1Abiit autem Abimelech filius Jerobaal in Sichem ad fratres matris suæ,Now Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem,et locutus est ad eos,to his maternal brothers,et ad omnem cognationem domus patris matris suæ,and he spoke to them, and to all the relatives of the house of his maternal grandfather,dicens:saying:
2Loquimini ad omnes viros Sichem:“Speak to all the men of Shechem:Quid vobis est melius,Which is better for you:ut dominentur vestri septuaginta viri omnes filii Jerobaal,that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, should rule over you,an ut dominetur unus vir? simulque considerate quod os vestrum et caro vestra sum.or that one man should rule over you? And consider also that I am your bone and your flesh.”
3Locutique sunt fratres matris ejus de eo ad omnes viros Sichem universos sermones istos,And his maternal brothers spoke about him to all the men of Shechem, all these words,et inclinaverunt cor eorum post Abimelech,and they inclined their hearts after Abimelech,dicentes:saying,Frater noster est.“He is our brother.”
4Dederuntque illi septuaginta pondo argenti de fano Baalberit.And they gave to him the weight of seventy silver coins from the shrine of Baal-berith.Qui conduxit sibi ex eo viros inopesWith this,et vagos,he hired for himself indigent and wandering men,secutique sunt eum.and they followed him.
5Et venit in domum patris sui in Ephra,And he went to his father’s house in Ophrah,et occidit fratres suos filios Jerobaal,and he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal,septuaginta viros super lapidem unum:seventy men, upon one stone.remansitque Joatham filius Jerobaal minimus,And there remained only Joatham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal,et absconditus est.and he was in hiding.
6Congregati sunt autem omnes viri Sichem,Then all the men of Shechem gathered together,et universæ familiæ urbis Mello:and all the families of the city of Millo,abieruntque et constituerunt regem Abimelech,and they went and appointed Abimelech as king,juxta quercum quæ stabat in Sichem.beside the oak that stood at Shechem.
7Quod cum nuntiatum esset Joatham,When this had been reported to Jotham,ivit,he wentet stetit in vertice montis Garizim:and stood at the top of Mount Gerizim.elevataque voce,And lifting up his voice,clamavit,he cried outet dixit:and said:Audite me,“Listen to me,viri Sichem;men of Shechem,ita audiat vos Deus.so that God may listen to you.
8Ierunt ligna, ut ungerent super se regem:The trees went to anoint a king over themselves.dixeruntque olivæ:And they said to the olive tree,Impera nobis.‘Reign over us.’
9Quæ respondit:And it responded,Numquid possum deserere pinguedinem meam,‘How could I abandon my fatness,qua et dii utuntur et homines,which both gods and men make use of,et venire ut inter ligna promovear?and depart to be promoted among the trees?’
10Dixeruntque ligna ad arborem ficum:And the trees said to the fig tree,Veni,‘Comeet super nos regnum accipe.and accept royal power over us.’
11Quæ respondit eis:And it responded to them,Numquid possum deserere dulcedinem meam,‘How could I abandon my sweetness,fructusque suavissimos,and my very sweet fruits,et ire ut inter cetera ligna promovear?and depart to be promoted among the other trees?’
12Locutaque sunt ligna ad vitem:And the trees said to the vine,Veni,‘Comeet impera nobis.and reign over us.’
13Quæ respondit eis:And it responded to them,Numquid possum deserere vinum meum,‘How could I abandon my wine,quod lætificat Deum et homines,which gives joy to God and men,et inter ligna cetera promoveri?and be promoted among the other trees?’
14Dixeruntque omnia ligna ad rhamnum:And all the trees said to the bramble,Veni,‘Comeet impera super nos.and reign over us.’
15Quæ respondit eis:And it responded to them:Si vere me regem vobis constituitis,‘If truly you would appoint me as king,venite,comeet sub umbra mea requiescite:and rest under my shadow.si autem non vultis,But if you are not willing,egrediatur ignis de rhamno,let fire go forth from the bramble,et devoret cedros Libani.and let it devour the cedars of Lebanon.’”
