Shofetim 9:22-11:28
Orthodox Jewish Bible
22 When Avimelech had reigned shalosh shanim over Yisroel,
23 Then Elohim sent a ruach ra’ah between Avimelech and the ba’alei Shechem; and the ba’alei Shechem dealt treacherously with Avimelech;
24 That the chamas done to the 70 Bnei Yerubaal might come, and their dahm be laid upon Avimelech their brother, which slaughtered them; and upon the ba’alei Shechem, which aided him in the slaughter of his brethren.
25 And the ba’alei Shechem set ambushers in wait for him on top of the hills, and they robbed all that passed along that derech by them; and it was told Avimelech.
26 And Gaal ben Eved came with his achim, went over to Shechem; the ba’alei Shechem put their confidence in him.
27 And they went out into the sadeh, and gathered their kramim, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the bais eloheihem, and did eat and drink, and cursed Avimelech.
28 And Gaal ben Eved said, Who is Avimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is not he ben Yerubaal? And Zevul his pakid? Serve the anshei Chamor avi Shechem. For why should we serve him?
29 O that this people were under my yad! Then would I remove Avimelech. And he said to Avimelech, Gather thine tze’va (army), and come out!
30 And when Zevul the sar of the Ir heard the words of Gaal ben Eved, his anger was kindled.
31 And he sent malachim unto Avimelech covertly, saying, Hinei, Gaal ben Eved and his brethren have come to Shechem; and, hinei, they incite the Ir against thee.
32 Now therefore go up by lailah, thou and the people with thee, and lie in wait in the sadeh:
33 And it shall be, that in the boker, as soon as the shemesh is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the Ir; and, hinei, when he and the people with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them just as thy hand finds to do.
34 And Avimelech rose up, and kol haAm that were with him, by lailah, and they laid wait in ambush against Shechem in four companies.
35 And Gaal ben Eved went out, and stood in the petach sha’ar haIr; and Avimelech and the people that were with him rose up from lying in wait for ambush.
36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zevul, Hinei, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zevul said unto him, Thou seest the tzel of the mountains as if seeing anashim.
37 And Gaal spoke again, and said, Hinei, there come people down the middle of the land, and another company come along by the Elon Me’onenim.
38 Then said Zevul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Avimelech that we should serve him? Is not this the people that thou hast despised? Go out, now, and fight against him.
39 And Gaal went out before the ba’alei Shechem, and fought with Avimelech.
40 And Avimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and chalalim (wounded), even unto the petach hasha’ar.
41 And Avimelech dwelt at Arumah; and Zevul thrust out Gaal and his achim, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42 And it came to pass on the next day, that the people went out into the sadeh; and they told Avimelech.
43 And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait concealed in the sadeh, and looked, and, hinei, the people were come forth out of the Ir; and he rose up against them, and attacked them.
44 And Avimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the petach sha’ar of the Ir; and the two other companies rushed upon all who were in the sadeh, and slaughtered them.
45 And Avimelech fought against the Ir all that day; and he took the Ir, and slaughtered the people that was therein, and destroyed the Ir, and sowed it with melach (salt).
46 And when all the ba’alei migdal Shechem heard that, they entered into the stronghold of the bais el brit.
47 And it was told Avimelech, that all the ba’alei migdal Shechem were gathered together.
48 And Avimelech got him up to Mt Tzalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Avimelech took axes in his yad, and cut down a branch from the etzim (trees), and lifted it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
49 And kol haAm likewise cut down every man his branch, and followed Avimelech, and piled them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on eish over them; so that all the anshei migdal Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
50 Then went Avimelech to Tevetz, and encamped against Tevetz, and captured it.
51 But there was a migdal oz within the Ir, and there fled all the anashim and nashim, and all ba’alei haIr, and locked it after them, and got them up to the top of the migdal.
52 And Avimelech came unto the migdal, and fought against it, and drew near unto the petach of the migdal to burn it with eish.
53 And a certain woman dropped an upper millstone upon Avimelech’s head, and cracked his gulgolet (skull).
54 Then he called hastily unto the na’ar his armorbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy cherev, and slay me, that men say not of me, An isha slaughtered him. And his na’ar thrust him through, and he died.
55 And when the Ish Yisroel saw that Avimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
56 Thus Elohim repaid the wickedness of Avimelech, which he did unto his av, in slaying his seventy brethren;
57 And all the evil of the anshei Shechem did Elohim render upon their heads: and upon them came the Kelalat Yotam ben Yerubaal.
10 And after Avimelech there arose to save Yisroel Tolah ben Puah ben Dodo, an ish Yissakhar; and he dwelt in Shamir in har Ephrayim.
2 And he judged Yisroel twenty and three shanah, and died, and was buried in Shamir.
3 And after him arose Yair, a Gileadi, and judged Yisroel twenty and two shanah.
4 And he had shloshim banim that rode on shloshim donkeys, and they had shloshim towns, which are called Chavvot Yair unto this day, which are in Eretz Gil‘ad.
5 And Yair died, and was buried in Kamon.
6 And the Bnei Yisroel did evil again in the sight of Hashem, and served Baalim, and Ashtarot, and the elohei Aram, and the elohei Tzidon, and the elohei Moav, and the elohei Bnei Ammon, and the elohei Pelishtim, and forsook Hashem, and served Him not.
7 And the Af Hashem was hot against Yisroel, and He sold them into the yad Pelishtim (Philistines), and into the yad Bnei Ammon.
