Mga Hukom 9
Ang Biblia (1978)
Pinatay ni Abimelech ang mga anak ni Gedeon.
9 At si Abimelech na anak ni Jerobaal ay napasa Sichem, sa mga (A)kapatid ng kaniyang ina, at nagsalita sa kanila, at sa lahat ng angkan ng sangbahayan ng ama ng kaniyang ina, na nagsasabi,
2 Isinasamo ko sa inyo na inyong salitain sa mga pakinig ng lahat ng mga lalake sa Sichem, Kung ano ang magaling sa inyo, na lahat na anak ni Jerobaal na (B)pitong pung lalake ay magpuno sa inyo, o isa ang magpuno sa inyo? alalahanin din naman ninyo na ako ay inyong (C)buto at inyong laman.
3 At tungkol sa kaniya ay sinalita ng mga kapatid ng ina niya, sa mga pakinig ng lahat ng mga lalake sa Sichem ang lahat ng mga salitang ito at ang kanilang puso ay kumiling na sumunod kay Abimelech, sapagka't kanilang sinabi, Siya'y (D)ating kapatid.
4 At nagbigay sila ng pitong pung putol na pilak, mula sa bahay ng (E)Baal-berith, na siyang (F)iniupa ni Abimelech sa mga taong hampas lupa at mga palaboy, na siyang mga sumunod sa kaniya.
5 At siya'y naparoon sa bahay ng kaniyang ama sa (G)Ophra, at pinatay ang kaniyang mga kapatid na mga anak ni Jerobaal, na pitong pung katao, sa ibabaw ng isang bato: nguni't si Jotham na bunsong anak ni Jerobaal ay nalabi; sapagka't siya'y nagtago.
6 At lahat ng mga lalake sa Sichem ay nagpupulong at ang buong (H)sangbahayan ni Millo, at yumaon at ginawang hari si Abimelech sa tabi ng encina ng haliging nasa Sichem.
Ang talinhaga ni Jotham.
7 At nang kanilang saysayin kay Jotham, siya'y yumaon at tumayo sa taluktok ng (I)bundok Gerizim, at inilakas ang kaniyang tinig, at sumigaw, at sinabi sa kanila, Dinggin ninyo ako, ninyong mga lalake sa Sichem, upang dinggin kayo ng Dios.
8 (J)Ang mga puno ng kahoy ay naghalal ng hari na minsan; at kanilang sinabi sa puno ng olibo, (K)Maghari ka sa amin.
9 Nguni't sinabi ng puno ng olibo sa kanila, (L)Akin bang iiwan ang aking katabaan, na siyang sa akin ay nakapagpaparangal sa Dios at sa tao, (M)at makipagindayunan sa mga puno ng kahoy?
10 At sinabi ng mga punong kahoy sa puno ng igos, Halika, at maghari ka sa amin.
11 Nguni't sinabi ng puno ng igos sa kanila, Akin bang iiwan ang aking katamisan, at ang aking mabuting bunga, at yayaong makipagindayunan sa mga puno ng kahoy?
12 At sinabi ng mga puno ng kahoy sa puno ng ubas, Halika, at maghari ka sa amin.
13 At sinabi ng puno ng ubas sa kanila, (N)Akin bang iiwan ang aking alak, na nagpapasaya sa Dios at sa tao, at yayaong makipagindayunan sa mga puno ng kahoy?
14 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi ng lahat ng mga puno ng kahoy sa dawag, Halika, at maghari ka sa amin.
15 At sinabi ng dawag sa mga puno ng kahoy, Kung tunay na ako'y inyong inihahalal na hari ninyo, pumarito nga kayo at manganlong kayo sa aking (O)lilim: at kung hindi ay labasan ng (P)apoy ang dawag at pugnawin ang mga (Q)sedro ng Libano.
