Abimelek

9 Abimelek was the son of Jerub-Baal. He went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem. He spoke to them and to all the members of his mother’s family group. He said, ² “Speak to all the citizens of Shechem. Tell them, ‘You can have all 70 of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you. Or you can have just one man rule over you. Which would you rather have?’ Remember, I’m your own flesh and blood.”

³ The brothers told all of that to the citizens of Shechem. Then the people decided to follow Abimelek. They said, “He’s related to us.” ⁴ They gave him 28 ounces of silver. They had taken it from the temple of the god named Baal-Berith. Abimelek used it to hire some men. They were wild and weren’t good for anything. They became his followers. ⁵ Abimelek went to his father’s home in Ophrah. There on a big rock he murdered his 70 brothers. All of them were the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham escaped by hiding. He was Jerub-Baal’s youngest son. ⁶ All the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo came together. They gathered at the stone pillar that was beside the large tree in Shechem. They wanted to crown Abimelek as their king.

⁷ Jotham was told about it. So he climbed up on top of Mount Gerizim. He shouted down to them, “Citizens of Shechem! Listen to me! Then God will listen to you. ⁸ One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to an olive tree, ‘Be our king.’

⁹ “But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my olive oil? It’s used to honor gods and people alike. Should I give that up just to rule over the trees?’

¹⁰ “Next, the trees said to a fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.’

¹¹ “But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I give up my fruit? It’s so good and sweet. Should I give that up just to rule over the trees?’

¹² “Then the trees said to a vine, ‘Come and be our king.’

¹³ “But the vine answered, ‘Should I give up my wine? It cheers up gods and people alike. Should I give that up just to rule over the trees?’

¹⁴ “Finally, all the trees spoke to a bush that had thorns. They said, ‘Come and be our king.’

¹⁵ “The bush asked the trees, ‘Do you really want to anoint me as king over you? If you do, come and rest in my shade. But if you don’t, I will destroy you! Fire will come out of me and burn up the cedar trees of Lebanon!’

¹⁶ “Did you act in an honest way when you made Abimelek your king? Did you really do the right thing? Have you been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family? Have you given him the honor he’s worthy of? ¹⁷ Remember that my father fought for you. He put his life in danger for you. He saved you from the power of Midian. ¹⁸ But today you have turned against my father’s family. You have murdered his 70 sons on a big rock. Abimelek is only the son of my father’s female slave. But you have made him king over the citizens of Shechem. You have done that because he’s related to you. ¹⁹ Have you citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo acted in an honest way toward Jerub-Baal? Have you done the right thing to his family today? If you have, may you be happy with Abimelek! And may he be happy with you! ²⁰ But if you haven’t, let fire come out from Abimelek and burn you up! And let fire come out from you and burn Abimelek up!”

²¹ Then Jotham ran away. He escaped to a town named Beer. He lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelek.

²² Abimelek ruled over Israel for three years. ²³ Then God stirred up trouble between Abimelek and the citizens of Shechem. So they turned against Abimelek. They decided not to follow him anymore. ²⁴ God made that happen because of what Abimelek had done to Jerub-Baal’s 70 sons. He had spilled their blood. God wanted to punish their brother Abimelek for doing that. He also wanted to punish the citizens of Shechem. They had helped Abimelek murder his brothers. ²⁵ The citizens of Shechem didn’t want Abimelek to be their ruler anymore. So they hid some men on top of the hills. They wanted them to attack and rob everyone who passed by. Abimelek was told about it.

²⁶ Gaal and his relatives moved into Shechem. Gaal was the son of Ebed. The citizens of Shechem put their trust in Gaal. ²⁷ The people of Shechem went out into the fields. They gathered the grapes. They pressed the juice out of them by stomping on them. Then they held a feast in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelek. ²⁸ Then Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, “Who is Abimelek? And who is Shechem? Why should we citizens of Shechem be under Abimelek’s rule? Isn’t he Jerub-Baal’s son? Isn’t Zebul his helper? It would be better to serve the family of Hamor. He was the father of Shechem. So why should we serve Abimelek? ²⁹ I wish these people were under my command. Then I would get rid of Abimelek. I would say to him, ‘Call out your whole army!’ ”

³⁰ Zebul was the governor of Shechem. He heard about what Gaal, the son of Ebed, had said. So he was very angry. ³¹ Zebul secretly sent messengers to Abimelek. They said, “Gaal, the son of Ebed, has come to Shechem. His relatives have come with him. They are stirring up the city against you. ³² So come with your men during the night. Hide in the fields and wait. ³³ In the morning at sunrise, attack the city. Gaal and his men will come out against you. Then take that opportunity to attack them.”

