1 Nå dro Abimelek, Jerubba'als sønn, til Sikem til sin mors familie og sa til dem og hele familien til morens far:

Now Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem to his mother's family, and said to them and to all the family of his mother's father,

2 Si til alle mennene i Sikem: Er det bedre for dere å bli styrt av alle de sytti sønnene til Jerubba'al, eller kun av én mann? Husk også at jeg er deres kjøtt og blod.

Say now in the ears of all the townsmen of Shechem, Is it better for you to be ruled by all the seventy sons of Jerubbaal or by one man only? And keep in mind that I am your bone and your flesh.

3 Hans mors familie sa dette til alle mennene i Sikem, og deres hjerter vendte seg til Abimelek, for de sa: Han er vår bror.

So his mother's family said all this about him in the ears of all the townsmen of Shechem: and their hearts were turned to Abimelech, for they said, He is our brother.

4 De ga ham sytti sølvstykker fra Ba'al-Berit-tempelet, som Abimelek brukte til å få støtte fra noen villstyringer og udugelige mennesker.

And they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the house of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech got the support of a number of uncontrolled and good-for-nothing persons.

5 Så dro han til sin fars hus i Ofra og drepte sine brødre, de sytti sønnene til Jerubba'al, på samme stein. Men Jotam, den yngste, klarte å rømme til et hemmelig sted.

Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah, and put his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, to death on the same stone; however, Jotham, the youngest, kept himself safe by going away to a secret place.

6 Alle mennene i Sikem samlet seg ved steinen ved eiketreet i Sikem og gjorde Abimelek til konge.

And all the townsmen of Shechem and all Beth-millo came together and went and made Abimelech their king, by the oak of the pillar in Shechem.

7 Da Jotam fikk høre dette, gikk han opp på Garisim-fjellet og ropte med høy stemme: Hør på meg, dere menn i Sikem, så Gud kan lytte til dere.

Now Jotham, on hearing of it, went to the top of Mount Gerizim, and crying out with a loud voice said to them, Give ear to me, you townsmen of Shechem, so that God may give ear to you.

8 En dag gikk trærne ut for å salve en konge over seg; de sa til oliventreet: Være konge over oss.

One day the trees went out to make a king for themselves; and they said to the olive-tree, Be king over us.

9 Men oliventreet sa til dem: Skal jeg gi opp min olje, som æres Gud og mennesker med, for å sveve over trærne?

But the olive-tree said to them, Am I to give up my wealth of oil, by which men give honour to God, and go waving over the trees?

10 Så sa trærne til fikentreet: Kom og vær konge over oss.

Then the trees said to the fig-tree, You come and be king over us.

11 Men fikentreet sa til dem: Skal jeg gi opp min søthet og min gode frukt for å sveve over trærne?

But the fig-tree said to them, Am I to give up my sweet taste and my good fruit and go waving over the trees?

12 Så sa trærne til vintreet: Kom og vær konge over oss.

Then the trees said to the vine, You come and be king over us.

13 Men vintreet sa til dem: Skal jeg gi opp min vin, som gleder Gud og mennesker, for å sveve over trærne?

But the vine said to them, Am I to give up my wine, which makes glad God and men, to go waving over the trees?

14 Da sa alle trærne til tornebusken: Kom og vær konge over oss.

Then all the trees said to the thorn, You come and be king over us.

15 Og tornebusken sa til trærne: Hvis det virkelig er deres ønske å gjøre meg til konge, så kom og ta tilflukt i min skygge; hvis ikke, må ild komme ut fra tornebusken og fortære Libanons sedrer.

And the thorn said to the trees, If it is truly your desire to make me your king, then come and put your faith in my shade; and if not, may fire come out of the thorn, burning up the cedars of Lebanon.

16 Så hvis dere har handlet riktig og hederlig ved å gjøre Abimelek til konge, og hvis dere har gjort vel mot Jerubba'al og hans hus som en belønning for hans handlinger,

So now, if you have done truly and uprightly in making Abimelech king, and if you have done well to Jerubbaal and his house in reward for the work of his hands;

17 (For min far kjempet for dere og satte livet på spill og frigjorde dere fra midianittenes hånd;

(For my father made war for you, and put his life in danger, and made you free from the hands of Midian;

18 Men dere har gått imot min fars hus i dag og drept hans sønner, sytti menn, på én stein, og gjort Abimelek, sønnen til hans tjenestehustru, til konge over mennene i Sikem fordi han er deres bror;)

And you have gone against my father's family this day, and have put to death his sons, even seventy men on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his servant-wife, king over the townsmen of Shechem because he is your brother;)

19 Hvis dere da har gjort hva som er sant og riktig mot Jerubba'al og hans familie i dag, så gled dere i Abimelek, og han skal glede seg i dere;

If then you have done what is true and upright to Jerubbaal and his family this day, may you have joy in Abimelech, and may he have joy in you;

20 Men hvis ikke, må ild komme ut fra Abimelek og fortære mennene i Sikem og Bet-Millo; og må ild komme ut fra mennene i Sikem og Bet-Millo for å ødelegge Abimelek.

But if not, may fire come out from Abimelech, burning up the townsmen of Shechem and Beth-millo; and may fire come out from the townsmen of Shechem and Beth-millo, for the destruction of Abimelech.

21 Da flyktet Jotam straks til Beer og bodde der av frykt for sin bror Abimelek.

Then Jotham straight away went in flight to Beer, and was living there for fear of his brother Abimelech.