16 Ngayon nga'y kung tapat at matuwid mong ginawang hari si Abimelech, at kung gumawa kayo ng mabuti kay Jerobaal at sa kaniyang sangbahayan, at kayo'y gumawa sa kaniya ng (R)ayon sa marapat sa kaniyang mga kamay;
17 (Sapagka't ipinakipaglaban kayo ng aking ama at inihadlang ang kaniyang buhay, at pinapaging laya kayo sa kamay ni Madian:
18 (S)At kayo'y bumangon laban sa sangbahayan ng aking ama sa araw na ito, at pinatay ninyo ang kaniyang mga anak, na pitong pung lalake, sa ibabaw ng isang bato, at ginawa ninyong hari si Abimelech, na (T)anak ng kaniyang aliping babae, sa mga lalake sa Sichem, (U)sapagka't siya'y inyong kapatid;)
19 Kung tapat nga at matuwid na kayo'y gumanti kay Jerobaal at sa kaniyang sangbahayan sa araw na ito, (V)magalak nga kayo kay Abimelech at magalak naman siya sa inyo:
20 Nguni't kung hindi ay labasan ng (W)apoy si Abimelech, at pugnawin ang mga lalake sa (X)Sichem, at ang sangbahayan ni Millo, at labasan ng apoy ang mga lalake sa Sichem, at ang sangbahayan ni Millo, at pugnawin si Abimelech.
21 At si Jotham ay tumakbong umalis, at tumakas, at napasa Beer, at tumahan doon, dahil sa takot kay Abimelech na kaniyang kapatid.
22 At si Abimelech ay naging prinsipe sa Israel na tatlong taon.
23 (Y)At nagsugo ang Dios ng isang masamang espiritu kay Abimelech at sa mga lalake sa Sichem; at ang mga lalake sa Sichem ay (Z)naglilo kay Abimelech.
24 (AA)Upang ang dahas na ginawa sa pitong pung anak ni Jerobaal ay dumating, at upang ang kanilang dugo ay malagpak kay Abimelech na kanilang kapatid, na siyang pumatay sa kanila, at sa mga lalake sa Sichem, na nagpalakas ng kaniyang mga kamay upang patayin ang kaniyang mga kapatid.
25 At binakayan siya ng mga lalake sa Sichem sa mga taluktok ng mga bundukin, at kanilang pinagnakawan yaong lahat na dumaan sa daang yaon na malapit sa kanila; at naibalita kay Abimelech.
Pagtatangkang pagsalangsang ni Gaal kay Abimelech.
26 At dumating si Gaal na anak ni Ebed na kasama ng kaniyang mga kapatid, at dumaan sa Sichem: at inilagak ng mga lalake sa Sichem ang kanilang tiwala sa kaniya.
27 At sila'y lumabas sa bukid, at namitas sa kanilang mga ubasan, at pinisa, (AB)at nagpapista, at (AC)napasa bahay ng kanilang dios, at nagkainan at naginuman, at sinumpa si Abimelech.
28 At sinabi ni Gaal na anak ni Ebed, (AD)Sino si Abimelech at sino si Sichem, upang, aming paglingkuran siya? hindi ba siya ang anak ni Jerobaal? at si Zebul ay kaniyang pinuno? Maglingkod kayo sa mga lalake ni (AE)Hamor na ama ni Sichem: nguni't bakit kami maglilingkod sa kaniya?
29 (AF)At kahi manawari ang bayang ito'y mapasa ilalim ng aking kamay. Kung magkagayo'y aking hahalinhan si Abimelech. At kaniyang sinabi kay Abimelech, Dagdagan mo ang iyong kawal at lumabas ka.
30 At nang marinig ni Zebul na puno ng bayan ang mga salita ni Gaal na anak ni Ebed, ay nagalab ang kaniyang galit.
31 At lihim na nagsugo siya ng mga sugo kay Abimelech, na nagsabi, Narito, si Gaal na anak ni Ebed at ang kaniyang mga kapatid ay naparoon sa Sichem; at, narito, kanilang pinilit ang bayan laban sa iyo.
32 Ngayon nga'y bumangon ka sa gabi, ikaw at ang bayan na kasama mo, at bakayan mo sa bukid:
33 At mangyayari, na sa kinaumagahan, pagsikat ng araw, ay babangon kang maaga, at isasalakay mo ang bayan: at, narito, pagka siya at ang bayan na kasama niya ay lumabas laban sa iyo, ay (AG)magagawa mo nga sa kanila ang magalingin mo.
Nanagumpay si Abimelech laban kay Gaal.
34 At bumangon si Abimelech, at ang buong bayan na kasama niya, sa kinagabihan at sinalakay nila ang Sichem, na sila'y apat na pulutong.
35 At lumabas si Gaal na anak ni Ebed, at tumayo sa pasukan ng pintuang-bayan; at si Abimelech ay bumangon sa pagbakay at ang bayan na kasama niya.