³⁴ So Abimelek and all his troops started out at night. They went into their hiding places near Shechem. Abimelek had separated them into four fighting groups. ³⁵ Gaal, the son of Ebed, had already gone out. He was standing at the entrance of the city gate. He had arrived there just as Abimelek and his troops came out of their hiding places.

³⁶ Gaal saw them. He said to Zebul, “Look! People are coming down from the tops of the mountains!”

Zebul replied, “You are wrong. Those aren’t people. They are just the shadows of the mountains.”

³⁷ But Gaal spoke up again. He said, “Look! People are coming down from the central hill. Another group is coming from the direction of the fortune tellers’ tree.”

³⁸ Then Zebul said to Gaal, “Where is your big talk now? You said, ‘Who is Abimelek? Why should we be under his rule?’ Aren’t these the people you made fun of? Go out and fight against them!”

³⁹ So Gaal led the citizens out of Shechem. They fought against Abimelek. ⁴⁰ He chased Gaal from the field of battle. Abimelek chased them all the way to the entrance of the city gate. Many men were killed as they ran away. ⁴¹ Abimelek stayed in Arumah. And Zebul drove Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem.

⁴² The next day the people of Shechem went out to work in the fields. Abimelek was told about it. ⁴³ So he gathered his men together. He separated them into three fighting groups. Then he hid them in the fields and told them to wait. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he got up to attack them. ⁴⁴ Abimelek and the men with him ran forward. They placed themselves at the entrance of the city gate. Then the other two groups attacked the people in the fields. There they struck them down. ⁴⁵ Abimelek kept up his attack against the city all day long. He didn’t stop until he had captured it. Then he killed its people. He destroyed the city. He scattered salt on it to make sure that nothing would be able to grow there.

⁴⁶ The citizens in the tower of Shechem heard about what was happening. So they went to the safest place in the temple of the god named El-Berith. ⁴⁷ Abimelek heard that they had gathered together there. ⁴⁸ He and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He got an ax and cut off some branches. He carried them on his shoulders. He ordered the men with him to do the same thing. “Quick!” he said. “Do what you have seen me do!” ⁴⁹ So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelek. They piled them against the place where the people had gone for safety. Then they set the place on fire with the people still inside. There were about 1,000 men and women in the tower of Shechem. All of them died.

⁵⁰ Next, Abimelek went to Thebez. He surrounded it. Then he attacked it and captured it. ⁵¹ But inside the city there was a strong tower. All the people in the city had run to it for safety. All the men and women had gone into it. They had locked themselves in. They had climbed up on the roof of the tower. ⁵² Abimelek went to the tower and attacked it. He approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire. ⁵³ But a woman dropped a large millstone on him. It broke his head open.

⁵⁴ He quickly called out to the man carrying his armor. He said, “Pull out your sword and kill me. Then people can’t say, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his servant stuck his sword through him. And Abimelek died. ⁵⁵ When the Israelites saw he was dead, they went home.

⁵⁶ That’s how God punished Abimelek for the evil thing he had done to his father. He had murdered his 70 brothers. ⁵⁷ God also made the people of Shechem pay for all the evil things they had done. The curse of Jotham came down on them. He was the son of Jerub-Baal.

Tola

10 Tola rose up to save Israel. That happened after the time of Abimelek. Tola was from the tribe of Issachar. He was the son of Puah, who was the son of Dodo. Tola lived in Shamir. It’s in the hill country of Ephraim. ² Tola led Israel for 23 years. After he died, he was buried in Shamir.

Jair

³ Jair became the leader after Tola. Jair was from the land of Gilead. He led Israel for 22 years. ⁴ He had 30 sons. They rode on 30 donkeys. His sons controlled 30 towns in Gilead. Those towns are called Havvoth Jair to this day. ⁵ After Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

Jephthah

⁶ Once again the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They served gods that were named Baal. They served female gods that were named Ashtoreth. They worshiped the gods of Aram and Sidon. They served the gods of Moab and Ammon. They also worshiped the gods of the Philistines. The Israelites deserted the Lord. They didn’t serve him anymore. ⁷ So the Lord became very angry with them. He handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites. ⁸ That year they broke Israel’s power completely. They treated the Israelites badly for 18 years. The people who did this lived east of the Jordan River. They lived in Gilead. That was the land of the Amorites. ⁹ The Ammonites also went across the Jordan. They crossed over to fight against the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim. Israel was suffering terribly. ¹⁰ Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said, “We have sinned against you. We have deserted our God. We have served gods that are named Baal.”

