Judges 9-12

GOD’S WORD Translation

Abimelech Kills His Brothers

9 Abimelech, son of Jerubbaal [Gideon], went to Shechem to see the uncles on his mother’s side of the family. He spoke to them and his mother’s whole family. ² He said, “Please ask all citizens of Shechem, ‘What seems best to you? Do you really want all of Jerubbaal’s 70 sons to rule you or just one man? Remember, I’m your own flesh and blood.’ ”

³ His uncles repeated everything he said to all citizens of Shechem. They were persuaded to follow Abimelech because he was their relative. ⁴ So they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the temple of Baal Berith. With the silver, Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men to follow him. ⁵ Then he went to his father’s home in Ophrah. There he executed his 70 brothers, Jerubbaal’s sons. But Jotham, Jerubbaal’s youngest son, survived because he hid. ⁶ All the citizens from Shechem and Beth Millo united. They went to the oak tree that was still standing in Shechem and proclaimed Abimelech king.

Jotham’s Story

⁷ When Jotham was told about this, he went to a high spot on Mount Gerizim. He shouted to them, “Listen to me, you citizens of Shechem, so that God might listen to you.

¹⁶ “If you acted with sincerity and integrity when you made Abimelech king, ⌞be happy.⌟ If you treated Jerubbaal and his family well, if you treated him as he deserved, be happy. ¹⁷ My father fought for you. He risked his life and rescued you from Midian. ¹⁸ But today you have attacked my father’s family. You have executed his 70 sons. You have made Abimelech, who is the son of my father’s slave girl, king over the citizens of Shechem just because he’s your brother. ¹⁹ So if you are now acting with sincerity and integrity toward Jerubbaal and his family, then be happy with Abimelech and let Abimelech be happy with you. ²⁰ But if that’s not the case, let fire come out of Abimelech and burn up citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo. Also let fire come out of citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo and burn up Abimelech.”

²¹ Then Jotham ran away quickly. He went to Beerah and lived there ⌞to avoid⌟ his brother Abimelech.

Abimelech’s Battles

²² Abimelech ruled Israel for three years. ²³ Then God sent an evil spirit to cause problems between Abimelech and citizens of Shechem. So citizens of Shechem turned against Abimelech. ²⁴ God did this so that the bloody violence committed against Jerubbaal’s 70 sons would happen to Abimelech and citizens of Shechem. Citizens of Shechem had helped Abimelech execute his brothers.

²⁵ So citizens of Shechem set ambushes for Abimelech on top of the mountains. They also robbed everyone who passed by them on the road. This was reported to Abimelech.

²⁶ Then Gaal (son of Ebed) and his brothers moved into Shechem. Citizens of Shechem trusted him. ²⁷ They went into the country and harvested grapes in the vineyards to make wine. Then they made an offering of praise in the temple of their gods. They ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech. ²⁸ Gaal (son of Ebed) said, “Who’s Abimelech, and who are we, the people of Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn’t he Jerubbaal’s son, and isn’t Zebul his officer? Serve the descendants of Hamor, Shechem’s father! Why should we serve Abimelech? ²⁹ How I wish I controlled these people! Then I’d get rid of Abimelech. I would tell him,^[a] ‘Get yourself a big army and come out.’ ”

³⁰ Zebul, Shechem’s ruler, heard what Gaal (son of Ebed) had said, and he became angry. ³¹ He secretly sent messengers to Abimelech. “Watch out! Gaal (son of Ebed) and his brothers have come to Shechem. They have turned the city against you. ³² You and your men must start out tonight. Set an ambush ⌞for them⌟ in the fields ⌞around Shechem⌟. ³³ In the morning, when the sun rises, get up quickly and raid the city. When Gaal and his men come out to attack you, do whatever you want to him.”

