Judges 9

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Abimelech son of Jerubbaal confronted his mother's brothers at Shechem and, to them and to the wholeclan of his maternal grandfather's family, he said,	1 Now Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem, to his maternal brothers, and he spoke to them, and to all the relatives of the house of his maternal grandfather, saying:
2 'Please put this question to the leading men of Shechem: Which is better for you: to be ruled by seventypeople -- al Jerubbaal's sons -- or to be ruled by one? Remember too that I am your own flesh and bone.'	2 “Speak to all the men of Shechem: Which is better for you: that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, should rule over you, or that one man should rule over you? And consider also that I am your bone and your flesh.”
3 His mother's brothers said al this on his behalf to al the leading men of Shechem, and their feelingsswayed them to follow Abimelech, since they argued, 'He is our brother.'	3 And his maternal brothers spoke about him to all the men of Shechem, all these words, and they inclined their hearts after Abimelech, saying, “He is our brother.”
4 So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and with this Abimelech paidviolent adventurers to fol ow him.	4 And they gave to him the weight of seventy silver coins from the shrine of Baal-berith. With this, he hired for himself indigent and wandering men, and they followed him.
5 He then went to his father's house at Ophrah and put his brothers, Jerubbaal's seventy sons, to deathon one and the same stone. Jotham, however, Jerubbaal's youngest son, escaped by going into hiding.	5 And he went to his father’s house in Ophrah, and he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, upon one stone. And there remained only Joatham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, and he was in hiding.
6 All the leading men of Shechem and al Beth-Mil o then met and proclaimed Abimelech king at the oakof the cultic stone at Shechem.	6 Then all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the families of the city of Millo, and they went and appointed Abimelech as king, beside the oak that stood at Shechem.
7 News of this was brought to Jotham. He went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted at thetop of his voice: Hear me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may also hear you!	7 When this had been reported to Jotham, he went and stood at the top of Mount Gerizim. And lifting up his voice, he cried out and said: “Listen to me, men of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
8 One day the trees went out to anoint a king to rule them. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king!'	8 The trees went to anoint a king over themselves. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
9 The olive tree replied, 'Must I forgo my oil which gives honour to gods and men, to stand and sway overthe trees?'	9 And it responded, ‘How could I abandon my fatness, which both gods and men make use of, and depart to be promoted among the trees?’
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and be our king!'	10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and accept royal power over us.’
11 The fig tree replied, 'Must I forgo my sweetness, forgo my excel ent fruit, to go and sway over thetrees?'	11 And it responded to them, ‘How could I abandon my sweetness, and my very sweet fruits, and depart to be promoted among the other trees?’
12 Then the trees said to the vine, 'You come and be our king!'	12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and reign over us.’
13 The vine replied, 'Must I forgo my wine which cheers gods and men, to go and sway over the trees?'	13 And it responded to them, ‘How could I abandon my wine, which gives joy to God and men, and be promoted among the other trees?’
14 Then the trees al said to the thorn bush, 'You come and be our king!'	14 And all the trees said to the bramble, ‘Come and reign over us.’
15 And the thorn bush replied to the trees, 'If you are anointing me in good faith to be your king, come andshelter in my shade. But, if not, fire will come out of the thorn bush and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'	15 And it responded to them: ‘If truly you would appoint me as king, come and rest under my shadow. But if you are not willing, let fire go forth from the bramble, and let it devour the cedars of Lebanon.’ ”
16 'Now then, if you have acted in sincerity and good faith in making Abimelech king, if you have dealthonourably with Jerubbaal and his family, and have treated him as his actions deserved,	16 So now, if you are upright and without sin in appointing Abimelech as a king over you, and if you have acted well with Jerubbaal, and with his house, and if you have repaid, in turn, the benefits of him who fought on your behalf,
17 my father having fought for you, risked his life and rescued you from the power of Midian,	17 and who gave his life to dangers, so that he might rescue you from the hand of Midian,
18 and you today having risen up against my father's family, murdered his sons -- seventy of them on oneand the same stone -- and appointed Abimelech, his slave-girl's son, to rule the leading men of Shechem,because he is your brother!-	18 though you now have risen up against my father’s house, and have killed his sons, seventy men, upon one stone, and have appointed Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, as a king over the inhabitants of Shechem, since he is your brother,
19 if, I say, you have acted in sincerity and good faith towards Jerubbaal and his family, then mayAbimelech be your joy and may you be his!	19 if therefore you are upright and have acted without fault with Jerubbaal and his house, then you should rejoice on this day in Abimelech, and he should rejoice in you.