36 At nang makita ni Gaal ang bayan, ay kaniyang sinabi kay Zebul, Narito, bumababa ang bayan mula sa taluktuk ng mga bundok. At sinabi ni Zebul sa kaniya, Iyong nakikita'y mga (AH)lilim ng mga bundukin, na parang mga lalake.
37 At nagsalita uli si Gaal, at nagsabi, Tignan mo, bumababa ang bayan sa kalagitnaan ng lupain, at isang pulutung ay dumarating sa daan ng encina ng Meonenim.
38 Nang magkagayo'y sinabi ni Zebul sa kaniya, Saan nandoon ngayon ang iyong bibig, na iyong ipinagsabi, (AI)Sino si Abimelech upang tayo'y maglingkod sa kaniya? hindi ba ito ang bayan na iyong niwalan ng kabuluhan? lumabas ka ngayon at lumaban sa kanila.
39 At lumabas si Gaal sa harap ng mga lalake sa Sichem, at lumaban kay Abimelech.
40 At hinabol ni Abimelech siya, at siya'y tumakas sa harap niya, at nabuwal ang maraming sugatan hanggang sa pasukan ng pintuang-bayan.
41 At si Abimelech ay tumahan sa Aruma: at pinalayas ni Zebul si Gaal at ang kaniyang mga kapatid, upang sila'y huwag tumahan sa Sichem.
42 At nangyari nang kinaumagahan, na ang baya'y lumabas sa parang; at kanilang isinaysay kay Abimelech.
43 At kaniyang kinuha ang bayan, at binahagi niya ng tatlong pulutong, at bumakay sa parang; at siya'y tumingin, at narito, ang bayan ay lumabas sa kabayanan; at siya'y bumangon laban sa kanila, at sila'y sinaktan niya.
44 At si Abimelech at ang mga pulutong na kasama niya ay nagsidaluhong at nagsitayo sa pasukan ng pintuan ng bayan: at ang dalawang pulutong ay nagsidaluhong doon sa lahat ng nasa bukid, at sila'y sinaktan nila.
45 At lumaban si Abimelech sa bayan nang buong araw na yaon; at sinakop ang bayan, at pinatay ang bayan na nasa loob niyaon: at iginiba ang (AJ)kabayanan at hinasikan ng asin.
Binihag ang Sichem at ang Thebes.
46 At nang mabalitaan yaon ng lahat ng mga lalake sa (AK)moog ng Sichem, ay pumasok sila sa (AL)kuta ng bahay ng (AM)El-berith.
47 At nasaysay kay Abimelech, na ang lahat ng mga tao sa moog ng Sichem ay nagpipisan.
48 At umahon si Abimelech sa bundok ng (AN)Salmon, siya at ang buong bayan na kasama niya; at sumunggab si Abimelech ng isang palakol sa kaniyang kamay, at pumutol ng isang sanga sa mga kahoy at itinaas, at ipinasan sa kaniyang balikat: at sinabi niya sa bayan na kasama niya, Kung ano ang makita ninyo na gawin ko, magmadali kayo, at gawin ninyo ang aking ginawa.
49 At ang buong bayan ay pumutol na gayon din ang bawa't lalake ng kanikaniyang sanga, at sumunod kay Abimelech, at ipinaglalagay sa kuta, at sinilaban ang kuta sa pamamagitan niyaon; na ano pa't ang lahat ng mga lalake sa moog ng Sichem ay namatay rin, na may isang libong lalake at babae.
50 Nang magkagayo'y naparoon si Abimelech sa Thebes, at humantong ng laban sa Thebes, at sinakop.
51 Nguni't may isang matibay na moog sa loob ng bayan, at doo'y nagsitakas ang lahat na lalake at babae at ang lahat na nasa bayan, at (AO)sinarhan, at nagsisampa sa bubungan ng moog.
52 At naparoon si Abimelech sa moog, at lumaban, at lumapit sa pintuan ng moog, upang sunugin ng apoy.
53 (AP)At hinagis ng isang babae, ng isang pangibabaw na (AQ)bato ng gilingan ang ulo ni Abimelech at nabasag ang kaniyang bungo.