³⁴ Abimelech and all his troops started out at night. He used four companies to set ambushes around Shechem. ³⁵ Gaal (son of Ebed) went out and stood at the entrance to the city. Then Abimelech and his troops rose from their ambush. ³⁶ When Gaal saw the troops, he said to Zebul, “Look, troops are coming down from the mountaintops!”

Zebul replied, “The shadows of the mountains look like men to you.”

³⁷ Gaal spoke again, “No, there are troops coming down from Tabbur Haares. One company is coming along the road by the Fortunetellers’ Tree.”

³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your big mouth now? You were the one who said, ‘Who’s Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Aren’t these the troops ⌞whose ruler⌟ you despised? Now go out and fight him.”

³⁹ Then Gaal led citizens of Shechem out to fight Abimelech. ⁴⁰ Abimelech chased Gaal so that he ran away from him. Many were killed at the entrance of the city. ⁴¹ Abimelech continued to live at Arumah. Zebul threw Gaal and his brothers out and would not let them live in Shechem.

⁴² The next day the people ⌞of Shechem⌟ went into the fields. Abimelech was told about it. ⁴³ So he took his troops, divided them into three companies, and set an ambush in the fields. He watched and saw the people coming out of the city. Then he began to attack them. ⁴⁴ Abimelech and his company charged the city and captured its entrance. The other two companies charged at everyone in the fields and attacked them. ⁴⁵ Abimelech attacked the city all day long. He captured the city and killed the people in it. He also tore down the city and scattered salt all over the land.

⁴⁶ All the citizens of Shechem’s Tower heard about it and went into the basement of the temple of El Berith. ⁴⁷ When Abimelech was told that they had gathered there, ⁴⁸ he and all his men went to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took an ax, cut some brushwood, and carried it on his shoulder. He told his men, “Hurry and do what you’ve seen me do!” ⁴⁹ So all his troops also cut brushwood and followed Abimelech. They piled the brushwood on top of the basement and set it on fire with the people inside. So all the people in Shechem’s Tower died too. There were about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰ Then Abimelech went to Thebez, camped there, and captured it. ⁵¹ Now, there was a strong tower inside the town. All the men, women, and leaders of the town fled to it. They locked the door behind them and went up on the roof of the tower. ⁵² Abimelech came to the tower. He began to fight against it and went near the entrance of the tower to burn it down. ⁵³ Then a woman threw a small millstone that hit Abimelech on the head and cracked his skull. ⁵⁴ He quickly called his armorbearer. He told him, “Take your sword and kill me! I don’t want anyone to say, ‘A woman killed Abimelech.’ ” His armorbearer did as he said, so Abimelech died. ⁵⁵ When the people of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.

⁵⁶ So God paid back Abimelech for the evil he had done to his father when he killed his 70 brothers. ⁵⁷ God also paid back the men of Shechem for all their evil. So the curse of Jotham, son of Jerubbaal, came true.

Tola Serves as Judge

10 After Abimelech, Tola, who was the son of Puah and grandson of Dodo, came to rescue Israel. Tola was from Issachar and lived in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. ² He judged Israel for 23 years. Tola died and was buried in Shamir.

Jair Serves as Judge

³ After Tola, Jair from Gilead became a judge. He judged Israel for 22 years. ⁴ Jair had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys. He also had 30 towns that are still called Havvoth Jair to this day. They are in the region of Gilead. ⁵ Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Israel Sins Again

⁶ The people of Israel again did what the Lord considered evil. They began to serve other gods and goddesses—the Baals and the Astartes—and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned the Lord and did not serve him.

⁷ The Lord became angry with the people of Israel. So he used the Philistines and Ammonites to defeat them. ⁸ They oppressed and crushed the people of Israel that year. For 18 years they oppressed all who lived east of the Jordan River in the land of the Amorites in Gilead. ⁹ Ammon also crossed the Jordan River to fight the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim. So Israel suffered a great deal.

¹⁰ Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. They said, “We have sinned against you. We have abandoned our God and served other gods—the Baals.”

