| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1And 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, | 1Abimelek son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother's brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother's clan, |
| 2Speak, 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. | 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." |
| 3And 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. | 3When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelek, for they said, "He is related to us." |
| 4And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him. | 4They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelek used it to hire reckless scoundrels, who became his followers. |
| 5And 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. | 5He went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. |
| 6And 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. | 6Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelek king. |
| 7And 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. | 7When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, "Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. |
| 8The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. | 8One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.' |
| 9But 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? | 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?' |
| 10And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. | 10"Next, the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and be our king.' |
| 11But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? | 11"But the fig tree replied, 'Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?' |
| 12Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. | 12"Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come and be our king.' |
| 13And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? | 13"But the vine answered, 'Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?' |
| 14Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. | 14"Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come and be our king.' |
| 15And 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. | 15"The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!' |
| 16Now 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; | 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(For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: | 17Remember that my father fought for you and risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian. |
| 18And 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;) | 18But today you have revolted against my father's family. You have murdered his seventy sons 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. |
| 19If 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: | 19So have you acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today? If you have, may Abimelek be your joy, and may you be his, too! |
| 20But 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. | 20But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelek and consume you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelek!" |
| 21And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. | 21Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelek. |
| 22When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, | 22After Abimelek had governed Israel three years, |
| 23Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: | 23God stirred up animosity between Abimelek and the citizens of Shechem so that they acted treacherously against Abimelek. |
| 24That 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. | 24God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal's seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelek and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers. |
| 25And 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. | 25In 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. |
| 26And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. | 26Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his clan into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him. |
| 27And 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. | 27After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelek. |
| 28And 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? | 28Then Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who 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, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelek? |
| 29And 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. | 29If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelek, 'Call out your whole army!'" |
| 30And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. | 30When Zebul the governor of the city heard what Gaal son of Ebed said, he was very angry. |
| 31And 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. | 31Under 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. |
| 32Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: | 32Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields. |
| 33And 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. | 33In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, seize the opportunity to attack them." |
| 34And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. | 34So Abimelek and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies. |
| 35And 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. | 35Now Gaal son of Ebed had gone out and was standing at the entrance of the city gate just as Abimelek and his troops came out from their hiding place. |
| 36And 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. | 36When 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." |
| 37And 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. | 37But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the central hill, and a company is coming from the direction of the diviners' tree." |
| 38Then 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. | 38Then 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? Go out and fight them!" |
| 39And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. | 39So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelek. |
| 40And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate. | 40Abimelek chased him all the way to the entrance of the gate, and many were killed as they fled. |
| 41And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. | 41Then Abimelek stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his clan out of Shechem. |
| 42And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. | 42The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelek. |
| 43And 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. | 43So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. |
| 44And 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. | 44Abimelek 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. |
| 45And 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. | 45All that day Abimelek pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it. |
| 46And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. | 46On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. |
| 47And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. | 47When Abimelek heard that they had assembled there, |
| 48And 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. | 48he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. 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!" |
| 49And 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. | 49So 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. |
| 50Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. | 50Next Abimelek went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it. |
| 51But 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. | 51Inside 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. |
| 52And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. | 52Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, |
| 53And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull. | 53a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull. |
| 54Then 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. | 54Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, 'A woman killed him.'" So his servant ran him through, and he died. |
| 55And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. | 55When the Israelites saw that Abimelek was dead, they went home. |
| 56Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: | 56Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelek had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. |
| 57And 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. | 57God also made the people of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came on them. |
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