8 And that year they oppressed and persecuted the Bnei Yisroel; eighteen shanah, all the Bnei Yisroel that were on the other side of the Yarden in the Eretz Emori, which is in Gil‘ad.
9 Moreover the Bnei Ammon passed over Yarden to fight also against Yehudah, and against Binyamin, and against the Bais Ephrayim; so that Yisroel was greatly distressed.
10 And the Bnei Yisroel cried unto Hashem, saying, We have sinned against Thee, both because we have forsaken Eloheinu, and also served Baalim.
11 And Hashem said unto the Bnei Yisroel, Did not I deliver you from Mitzrayim, and from Emori, from the Bnei Ammon, and from the Pelishtim (Philistines)?
12 The Tzidonim also, and the Amalek, and the Maon, did oppress you; and ye cried out to Me, and I saved you out of their yad.
13 Yet ye have forsaken Me, and served elohim acherim; so I will not continue to save you.
14 Go and cry unto the elohim which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.
15 And the Bnei Yisroel said unto Hashem, Chatanu (we have sinned); do Thou unto us whatsoever seemeth hatov unto Thee; only save us, now, this day.
16 And they put away the elohei hanekhar (strange, foreign g-ds) from among them, and served Hashem; and His nefesh was troubled with the amal Yisroel (misery of Yisroel).
17 Then the Bnei Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gil‘ad. And the Bnei Yisroel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mitzpah.
18 And HaAm and the Sarei Gil‘ad said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the Bnei Ammon? He shall be Rosh over all the inhabitants of Gil‘ad.
11 Now Yiftach the Gileadi was a gibbor chayil, and he was the ben of an isha zonah; and Gil‘ad fathered Yiftach.
2 And Gil’ad’s isha bore him banim; and the bnei haisha grew up, and they thrust out Yiftach, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our bais avi; for thou art the ben isha acheret.
3 Then Yiftach fled from his achim, and dwelt in Eretz Tov; and there were gathered anashim reikim (outlaws) around Yiftach, and went out with him.
4 And it came to pass in process of time, that the Bnei Ammon made war against Yisroel.
5 And it was so, that when the Bnei Ammon made war against Yisroel, the ziknei Gil‘ad went to fetch Yiftach out of Eretz Tov;
6 And they said unto Yiftach, Come, and be our katzin (leader), that we may fight with the Bnei Ammon.
7 And Yiftach said unto the ziknei Gil‘ad, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my bais avi? And why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?
8 And the ziknei Gil‘ad said unto Yiftach, Nevertheless, we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the Bnei Ammon, and be our rosh over all the inhabitants of Gil‘ad.
9 And Yiftach said unto the ziknei Gil‘ad, If ye bring me home again to fight against the Bnei Ammon, and Hashem deliver them before me, shall I be your rosh?
10 And the ziknei Gil‘ad said unto Yiftach, Hashem be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.
11 Then Yiftach went with the ziknei Gil‘ad, and the people made him rosh and katzin over them; and Yiftach uttered all his words before Hashem in Mitzpah.
12 And Yiftach sent malachim unto the melech Bnei Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?
13 And the melech Bnei Ammon answered unto the malachim of Yiftach, Because Yisroel took away my land, when they came up out of Mitzrayim, from Arnon even unto Yabbok, and unto Yarden; now therefore give back those lands again b’shalom (peaceably).
14 And Yiftach sent malachim again unto the melech Bnei Ammon;
15 And said unto him, Thus saith Yiftach, Yisroel took not away Eretz Moav, nor the Eretz Bnei Ammon;
16 But when Yisroel came up from Mitzrayim, and walked through the midbar until Yam Suf, and came to Kadesh;
17 Then Yisroel sent malachim unto the melech Edom, saying, Let me, now, pass through thy land; but the melech Edom would not pay heed thereto. In like manner they sent unto the melech Moav; but he would not consent; Yisroel abode in Kadesh.
18 Then they went along through the midbar, skirted the Eretz Edom, and Eretz Moav, and came by the east side of Eretz Moav, encamped on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the territory of Moav; for the Arnon was the boundary of Moav.
19 And Yisroel sent malachim unto Sichon melech HaEmori, the melech Cheshbon; and Yisroel said unto him, Let us pass, now, through thy land into my makom.
20 But Sichon trusted not Yisroel to pass through his territory; but Sichon gathered all his people together, and encamped in Yahatz, and fought against Yisroel.
21 And Hashem Elohei Yisroel delivered Sichon and all his people into the yad Yisroel, and they struck them down; so Yisroel possessed all the Eretz HaEmori, the inhabitants of that country.
22 And they possessed all the territory HaEmori, from Arnon even unto Yabbok, and from the midbar even unto Yarden.
23 So now Hashem Elohei Yisroel hath dispossessed HaEmori from before His people Yisroel, and shouldest thou possess it?
24 Wilt not thou possess that which Kemosh eloheicha giveth thee to possess? So whatever Hashem Eloheinu shall take possession of before us, that will we possess.
25 And now art thou anything better than Balak ben Tzippor, melech Moav? Did he ever strive against Yisroel, or did he ever fight against them,
26 While Yisroel dwelt in Cheshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her settlements, and in all the towns that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred shanah? Why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?
27 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me; Hashem HaShofet be judge this day between the Bnei Yisroel and the Bnei Ammon.
28 Howbeit the melech Bnei Ammon paid heed not unto the words of Yiftach which he sent him.
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