¹¹ The Lord said to the people of Israel, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, ¹² the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to me for help. Didn’t I rescue you from them? ¹³ But you still abandoned me and served other gods. That’s why I won’t rescue you again. ¹⁴ Cry out for help to the gods you chose. Let them rescue you when you’re in trouble.”

¹⁵ The people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever you think is right. But please rescue us today!” ¹⁶ Then they got rid of the foreign gods they had and served the Lord. So the Lord could not bear to have Israel suffer any longer.

¹⁷ The troops of Ammon were summoned to fight, and they camped at Gilead. The people of Israel also gathered together and camped at Mizpah. ¹⁸ The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, “Whoever starts the fight against Ammon will rule everyone who lives in Gilead.”

Jephthah Called to Be Judge

11 Jephthah was a soldier from the region of Gilead. Jephthah’s father was named Gilead. His mother was a prostitute. ² Gilead’s wife also gave birth to sons. When his wife’s sons grew up, they threw Jephthah out. They told him, “You’ll get no inheritance from our father. You’re the son of that other woman.” ³ Jephthah fled from his brothers. He went to live in the land of Tob. Worthless men gathered around Jephthah and went out ⌞on raids⌟ with him.

⁴ Later, Ammon waged war with Israel. ⁵ When the Ammonites attacked Israel, Gilead’s leaders went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. ⁶ They said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander so that we can wage war against Ammon.”

⁷ But Jephthah replied to Gilead’s leaders, “Don’t you hate me? Didn’t you throw me out of my father’s house? So why are you coming to me now when you’re in trouble?”

⁸ Gilead’s leaders answered Jephthah, “The reason we’ve turned to you now is that we want you to go with us and wage war against Ammon. You will be the ruler of everyone who lives in Gilead.”

⁹ Jephthah told them, “If you take me back to fight against Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me, I will be your leader.”

¹⁰ Gilead’s leaders said to Jephthah, “The Lord is a witness between us. We will certainly do what you say.” ¹¹ Jephthah went with them, and the people made him their leader and commander. So Jephthah went to Mizpah and repeated all these things in the presence of the Lord.

The King of Ammon Refuses to Deal with Jephthah

¹² Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked the king, “Why did you invade my land and wage war against me?”

¹³ The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers, “When the people of Israel left Egypt, they took my land. It stretched from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now give it back peacefully.”

¹⁴ Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of Ammon. ¹⁵ They said, “This is what Jephthah says: The people of Israel didn’t take away the land belonging to Moab or Ammon. ¹⁶ When the people of Israel left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea and came to Kadesh. ¹⁷ The people of Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said, ‘Please let us go through your country.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen to them. They also sent messengers to the king of Moab. But he wouldn’t allow it, either. So the people of Israel remained at Kadesh.

¹⁸ “Then they went through the desert, by-passing Edom and Moab. They camped east of Moab—east of the Arnon River. They did not cross the Arnon River because it was Moab’s border.

¹⁹ “Then the people of Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites. Sihon ruled from Heshbon. The people of Israel said to him, ‘Please let us go through your land to our own.’ ²⁰ But Sihon did not trust the Israelites enough to let them go through his territory. Sihon assembled all his troops. He camped at Jahaz and attacked Israel. ²¹ But the Lord God of Israel handed Sihon and all his people over to Israel. Israel defeated them and took possession of all the land of the Amorites who lived there. ²² Israel took all the Amorite territory from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and from the desert to the Jordan River.

²³ “The Lord God of Israel forced the Amorites out of the way of his people Israel. So what right do you have to take it back? ²⁴ Shouldn’t you take possession of what your god Chemosh took for you? Shouldn’t we take everything the Lord our God took for us? ²⁵ You’re not any better than Balak, son of King Zippor of Moab, are you? Did he ever have a case against Israel? Or did he ever fight against Israel? ²⁶ Israel has now lived in Heshbon, Aroer, all their villages, and in all the cities along the Arnon River for 300 years. Why didn’t you recapture these cities during that time? ²⁷ I haven’t sinned against you. But you have done wrong by waging war against me. The Lord is the judge who will decide today whether Israel or Ammon is right.”