16Nunc igitur,So now,si recteif you are upright and without sin in appointing Abimelech as a king over you,et absque peccato constituistis super vos regem Abimelech,and if you have acted well with Jerubbaal,et bene egistis cum Jerobaal,and with his house,et cum domo ejus,and if you have repaid,et reddidistis vicem beneficiis ejus,in turn,qui pugnavit pro vobis,the benefits of him who fought on your behalf,
17et animam suam dedit periculis,and who gave his life to dangers,ut erueret vos de manu Madian,so that he might rescue you from the hand of Midian,
18qui nunc surrexistis contra domum patris mei,though you now have risen up against my father’s house,et interfecistis filios ejus septuaginta viros super unum lapidem,and have killed his sons, seventy men, upon one stone,et constituistis regem Abimelech filium ancillæ ejus super habitatores Sichem,and have appointed Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, as a king over the inhabitants of Shechem,eo quod frater vester sit:since he is your brother,
19si ergo recte et absque vitio egistis cum Jerobaal et domo ejus,if therefore you are upright and have acted without fault with Jerubbaal and his house,hodie lætamini in Abimelech,then you should rejoice on this day in Abimelech,et ille lætetur in vobis.and he should rejoice in you.
20Sin autem perverse:But if you have acted perversely,egrediatur ignis ex eo,may fire go forth from himet consumat habitatores Sichem,and consume the inhabitants of Shechemet oppidum Mello:and the town of Millo.egrediaturque ignis de viris Sichem,And may fire go forth from the men of Shechemet de oppido Mello,and from the town of Millo,et devoret Abimelech.and devour Abimelech.”
21Quæ cum dixisset, fugit,And when he had said these things,et abiit in Bera:he fled and went away to Beer.habitavitque ibi ob metum Abimelech fratris sui.And he lived in that place, out of fear of Abimelech, his brother.
22Regnavit itaque Abimelech super Israël tribus annis.And so Abimelech reigned over Israel for three years.
23Misitque Dominus spiritum pessimum inter Abimelech et habitatores Sichem:And the Lord put a very grievous spirit between Abimelech and the inhabitants of Shechem,qui cœperunt eum detestari,who began to detest him,
24et scelus interfectionis septuaginta filiorum Jerobaal,and to place blame for the crime of the killing of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal,et effusionem sanguinis eorum conferre in Abimelech fratrem suum,and for the shedding of their blood, upon Abimelech, their brother,et in ceteros Sichimorum principes, qui eum adjuverant.and upon the rest of the leaders of the Shechemites, who assisted him.
25Posueruntque insidias adversus eum in summitate montium:And they stationed an ambush against him at the summit of the mountains.et dum illius præstolabantur adventum,And while they were waiting for his arrival,exercebant latrocinia,they committed robberies,agentes prædas de prætereuntibus:taking spoils from those passing by.nuntiatumque est Abimelech.And this was reported to Abimelech.
26Venit autem Gaal filius Obed cum fratribus suis,Now Gaal, the son of Ebed, went with his brothers,et transivit in Sichimam.and crossed over to Shechem.Ad cujus adventum erecti habitatores Sichem,And the inhabitants of Shechem, uplifted by his arrival,
27egressi sunt in agros,departed into the fields,vastantes vineas,laying waste to the vineyards,uvasque calcantes:and trampling the grapes.et factis cantantium choris,And while singing and dancing,ingressi sunt fanum dei sui,they entered into the shrine of their god.et inter epulasAnd while feasting and drinking,et pocula maledicebant Abimelech,they cursed Abimelech.
28clamante Gaal filio Obed:And Gaal, the son of Ebed,Quis est Abimelech,cried out: “Who is Abimelech,et quæ est Sichem,and what is Shechem,ut serviamus ei?that we should serve him?numquid non est filius Jerobaal,Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, who has appointed Zebul,et constituit principem Zebul servum suum super viros Emor patris Sichem?his servant, as ruler over the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem?cur ergo serviemus ei?Why then should we serve him?