54 Nang magkagayo'y (AR)tinawag niyang madali ang bataang kaniyang tagadala ng almas, at sinabi niya sa kaniya, Kunin mo ang iyong tabak, at patayin mo ako, upang huwag sabihin tungkol sa akin ng mga tao, Isang babae ang pumatay sa kaniya. At pinalagpasan siya ng kaniyang bataan, at siya'y namatay.
55 At nang makita ng Israel na namatay si Abimelech, ay yumaon ang bawa't lalake sa kanikaniyang dako.
56 (AS)Ganito pinaghigantihan ng Dios ang kasamaan ni Abimelech, na kaniyang ginawa sa kaniyang ama, sa pagpatay ng kaniyang pitong pung kapatid:
57 At ang buong kasamaan ng mga lalake sa Sichem ay pinaghigantihan ng Dios sa kanilang mga ulo: at dumating sa kanila ang (AT)sumpa ni Jotham na anak ni Jerobaal.
Judges 9
New International Version
Abimelek
9 Abimelek(A) son of Jerub-Baal(B) went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother’s clan, 2 “Ask all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember, I am your flesh and blood.(C)”
3 When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelek, for they said, “He is related to us.” 4 They gave him seventy shekels[a] of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith,(D) and Abimelek used it to hire reckless scoundrels,(E) who became his followers. 5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers,(F) the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham,(G) the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding.(H) 6 Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo(I) gathered beside the great tree(J) at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelek king.
7 When Jotham(K) was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim(L) and shouted to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. 8 One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’
9 “But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’
10 “Next, the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.’
11 “But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?’
12 “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and be our king.’
13 “But the vine answered, ‘Should I give up my wine,(M) which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?’
14 “Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and be our king.’
15 “The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade;(N) but if not, then let fire come out(O) of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’(P)
16 “Have you acted honorably and in good faith by making Abimelek king? Have you been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family? Have you treated him as he deserves? 17 Remember that my father fought for you and risked(Q) his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian. 18 But today you have revolted against my father’s family. You have murdered his seventy sons(R) on a single stone and have made Abimelek, the son of his female slave, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is related to you. 19 So have you acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today?(S) If you have, may Abimelek be your joy, and may you be his, too! 20 But if you have not, let fire come out(T) from Abimelek and consume you, the citizens of Shechem(U) and Beth Millo,(V) and let fire come out from you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelek!”
21 Then Jotham(W) fled, escaping to Beer,(X) and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelek.
22 After Abimelek had governed Israel three years, 23 God stirred up animosity(Y) between Abimelek and the citizens of Shechem so that they acted treacherously against Abimelek. 24 God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal’s seventy sons,(Z) the shedding(AA) of their blood, might be avenged(AB) on their brother Abimelek and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him(AC) murder his brothers. 25 In opposition to him these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelek.
26 Now Gaal son of Ebed(AD) moved with his clan into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him. 27 After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden(AE) them, they held a festival in the temple of their god.(AF) While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelek. 28 Then Gaal son of Ebed(AG) said, “Who(AH) is Abimelek, and why should we Shechemites be subject to him? Isn’t he Jerub-Baal’s son, and isn’t Zebul his deputy? Serve the family of Hamor,(AI) Shechem’s father! Why should we serve Abimelek? 29 If only this people were under my command!(AJ) Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelek, ‘Call out your whole army!’”[b](AK)
30 When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry. 31 Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelek, saying, “Gaal son of Ebed and his clan have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. 32 Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait(AL) in the fields. 33 In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, seize the opportunity to attack them.(AM)”
34 So Abimelek and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies. 35 Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance of the city gate(AN) just as Abimelek and his troops came out from their hiding place.(AO)
36 When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!”
Zebul replied, “You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men.”
37 But Gaal spoke up again: “Look, people are coming down from the central hill,[c] and a company is coming from the direction of the diviners’ tree.”
38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your big talk now, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelek that we should be subject to him?’ Aren’t these the men you ridiculed?(AP) Go out and fight them!”
39 So Gaal led out[d] the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelek. 40 Abimelek chased him all the way to the entrance of the gate, and many were killed as they fled. 41 Then Abimelek stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his clan out of Shechem.
42 The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelek. 43 So he took his men, divided them into three companies(AQ) and set an ambush(AR) in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. 44 Abimelek and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance of the city gate. Then two companies attacked those in the fields and struck them down. 45 All that day Abimelek pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city(AS) and scattered salt(AT) over it.