²⁸ But the king of Ammon didn’t listen to the message Jephthah sent him.

Jephthah’s Vow

²⁹ Then the Lord’s Spirit came over Jephthah. Jephthah went through Gilead, Manasseh, and Mizpah in Gilead ⌞to gather an army⌟. From Mizpah in Gilead Jephthah went to attack Ammon.

³⁰ Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you will really hand Ammon over to me, ³¹ then whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me when I return safely from Ammon will belong to the Lord. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

³² So Jephthah went to fight against Ammon. The Lord handed the people of Ammon over to him. ³³ He defeated them from Aroer to Minnith and on to Abel Keramim, 20 cities in all. It was a decisive defeat. So the Ammonites were crushed by the people of Israel.

³⁴ When Jephthah went to his home in Mizpah, he saw his daughter coming out to meet him. She was dancing with tambourines in her hands. She was his only child. Jephthah had no other sons or daughters. ³⁵ When he saw her, he tore his clothes in grief and said, “Oh no, Daughter! You’ve brought me to my knees! What disaster you’ve brought me! I made a foolish promise to the Lord. Now I can’t break it.”

³⁶ She said to him, “Father, you made a promise to the Lord. Do to me whatever you promised since the Lord has punished your enemy Ammon.” ³⁷ Then she said to her father, “Do me a favor. Give me two months for my friends and me to walk in the mountains and mourn that I will never have an opportunity to get married.”

³⁸ “Go!” he said, and he sent her off for two months. She and her friends went to the mountains, and she cried about never being able to get married. ³⁹ At the end of those two months she came back to her father. He did to her what he had vowed, and she never had a husband. So the custom began in Israel ⁴⁰ that for four days every year the girls in Israel would go out to sing the praises of the daughter of Jephthah, the man from Gilead.

Ephraim’s Jealousy

12 The men of Ephraim were summoned to fight. They crossed ⌞the Jordan River⌟ to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why did you fight against Ammon without inviting us to go with you? Now we’re going to burn your house down with you in it.”

² Jephthah answered, “My people and I were involved in a legal dispute with Ammon. I asked you for help, but you didn’t rescue me from them. ³ When I saw that you would not rescue me, I risked my life and went to fight the people of Ammon. The Lord handed them over to me. So why did you come to fight against me today?”

⁴ Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim. The men of Gilead defeated Ephraim. ⌞They did this because⌟ Ephraim had said, “You people from Gilead are nothing but fugitives from Ephraim and Manasseh.”

⁵ The men of Gilead captured the shallow crossings of the Jordan River leading back to Ephraim. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said, “Let me cross,” the men of Gilead would ask, “Are you from Ephraim?” If he answered, “No,” ⁶ they would tell him, “Say the word shibboleth.” If the fugitive would say sibboleth, because he couldn’t pronounce the word correctly, they would grab him and kill him at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. At that time 42,000 men from Ephraim died.

⁷ Jephthah judged Israel for six years. Then Jephthah of Gilead died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Ibzan Serves as Judge

⁸ After Jephthah, Ibzan from Bethlehem judged Israel. ⁹ He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. His sons and daughters married people from outside their own families. He judged Israel for seven years. ¹⁰ When Ibzan died, he was buried in Bethlehem.

Elon Serves as Judge

¹¹ After Ibzan, Elon from the tribe of Zebulun judged Israel. He judged Israel for ten years. ¹² When Elon died, he was buried in Aijalon in the territory of Zebulun.

Abdon Serves as Judge

¹³ After Elon, Abdon, son of Hillel, from Pirathon judged Israel. ¹⁴ He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons who rode on 70 donkeys. He judged Israel for eight years. ¹⁵ When Abdon died, he was buried in Pirathon, in the territory of Ephraim, in the mountains of Amalek.