan. Now restore it peaceably.”

¹⁴ Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites ¹⁵ to tell him, “This is what Jephthah says: Israel did not take away the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. ¹⁶ But when they came from Egypt, Israel traveled through the wilderness to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. ¹⁷ Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, ‘Please let us travel through your land,’ but the king of Edom would not listen. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab, but he refused. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.

¹⁸ “Then they traveled through the wilderness and around the lands of Edom and Moab. They came to the east side of the land of Moab and camped on the other side of the Arnon but did not enter into the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was the boundary of Moab.

¹⁹ “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon.^(AB) Israel said to him, ‘Please let us travel through your land to our country,’ ²⁰ but Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, Sihon gathered all his people, camped at Jahaz, and fought with Israel. ²¹ Then the Lord God of Israel handed over Sihon and all his people to Israel, and they defeated them. So Israel took possession^(AC) of the entire land of the Amorites who lived in that country. ²² They took possession of all the territory of the Amorites from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.

²³ “The Lord God of Israel has now driven out the Amorites before His people Israel, and will you now force us out? ²⁴ Isn’t it true that you may possess whatever your god Chemosh drives out for you, and we may possess everything the Lord our God drives out before us? ²⁵ Now are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them? ²⁶ While Israel lived 300 years in Heshbon and its villages, in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, why didn’t you take them back at that time? ²⁷ I have not sinned against you, but you have wronged me by fighting against me. Let the Lord who is the Judge^(AD) decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.” ²⁸ But the king of the Ammonites would not listen to Jephthah’s message that he sent him.