46 On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple(AU) of El-Berith. 47 When Abimelek heard that they had assembled there, 48 he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon.(AV) He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, “Quick! Do what you have seen me do!” 49 So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelek. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire with the people still inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.
50 Next Abimelek went to Thebez(AW) and besieged it and captured it. 51 Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city—had fled. They had locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. 52 Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, 53 a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.(AX)
54 Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me,(AY) so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his servant ran him through, and he died. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home.
56 Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness.(AZ) The curse of Jotham(BA) son of Jerub-Baal came on them.
Footnotes
- Judges 9:4 That is, about 1 3/4 pounds or about 800 grams
- Judges 9:29 Septuagint; Hebrew him.” Then he said to Abimelek, “Call out your whole army!”
- Judges 9:37 The Hebrew for this phrase means the navel of the earth.
- Judges 9:39 Or Gaal went out in the sight of
Judges 9
EasyEnglish Bible
Abimelech becomes king
9 Gideon's son Abimelech went to Shechem to speak to his mother's brothers. He said to them and to her family's clan, 2 ‘Say this to the leaders of Shechem: “You should not agree to let all of Gideon's 70 sons rule over you. It would be better for you to have only one man rule over you. Remember that I belong to your own family.” ’
3 Abimelech's mother's family told the men of Shechem what Abimelech had said. They agreed that Abimelech would be a good ruler for them. They said, ‘He is our brother.’
4 So they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the temple of their god, Baal-Berith. Abimelech used this money to pay some wicked men to help him. 5 He went to his father's home in Ophrah. He killed his 70 brothers, the sons of Gideon. He killed them all on one rock. But Jotham, Gideon's youngest son, hid himself and he escaped.[a]
6 Then the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo met together. They took Abimelech to the oak tree near the pillar of rock in Shechem. There they made Abimelech king.
7 When Jotham heard the news of what had happened, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim. He stood there and he shouted to the people, ‘Leaders of Shechem, listen to me! Then perhaps God will listen to you.
8 One day, the trees decided to choose a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, “Be our king.” 9 But the olive tree replied, “My oil pleases men and even the gods. I will not stop making my oil so that I can rule over all you other trees!”
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, “Come and be our king.” 11 The fig tree replied, “I will not stop making my good, sweet figs so that I can rule over you.”
12 Then the trees said to the vine, “Come and be our king.” 13 But the vine answered, “Wine from my grapes makes gods and people happy. I will not stop making wine so that I can rule over you.”
14 Finally, the trees said to the thorn bush, “Come and be our king.” 15 The thorn bush said to the trees, “If you really want to choose me as your king, come here. Hide under my branches to keep safe. If not, I will cause fire to come out from the thorn bush. It will burn up all the big cedar trees in Lebanon!”[b]
16 When you chose Abimelech to be your king, you have not been faithful to Gideon and his family. You have not given Gideon the honour that he deserves. 17 My father Gideon fought to save you. He did not try to keep his own life safe. He rescued you from the power of the Midianites. 18 But you have turned against my father's family today. You killed his 70 sons on one rock. You have made Abimelech king because he belongs to your family. He is the son of my father's slave wife. 19 If you have really been faithful to Gideon and his family today, I pray that Abimelech will make you happy! I pray that you will make Abimelech happy, too! 20 But if you have not been faithful, I pray that Abimelech will destroy you! I pray that his fire will completely burn up the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo. And I pray that fire from you leaders will completely destroy Abimelech!’
21 After he said that, Jotham ran away to Beer. He lived there because he was afraid of his brother, Abimelech.
Abimelech rules Israel
22 Abimelech ruled Israel for three years. 23 Then God caused the leaders of Shechem to turn against Abimelech. They were no longer friends. 24 God did this to punish Abimelech because he had killed his brothers, Gideon's 70 sons. The leaders of Shechem were also guilty for their murder, because they had helped Abimelech.
25 The leaders of Shechem no longer obeyed Abimelech. They sent men to hide in the hills near Shechem. Those men robbed everyone who travelled on that road. But someone told Abimelech about this.
26 Ebed's son Gaal went to live in Shechem with his brothers. The leaders of Shechem started to trust Gaal as their leader. 27 They went out of the city to pick grapes in their fields. They squeezed the grapes to make wine. They went to the temple of their god and they had a party. They ate a lot of food and they drank a lot of wine. At their party, they cursed Abimelech.