29utinam daret aliquis populum istum sub manu mea,I wish that someone would set this people under my hand,ut auferrem de medio Abimelech.so that I might take away Abimelech from their midst.”Dictumque est Abimelech:And it was told to Abimelech,Congrega exercitus multitudinem,“Gather the multitude of an army,et veni.and approach.”
30Zebul enim princeps civitatis,For Zebul, the ruler of the city,auditis sermonibus Gaal filii Obed,upon hearing the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed,iratus est valde,became very angry.
31et misit clam ad Abimelech nuntios,And he sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, saying:dicens:“Behold,Ecce Gaal filius Obed venit in Sichimam cum fratribus suis,Gaal, the son of Ebed, has arrived at Shechem with his brothers,et oppugnat adversum te civitatem.and he has set the city against you.
32Surge itaque nocte cum populo qui tecum est,And so, rise up in the night, with the people who are with you,et latita in agro:and lie hidden in the field.
33et primo mane, oriente sole,And at first light in the morning,irrue super civitatem.as the sun is rising,Illo autem egrediente adversum te cum populo suo,rush upon the city. And when he goes out against you, with his people,fac ei quod potueris.do to him what you are able to do.”
34Surrexit itaque Abimelech cum omni exercitu suo nocte,And so Abimelech rose up, with all his army, by night,et tetendit insidias juxta Sichimam in quatuor locis.and he set ambushes near Shechem in four places.
35Egressusque est Gaal filius Obed,And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out,et stetit in introitu portæ civitatis. Surrexit autem Abimelech,and he stood at the entrance to the gate of the city. Then Abimelech rose up,et omnis exercitus cum eo, de insidiarum loco.and all the army with him, from the places of the ambushes.
36Cumque vidisset populum Gaal,And when Gaal had seen the people,dixit ad Zebul:he said to Zebul, “Behold,Ecce de montibus multitudo descendit.a multitude is descending from the mountains.”Cui ille respondit:And he responded to him,Umbras montium vides quasi capita hominum,“You are seeing the shadows of the mountains, as if they were the heads of men,et hoc errore deciperis.and so you are being deceived by this error.”
37Rursumque Gaal ait:Again, Gaal said, “Behold,Ecce populus de umbilico terræ descendit,a people is descending from the middle of the land,et unus cuneus venit per viam quæ respicit quercum.and one company is arriving by the way that looks towards the oak.”
38Cui dixit Zebul:And Zebul said to him:Ubi est nunc os tuum,“Where is your mouth now,quo loquebaris:with which you said,Quis est Abimelech ut serviamus ei?‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’nonne hic populus est, quem despiciebas?Is this not the people that you were despising?egredere, et pugna contra eum.Go out and fight against him.”
39Abiit ergo Gaal,Therefore, Gaal went out,spectante Sichimorum populo,with the people of Shechem watching,et pugnavit contra Abimelech,and he fought against Abimelech,
40qui persecutus est eum fugientem,who pursued him, fleeing,et in urbem compulit:and drove him into the city.cecideruntque ex parte ejus plurimi,And many were cut down on his side,usque ad portam civitatis.even to the gate of the city.
41Et Abimelech sedit in Ruma:And Abimelech made camp at Arumah.Zebul autem Gaal et socios ejus expulit de urbe,But Zebul expelled Gaal and his companions from the city,nec in ea passus est commorari.and he would not permit them to remain in it.
42Sequenti ergo die,Therefore, on the following day,egressus est populus in campum.the people departed into the field.Quod cum nuntiatum esset Abimelech,And when this had been reported to Abimelech,
43tulit exercitum suum,he took his army,et divisit in tres turmas,and divided it into three companies,tendens insidias in agris.and he placed ambushes in the fields.Vidensque quod egrederetur populus de civitate,And seeing that the people had departed from the city,surrexit,he rose upet irruit in eosand rushed upon them,
44cum cuneo suo,along with his own company,oppugnans et obsidens civitatem:assaulting and besieging the city.duæ autem turmæ palantes per campum adversarios persequebantur.But the two other companies pursued the enemies scattered in the field.