¹¹ The Lord replied, “The Egyptians and Amorites treated you badly. So did the Ammonites and Philistines. ¹² And so did the Amalekites and the people of Sidon and Maon. Each time you cried out to me for help. And I saved you from their power. ¹³ But you have deserted me. You have served other gods. So I will not save you anymore. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you get into trouble!”

¹⁵ But the Israelites replied to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do to us what you think is best. But please save us now.” ¹⁶ Then they got rid of the false gods that were among them. They served the Lord. And he couldn’t stand to see Israel suffer anymore.

¹⁷ The Ammonites were called together to fight. They camped in the land of Gilead. Then the Israelites gathered together. They camped at the city of Mizpah. ¹⁸ The leaders of Gilead spoke to one another. They said, “Who will lead the attack against the Ammonites? That person will be the ruler of all the people who live in Gilead.”

11 Jephthah was a mighty warrior. He was from the land of Gilead. His father’s name was Gilead. Jephthah’s mother was a prostitute. ² Gilead’s wife also had sons by him. When they had grown up, they drove Jephthah away. “You aren’t going to get any share of our family’s property,” they said. “You are the son of another woman.” ³ So Jephthah ran away from his brothers. He made his home in the land of Tob. A group of men who weren’t good for anything gathered around him there. And they followed him.

⁴ Some time later, the Ammonites were fighting against Israel. ⁵ So the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. ⁶ “Come with us,” they said. “Be our commander. Then we can fight against the Ammonites.”

⁷ Jephthah said to them, “Didn’t you hate me? Didn’t you drive me away from my father’s house? Why are you coming to me only when you are in trouble?”

⁸ The elders of Gilead replied to him. “You are right,” they said. “That’s why we’re turning to you now. Come with us and fight against the Ammonites. Then you will rule over all of us who live in Gilead.”

⁹ Jephthah said, “Suppose you take me back to fight against the Ammonites. And suppose the Lord gives me victory over them. Then will I really be your leader?”

¹⁰ The elders of Gilead replied, “The Lord is our witness. We’ll certainly do as you say.” ¹¹ So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. And the people made him their leader and commander. He went to Mizpah. There he repeated to the Lord everything he had said.

¹² Then Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. They asked, “What do you have against me? Why have you attacked my country?”

¹³ The king of Ammon answered Jephthah’s messengers. He said, “Israel came up out of Egypt. At that time they took my land away. They took all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached all the way to the Jordan River. Now give it back. Then there will be peace.”

¹⁴ Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon. ¹⁵ They said,

“Here is what Jephthah says to you. Israel didn’t take the land of Moab. They didn’t take the land of Ammon. ¹⁶ When Israel came up out of Egypt, they went through the desert to the Red Sea. From there they went on to Kadesh. ¹⁷ Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom. They said, ‘Please let us go through your country.’ But the king of Edom wouldn’t listen to them. They sent the same message to the king of Moab. But he refused too. So Israel stayed at Kadesh.

¹⁸ “Next, they traveled through the desert. They traveled along the borders of the lands of Edom and Moab. They passed along the east side of the country of Moab. They camped on the other side of the Arnon River. They didn’t enter the territory of Moab. The Arnon River was Moab’s border.

¹⁹ “Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon. They said to him, ‘Let us pass through your country to our own land.’ ²⁰ But Sihon didn’t trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, he gathered all his troops together. They camped at Jahaz. And they fought against Israel.

²¹ “Then the Lord, the God of Israel, handed Sihon and his whole army over to Israel. Israel won the battle over them. Amorites were living in the country at that time. And Israel took over all their land. ²² Israel captured all the land between the Arnon River and the Jabbok River. It reached from the desert all the way to the Jordan River.

