Judges 9:7-21
New English Translation
Jotham’s Parable
7 When Jotham heard the news,[a] he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below,[b] “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
8 “The trees were determined to go out[c] and choose a king for themselves.[d] They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’[e] 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!’[f]
10 “So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!’[g] 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!’[h]
12 “So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!’[i] 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!’[j]
14 “So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!’[k] 15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to choose[l] me as your king, then come along, find safety under my branches.[m] Otherwise[n] 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,[o] if you have properly repaid him[p]— 17 my father fought for you; he risked his life[q] and delivered you from Midian’s power.[r] 18 But you have attacked[s] my father’s family[t] today. You murdered his seventy legitimate[u] 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.[v] 19 So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub Baal and his family[w] today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness![x] 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[y] to Beer and lived there to escape from[z] Abimelech his half-brother.[aa]
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- 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 9:7-21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Parable of the Trees
7 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you lords of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.(A)
8 The trees once went out
to anoint a king over themselves.
So they said to the olive tree,
‘Reign over us.’
9 The olive tree answered them,
‘Shall I stop producing my rich oil
by which gods and mortals are honored
and go to sway over the trees?’
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree,
‘You come and reign over us.’
11 But the fig tree answered them,
‘Shall I stop producing my sweetness
and my delicious fruit
and go to sway over the trees?’
12 Then the trees said to the vine,
‘You come and reign over us.’
13 But the vine said to them,
‘Shall I stop producing my wine
that cheers gods and mortals
and go to sway over the trees?’
14 So all the trees said to the bramble,
‘You come and reign over us.’
15 And the bramble said to the trees,
‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you,
then come and take refuge in my shade,
but if not, let fire come out of the bramble
and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’(B)
16 “Now therefore, if you acted in good faith and honor when you made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have done to him as his actions deserved(C)— 17 for my father fought for you and risked his life and rescued you from the hand of Midian, 18 but you have risen up against my father’s house this day and have killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your kinsman(D)— 19 if, I say, you have acted in good faith and honor with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you,(E) 20 but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the lords of Shechem and Beth-millo, and let fire come out from the lords of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.” 21 Then Jotham ran away and fled, going to Beer, where he remained for fear of his brother Abimelech.
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