الإصحَاحُ
التَّاسِعُ

 

Chapter
9

1
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren,
and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s
father, saying,

2
Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for
you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten
persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am
your bone and your flesh.

3
And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem
all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said,
He is our brother.

4
And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of
Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed
him.

5
And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons
of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding
yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

6
And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and
went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

7
And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim,
and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men
of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

8
The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto
the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

9
But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me
they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

10
And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

11
But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good
fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

12
Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

13
And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and
man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

14
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

15
And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you,
then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the
bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

16
Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made
Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and
have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;

17
(For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you
out of the hand of Midian:

18
And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his
sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the
son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your
brother;)

19
If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house
this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

20
But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem,
and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from
the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

21
And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of
Abimelech his brother.

22
When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,

23
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the
men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

24
That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come,
and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon
the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

25
And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains,
and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told
Abimelech.

26
And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and
the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

27
And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the
grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and
drink, and cursed Abimelech.

28
And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we
should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve
the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

29
And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech.
And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

30
And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed,
his anger was kindled.

31
And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of
Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city
against thee.

32
Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in
wait in the field:

33
And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise
early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with
him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find
occasion.

34
And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and
they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

35
And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the
city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in
wait.

36
And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down
from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow
of the mountains as if they were men.

37
And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the
land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.

38
Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is
Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast
despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

39
And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

40
And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and
wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.

41
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that
they should not dwell in Shechem.

42
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and
they told Abimelech.

43
And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in
the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city;
and he rose up against them, and smote them.

44
And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in
the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all
the people that were in the fields, and slew them.

45
And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and
slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with
salt.

46
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an
hold of the house of the god Berith.

47
And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were
gathered together.

48
And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with
him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the
trees, and took 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 all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech,
and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the
men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

50
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

51
But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and
women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the
top of the tower.

52
And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto
the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

53
And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all
to brake his skull.

54
Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him,
Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his
young man thrust him through, and he died.

55
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man
unto his place.

56
Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in
slaying his seventy brethren:

57
And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and
upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.