28 Gaal said, ‘Why does Abimelech think he is so great? There is no reason why the people of Shechem should serve him! He is a son of Gideon and he does not really belong here. Zebul only serves Abimelech as his officer. Instead we should be faithful to Hamor's descendants. He is the ancestor of Shechem's clan. 29 If I were the leader of these people, I would remove Abimelech as king. I would say to him, “Make your army strong and try to fight against us!” ’
30 Some people told Zebul, the town's officer, what Gaal had said. Zebul was very angry when he heard this. 31 He sent men secretly to Abimelech with a message. They told him, ‘Ebed's son Gaal and his brothers have come to live in Shechem. They are causing the people of the city to turn against you. 32 So you must come here in the night with your men. Hide in the fields outside the city. 33 When the sun rises in the morning, quickly attack the city. When Gaal and his men come out to fight, you can do to them whatever you want.’
34 So Abimelech and all his soldiers came out at night. They hid in four groups outside Shechem.
35 The next morning, Gaal stood beside the city gate. Abimelech and his men came out from the places where they were hiding. 36 Gaal saw them. He said to Zebul, ‘Look! There are men coming down from the tops of the hills.’ Zebul replied, ‘No, you are wrong. You can see shadows in the hills. They only look like men.’ 37 Gaal said again, ‘Look! I can really see men who are coming down from the middle of the land. There is another group of men who are coming along the road from the Diviner's Oak Tree.’
38 Then Zebul said to Gaal, ‘What has happened to your proud words now? You boasted when you said, “Abimelech is nobody! We should not serve him.” Here are the men that you insulted as useless! So now go out and fight them!’
39 Gaal led the men of Shechem out of the city to fight against Abimelech. 40 Abimelech chased after him. Gaal and his men ran back to the city. But Abimelech and his men caught and killed many of them before they reached the city gate. 41 Abimelech went back to live in Arumah. Zebul made Gaal and his brothers leave Shechem.
42 The next day, the people of Shechem went out into the fields around the city. Abimelech heard about this. 43 He took his men with him. He made them hide in three groups in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he and his men attacked them. 44 Abimelech and his group of soldiers ran to stand at the city gate. They stopped people going back into the city. The other two groups attacked the people in the fields and killed them.
45 Abimelech attacked the city all that day. He took the city and he killed all the people who lived there. Then he destroyed the city. He put salt all over it as a curse.
46 The city's leaders who lived in the tower of Shechem heard the news. They went to hide in the strong building of El-berith's temple. 47 Somebody told Abimelech that all the leaders were there together in the temple. 48 He took all his men up to Mount Zalmon. He used an axe to cut some branches off a tree. He put the branches on his shoulders. Then he said to his men, ‘Be quick! Do the same thing as you have seen me do!’ 49 So all the men cut branches and they followed Abimelech. They put the branches around the strong building. Then they brought fire to burn down the building. There were about 1,000 men and women in the tower of Shechem. They all died in the fire.
50 Then Abimelech and his men went to Thebez. They made their camp around the city to attack it. 51 There was a strong tower in the middle of the city. All the leaders of the city, as well as all the men and women, ran there to hide. They locked the door. They went up onto the roof of the tower. 52 Abimelech and his men came to attack the tower. Abimelech went near to the door of the tower, to put a fire there. 53 A woman on the roof dropped a heavy rock down on his head. It broke Abimelech's skull. 54 Abimelech quickly said to the young man who carried his weapons, ‘Take hold of your sword and kill me! I do not want people to say that a woman killed me!’ So the young man killed him with his sword. 55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.
56 That was how God punished Abimelech. He had done an evil thing against his father when he killed his 70 brothers. 57 God was also punishing the people of Shechem for the evil things that they had done. When Gideon's son Jotham had cursed them, he said that these things would happen.
Footnotes
- 9:5 Abimelech's 70 brothers were his half-brothers. They were the true sons of Gideon. Abimelech was the son of Gideon's slave wife. See Judges 8:31.
- 9:15 All the trees in Jotham's story, except the thorn bush, were valuable. People kept them because they were valuable. Thorn bushes were only useful to burn on a fire. Jotham was telling them that Abimelech was useless.
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