²³ “The Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out to make room for his people. So what right do you have to take it over? ²⁴ You will take what your god Chemosh gives you, won’t you? In the same way, we will take over what the Lord our God has given us. ²⁵ Are you any better than Balak, the son of Zippor? Balak was the king of Moab. Did he ever argue with Israel? Did he ever fight against them? ²⁶ For 300 years Israel has been living in Heshbon and Aroer. They have been living in the settlements around those cities. They have also been living in all the towns along the Arnon River. Why didn’t you take those places back during that time? ²⁷ I haven’t done anything wrong to you. But you are doing something wrong to me. You have gone to war against me. The Lord is the Judge. So let him decide our case today. Let him settle matters between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”

²⁸ But the king of Ammon didn’t pay any attention to the message Jephthah sent him.

²⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He went across the territories of Gilead and Manasseh. He passed through Mizpah in the land of Gilead. From there he attacked the people of Ammon. ³⁰ Jephthah made a promise to the Lord. Jephthah said, “Hand the Ammonites over to me. ³¹ If you do, here’s what I’ll do when I come back from winning the battle. Anything that comes out the door of my house to meet me will belong to the Lord. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

³² Then Jephthah went over to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord handed them over to him. ³³ Jephthah destroyed 20 towns between Aroer and the area of Minnith. He destroyed them all the way to Abel Keramim. So Israel brought Ammon under their control.

³⁴ Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah. And guess who came out to meet him. It was his daughter! She was dancing to the beat of tambourines. She was his only child. He didn’t have any other sons or daughters. ³⁵ When Jephthah saw her, he was so upset that he tore his clothes. He cried out, “Oh no, my daughter! You have filled me with trouble and sorrow. I’ve made a promise to the Lord. And I can’t break it.”

³⁶ “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. So do to me just what you promised to do. The Ammonites were your enemies. And the Lord has paid them back for what they did to you. ³⁷ But please do one thing for me,” she continued. “Give me two months to wander around in the hills. Let me weep there with my friends. I want to do that because I’ll never get married.”

³⁸ “You may go,” he said. He let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills. They were filled with sadness because she would never get married. ³⁹ After the two months were over, she returned to her father. He did to her just what he had promised to do. And she was a virgin.

So that became a practice in Israel. ⁴⁰ Each year the young women of Israel go away for four days. They do it in honor of the daughter of Jephthah. He was from the land of Gilead.

Jephthah Wins the Battle Over Ephraim

12 The troops of Ephraim were called out. The troops went across the Jordan River to Zaphon. When they arrived, they said to Jephthah, “You went to fight against the Ammonites. Why didn’t you ask us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”

² Jephthah answered, “I and my people were taking part in a great struggle. We were at war with the Ammonites. I asked you for help. But you didn’t come to save me from their power. ³ I saw that you wouldn’t help. So I put my own life in danger. I went across the Jordan to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord helped me win the battle over them. So why have you come up today to fight against me?”

⁴ Then Jephthah called the men of Gilead together. They fought against Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck them down. The people of Ephraim had said, “You people of Gilead are nothing but deserters from Ephraim and Manasseh.” ⁵ The men of Gilead captured the places where people go across the Jordan River to get to Ephraim. Some men of Ephraim weren’t killed in the battle. When they arrived at the river, they would say, “Let us go across.” Then the men of Gilead would ask each one, “Are you from Ephraim?” Suppose he replied, “No.” ⁶ Then they would say, “All right. Say ‘Shibboleth.’ ” If he said “Sibboleth,” the way he said the word would give him away. He couldn’t say it correctly. So they would grab him. Then they would kill him at one of the places where people go across the Jordan. At that time, 42,000 men of Ephraim were killed.

⁷ Jephthah led Israel for six years. Then he died. He was buried in a town in Gilead. Jephthah was from the land of Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon and Abdon

⁸ After Jephthah, Ibzan from Bethlehem led Israel. ⁹ He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. He gave his daughters to be married to men who were outside his family group. He brought in 30 young women to be married to his sons. Those women also came from outside his family group. Ibzan led Israel for seven years. ¹⁰ Then he died. He was buried in Bethlehem.

¹¹ After Ibzan, Elon led Israel. He was from the tribe of Zebulun. Elon led Israel for ten years. ¹² Then he died. He was buried in Aijalon. It was in the land of Zebulun.

¹³ After Elon, Abdon led Israel. Abdon was the son of Hillel. Abdon was from Pirathon. ¹⁴ He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons. They rode on 70 donkeys. Abdon led Israel for eight years. ¹⁵ Then he died. He was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim. Pirathon was in the hill country of the Amalekites. Abdon was the son of Hillel.