20 If not, may fire come out of Abimelech and devour the leading men of Shechem and Beth-Mil o, andfire come out of the leading men of Shechem and Beth-Mil o to devour Abimelech!'	20 But if you have acted perversely, may fire go forth from him and consume the inhabitants of Shechem and the town of Millo. And may fire go forth from the men of Shechem and from the town of Millo, and devour Abimelech.”
21 Jotham then took to his heels; he fled and made his way to Beer; and there he stayed, to be out of hisbrother Abimelech's reach.	21 And when he had said these things, he fled and went away to Beer. And he lived in that place, out of fear of Abimelech, his brother.
22 Abimelech ruled Israel for three years.	22 And so Abimelech reigned over Israel for three years.
23 God then sent a spirit of discord between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders ofShechem betrayed Abimelech.	23 And the Lord put a very grievous spirit between Abimelech and the inhabitants of Shechem, who began to detest him,
24 And this was so that the crime committed against Jerubbaal's seventy sons should be avenged, andtheir blood recoil on their brother Abimelech who had murdered them, and on those leaders of Shechem whohad helped him to murder his brothers.	24 and to place blame for the crime of the killing of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, and for the shedding of their blood, upon Abimelech, their brother, and upon the rest of the leaders of the Shechemites, who assisted him.
25 The leaders of Shechem put men to ambush him on the mountain tops, and these robbed anyonetravel ing their way. Abimelech was told of this.	25 And they stationed an ambush against him at the summit of the mountains. And while they were waiting for his arrival, they committed robberies, taking spoils from those passing by. And this was reported to Abimelech.
26 Gaal son of Obed, with his brothers, happened to pass through Shechem and win the confidence ofthe leaders of Shechem.	26 Now Gaal, the son of Ebed, went with his brothers, and crossed over to Shechem. And the inhabitants of Shechem, uplifted by his arrival,
27 These went out into the countryside to harvest their vineyards; they trod the grapes and made merryand went into the temple of their god. They ate and drank there and cursed Abimelech.	27 departed into the fields, laying waste to the vineyards, and trampling the grapes. And while singing and dancing, they entered into the shrine of their god. And while feasting and drinking, they cursed Abimelech.
28 Gaal son of Obed said, 'Who is Abimelech, and what is Shechem, for us to be his slaves? Should notJerubbaal's son and his lieutenant, Zebul, be serving the men of Hamor, father of Shechem? Why should we behis slaves?	28 And Gaal, the son of Ebed, cried out: “Who is Abimelech, and what is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, who has appointed Zebul, his servant, as ruler over the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem? Why then should we serve him?
29 Who wil put this people under my command, so that I can expel Abimelech? I should say to him,"Reinforce your army and come out!" '	29 I wish that someone would set this people under my hand, so that I might take away Abimelech from their midst.” And it was told to Abimelech, “Gather the multitude of an army, and approach.”
30 Zebul the governor of the town was told what Gaal son of Obed had said, and he was furious.	30 For Zebul, the ruler of the city, upon hearing the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, became very angry.
31 He sent messengers secretly to Abimelech to say, 'Look! Gaal son of Obed has come to Shechemwith his brothers, and they are stirring up the town against you.	31 And he sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, saying: “Behold, Gaal, the son of Ebed, has arrived at Shechem with his brothers, and he has set the city against you.
32 So, move under cover of dark, you and the men you have with you, and take up concealed positions inthe countryside;	32 And so, rise up in the night, with the people who are with you, and lie hidden in the field.
33 then in the morning at sunrise, break cover and rush on the town. When Gaal and his supporters comeout to meet you, treat them as occasion offers.'	33 And at first light in the morning, as the sun is rising, rush upon the city. And when he goes out against you, with his people, do to him what you are able to do.”
34 So Abimelech set off under cover of dark with al his own supporters and took up concealed positionsover against Shechem, in four groups.	34 And so Abimelech rose up, with all his army, by night, and he set ambushes near Shechem in four places.
35 As Gaal son of Obed was coming out and pausing at the entrance of the town gate, Abimelech and hissupporters rose from their ambush.	35 And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out, and he stood at the entrance to the gate of the city. Then Abimelech rose up, and all the army with him, from the places of the ambushes.
36 Gaal saw these men and said to Zebul, 'Look, there are men coming down from the tops of themountains!' Zebul answered, 'You mistake the shadow of the mountains for men.'	36 And when Gaal had seen the people, he said to Zebul, “Behold, a multitude is descending from the mountains.” And he responded to him, “You are seeing the shadows of the mountains, as if they were the heads of men, and so you are being deceived by this error.”
37 But Gaal insisted, 'Look, there are men coming down from the Navel of the Earth and another group iscoming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak.'	37 Again, Gaal said, “Behold, a people is descending from the middle of the land, and one company is arriving by the way that looks towards the oak.”