45Porro Abimelech omni die illo oppugnabat urbem:Now Abimelech assaulted the city all that day.quam cepit,And he seized it,interfectis habitatoribus ejus,and he killed its inhabitants,ipsaque destructa,and he destroyed it,ita ut sal in ea dispergeret.so much so that he scattered salt in it.
46Quod cum audissent qui habitabant in turre Sichimorum,And when those living in the tower of Shechem had heard about this,ingressi sunt fanum dei sui Berith,they entered the temple of their god, Berith,ubi fœdus cum eo pepigerant,where they had formed a covenant with him.et ex eo locus nomen acceperat:And it was because of this, that the place had taken its name.qui erat munitus valde.And it was greatly fortified.
47Abimelech quoque audiens viros turris Sichimorum pariter conglobatos,Abimelech, also hearing that the men of the tower of Shechem had joined together,
48ascendit in montem Selmon cum omni populo suo:ascended to mount Zalmon, with all his people. And taking an axe,et arrepta securi,he cut down the branch of a tree.præcidit arboris ramum,And laying it on his shoulder,impositumque ferens humero, dixit ad socios:and carrying it, he said to his companions,Quod me videtis facere, cito facite.“What you see me do, you must do quickly.”
49Igitur certatim ramos de arboribus præcidentes,And so,sequebantur ducem.eagerly cutting down branches from the trees,Qui circumdantes præsidium,they followed their leader.succenderunt:And surrounding the fortified place,atque ita factum est,they set it on fire.ut fumoAnd so it happened that,et igne mille homines necarentur,by smoke and fire,viri pariterone thousand persons died,et mulieres,men and women together,habitatorum turris Sichem.the occupants of the tower of Shechem.
50Abimelech autem inde proficiscens venit ad oppidum Thebes,Then Abimelech, setting out from there, arrived at the town of Thebez,quod circumdans obsidebat exercitu.which he surrounded and besieged with his army.
51Erat autem turris excelsa in media civitate,Now there was, in the midst of the city, a high tower,ad quam confugerant simul viri ac mulieres,to which men and women were fleeing together,et omnes principes civitatis,with all the leaders of the city. And,clausa firmissime janua,having very strongly sealed the gate,et super turris tectum stantes per propugnacula.they were standing on the roof of the tower to defend themselves.
52Accedensque Abimelech juxta turrim,And Abimelech, drawing near the tower,pugnabat fortiter:fought valiantly.et appropinquans ostio,And approaching the gate,ignem supponere nitebatur:he strove to set it on fire.
53et ecce una mulier fragmen molæ desuper jaciens,And behold, one woman, throwing a fragment of a millstone from above,illisit capiti Abimelech,struck the head of Abimelech,et confregit cerebrum ejus.and broke his skull.
54Qui vocavit cito armigerum suum,And he quickly called to his armor bearer,et ait ad eum:and said to him,Evagina gladium tuum,“Draw your sword and strike me,et percute me,otherwise it may be said that I was slain by a woman.”ne forte dicatur quod a femina interfectus sim.And,Qui jussa perficiens,doing as he was ordered,interfecit eum.he killed him.
55Illoque mortuo,And when he was dead,omnes qui cum eo erant de Israël, reversi sunt in sedes suas:all those of Israel who were with him returned to their homes.
56et reddidit Deus malum quod fecerat Abimelech contra patrem suum, interfectis septuaginta fratribus suis.And so did God repay the evil that Abimelech had done against his father by killing his seventy brothers.
57Sichimitis quoque quod operati erant, retributum est,The Shechemites also were given retribution for what they had done,et venit super eos maledictio Joatham filii Jerobaal.and the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal, fell upon them.