9:1 Now Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to see his mother’s relatives. 1 He said to them and to his mother’s entire extended family, 2 9:2 “Tell 3 all the leaders of Shechem this: ‘Why would you want 4 to have seventy men, all Jerub-Baal’s sons, ruling over you, when you can have just one ruler? Recall that I am your own flesh and blood.’” 5 9:3 His mother’s relatives 6 spoke on his behalf to 7 all the leaders of Shechem and reported his proposal. 8 The leaders were drawn to Abimelech; 9 they said, “He is our close relative.” 10 9:4 They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous 11 men as his followers. 12 9:5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and murdered his half-brothers, 13 the seventy legitimate 14 sons of Jerub-Baal, on one stone. Only Jotham, Jerub-Baal’s youngest son, escaped, 15 because he hid. 9:6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo assembled and then went and made Abimelech king by the oak near the pillar 16 in Shechem.
9:7 When Jotham heard the news, 17 he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, 18 “Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!
9:8 “The trees were determined to go out 19 and choose a king for themselves. 20 They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king!’ 21
1 tn Heb “brothers.”
2 tn Heb “to all the extended family of the house of the father of his mother.”
3 tn Heb “Speak into the ears of.”
4 tn Heb “What good is it to you?”
5 tn Heb “your bone and your flesh.”
6 tn Heb “brothers.”
7 tn Heb “into the ears of.”
8 tn Heb “and all these words.”
9 tn Heb “Their heart was inclined after Abimelech.”
10 tn Heb “our brother.”
11 tn Heb “empty and reckless.”
12 tn Heb “and they followed him.”
13 tn Heb “his brothers.”
14 tn The word “legitimate” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification.
15 tn Heb “remained.”
16 tc The translation assumes that the form in the Hebrew text (מֻצָּב, mutsav) is a corruption of an original מַצֵּבָה (matsevah, “pillar”). The reference is probably to a pagan object of worship (cf. LXX).
17 tn Heb “And they reported to Jotham.” The subject of the plural verb is indefinite.
18 tn Heb “He lifted his voice and called and said to them.”
19 tn Heb “Going they went, the trees.” The precise emphatic force of the infinitive absolute (“Going”) is not entirely clear. Perhaps here it indicates determination, as in Gen 31:30, where one might translate, “You have insisted on going away.”
20 tn Heb “to anoint [with oil] over them a king.”
21 tn Or “Rule over us!”