38 Zebul then said, 'Where are your mouthings now about "Who is Abimelech, for us to be his slaves?"Are not these the men you made light of? Sally out, then, and fight him.'	38 And Zebul said to him: “Where is your mouth now, with which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people that you were despising? Go out and fight against him.”
39 Gaal sal ied out at the head of the leaders of Shechem and engaged Abimelech.	39 Therefore, Gaal went out, with the people of Shechem watching, and he fought against Abimelech,
40 Abimelech drove Gaal off, who turned tail, many of his men falling dead before they could reach thegate.	40 who pursued him, fleeing, and drove him into the city. And many were cut down on his side, even to the gate of the city.
41 Abimelech then stayed at Aruma, and Zebul expelled Gaal and his brothers and prevented them fromliving in Shechem.	41 And Abimelech made camp at Arumah. But Zebul expelled Gaal and his companions from the city, and he would not permit them to remain in it.
42 Next day, when the people went out into the countryside, Abimelech was told of this.	42 Therefore, on the following day, the people departed into the field. And when this had been reported to Abimelech,
43 He took his men, divided them into three groups and lay in wait in the fields. When he saw the peopleleaving the town, he bore down on them and slaughtered them.	43 he took his army, and divided it into three companies, and he placed ambushes in the fields. And seeing that the people had departed from the city, he rose up and rushed upon them,
44 While Abimelech and his group rushed forward and took position at the entrance to the town gate, thetwo other groups fel on everyone in the fields and slaughtered them.	44 along with his own company, assaulting and besieging the city. But the two other companies pursued the enemies scattered in the field.
45 Al that day Abimelech attacked the town. He stormed it and slaughtered the people inside, razed thetown and sowed it with salt.	45 Now Abimelech assaulted the city all that day. And he seized it, and he killed its inhabitants, and he destroyed it, so much so that he scattered salt in it.
46 On hearing this, al the leading men inside Migdal-Shechem took refuge in the crypt of the temple ofEl-Berith.	46 And when those living in the tower of Shechem had heard about this, they entered the temple of their god, Berith, where they had formed a covenant with him. And it was because of this, that the place had taken its name. And it was greatly fortified.
47 As soon as Abimelech heard that the leading men inside Migdal-Shechem had al gathered there,	47 Abimelech, also hearing that the men of the tower of Shechem had joined together,
48 he went up Mount Zalmon with al his men. Then taking an axe in his hands, he cut off the branch of atree, picked it up and put it on his shoulder, and said to the men with him, 'Hurry and do what you have seen medo.'	48 ascended to mount Zalmon, with all his people. And taking an axe, he cut down the branch of a tree. And laying it on his shoulder, and carrying it, he said to his companions, “What you see me do, you must do quickly.”
49 Each of his men similarly cut off a branch; then, following Abimelech, they piled the branches over thecrypt and set it on fire over those who were inside; so that al the people in Migdal-Shechem died too, about athousand men and women.	49 And so, eagerly cutting down branches from the trees, they followed their leader. And surrounding the fortified place, they set it on fire. And so it happened that, by smoke and fire, one thousand persons died, men and women together, the occupants of the tower of Shechem.
50 Abimelech then marched on Thebez, besieged it and captured it.	50 Then Abimelech, setting out from there, arrived at the town of Thebez, which he surrounded and besieged with his army.
51 In the middle of the town there was a fortified tower in which al the men and women and al theleading men of the town took refuge. They locked the door behind them and climbed up to the roof of the tower.	51 Now there was, in the midst of the city, a high tower, to which men and women were fleeing together, with all the leaders of the city. And, having very strongly sealed the gate, they were standing on the roof of the tower to defend themselves.
52 Abimelech reached the tower and attacked it. As he was approaching the door of the tower to set it onfire,	52 And Abimelech, drawing near the tower, fought valiantly. And approaching the gate, he strove to set it on fire.
53 a woman threw down a mil stone on his head and cracked his skull.	53 And behold, one woman, throwing a fragment of a millstone from above, struck the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull.
54 He instantly cal ed his young armour-bearer and said, 'Draw your sword and kil me, so that it wil notbe said of me that "A woman kil ed him".' His armour-bearer ran him through, and he died.	54 And he quickly called to his armor bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and strike me, otherwise it may be said that I was slain by a woman.” And, doing as he was ordered, he killed him.
55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they dispersed to their homes.	55 And when he was dead, all those of Israel who were with him returned to their homes.
56 Thus God made to recoil on Abimelech the evil he had done his father by murdering his seventybrothers,	56 And so did God repay the evil that Abimelech had done against his father by killing his seventy brothers.
57 and all the evil that the men of Shechem had done God made recoil on their heads too. And so thecurse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came true for them.	57 The Shechemites also were given retribution for what they had done, and the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal, fell upon them.