22 Så var Abimelek leder over Israel i tre år.

So Abimelech was chief over Israel for three years.

23 Og Gud sendte en ond ånd mellom Abimelek og mennene i Sikem; og mennene i Sikem var svikefulle mot Abimelek;

And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the townsmen of Shechem; and the townsmen of Shechem were false to Abimelech;

24 For at hevn for volden mot Jerubba'als sytti sønner og for deres blod skulle komme over Abimelek, deres bror, som drepte dem, og mennene i Sikem som ga ham deres hjelp til å drepe hans brødre.

So that punishment for the violent attack made on the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, and for their blood, might come on Abimelech, their brother, who put them to death, and on the townsmen of Shechem who gave him their help in putting his brothers to death.

25 Og mennene i Sikem satte hemmelige vakter på fjelltopper, og de angrep alle som kom forbi på veien og tok deres gods; og dette ble gjort kjent for Abimelek.

And the townsmen of Shechem put secret watchers on the tops of the mountains, and they made attacks on all who went by on the road and took their goods; and word of this came to Abimelech.

26 Så kom Gaal, Ebed's sønn, og hans brødre til Sikem; og mennene i Sikem satte sin tillit til ham.

Then Gaal, the son of Ebed, came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their faith in him.

27 Og de gikk ut i sine marker og høstet druene, og etter å ha presset dem, holdt de en fest og gikk til sin guds hus; der snakket de nedsettende om Abimelek.

And they went out into their fields and got in the fruit of their vines, and when the grapes had been crushed, they made a holy feast and went into the house of their god, and over their food and drink they were cursing Abimelech.

28 Og Gaal, Ebed's sønn, sa: Hvem er Abimelek, og hvem er Sikem, at vi skal tjene ham? Er ikke Jerubba'als sønn og hans kommandant Sebul tjenere til mennene i Hamor, Sikkems far? Men hvorfor skal vi tjene ham?

And Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, Who is Abimelech and who is Shechem, that we are to be his servants? Is it not right for the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul his captain to be servants to the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem? But why are we to be his servants?

29 Om bare jeg hadde makt over dette folket! Jeg ville ha fjernet Abimelek og sagt til ham: Styrk din hær og kom ut.

If only I had authority over this people! I would put Abimelech out of the way, and I would say to Abimelech, Make your army strong, and come out.

30 Da Zebul, herskeren over byen, hørte det Gaal, Ebed's sønn, sa, ble han fylt av vrede.

Now Zebul, the ruler of the town, hearing what Gaal, the son of Ebed, had said, was moved to wrath.

31 Og han sendte bud til Abimelek i Aruma, og sa: Se, Gaal, Ebed's sønn, og hans brødre har kommet til Sikem, og de oppvigler byen mot deg.

And he sent to Abimelech at Arumah, saying, See, Gaal, the son of Ebed, and his brothers have come to Shechem, and they are working up the town against you.

32 Reis deg derfor om natten, du og ditt folk, og hold vakt i marken i hemmelighet;

So now, get up by night, you and your people, and keep watch in the field secretly;

33 Og om morgenen, når solen går opp, stå opp tidlig og ta byen med storm; og når han og hans folk kommer ut mot deg, gjør med dem som du finner det for godt.

And in the morning, when the sun is up, get up early and make a rush on the town; and when he and his people come out against you, do to them whatever you have a chance to do.

34 Så stod Abimelek opp om natten med sitt folk i fire grupper for å overraske Sikem.

So Abimelech and the people with him got up by night, in four bands, to make a surprise attack on Shechem.

35 Og Gaal, Ebed's sønn, gikk ut og stilte seg i byporten; da sto Abimelek og hans menn opp fra stedet hvor de hadde ligget på lur.

And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out, and took his place at the doorway into the town; then Abimelech and his people got up from the place where they had been waiting.

36 Da Gaal så folket, sa han til Sebul: Se! Folk kommer ned fra fjelltoppene. Og Sebul sa til ham: Du ser skyggene av fjellene som om de var menn.

And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, See! people are coming down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said to him, You see the shade of the mountains like men.

37 Gaal sa igjen: Se! Folk kommer ned fra landets midte, og en annen gruppe kommer ved spåmannseikens vei.

And Gaal said again, See! people are coming down from the middle of the land, and one band is coming by way of the oak-tree of the Seers.

38 Da sa Sebul til ham: Hvor er din store tale nå om å avvise Abimelek? Er ikke dette folket du foraktet? Gå ut og kjemp mot dem.

Then Zebul said to him, Now where is your loud talk when you said, Who is Abimelech that we are to be his servants? Is this not the people whom you were rating so low? Go out now, and make war on them.

39 Så gikk Gaal ut foran mennene i Sikem og kjempet mot Abimelek.

So Gaal went out at the head of the townsmen of Shechem and made war on Abimelech.

40 Abimelek forfulgte ham, og han flyktet, mens mange falt for sverdet helt til byens port.

And Abimelech went after him and he went in flight before him; and a great number were falling by the sword all the way up to the town.

41 Så vendte Abimelek tilbake til Aruma; og Sebul drev Gaal og hans brødre bort og lot dem ikke bli boende i Sikem.

Then Abimelech went back to Arumah; and Zebul sent Gaal and his brothers away and would not let them go on living in Shechem.

42 Dagen etter gikk folk ut i markene; og dette ble fortalt til Abimelek.

Now the day after, the people went out into the fields; and news of it came to Abimelech.

43 Han tok sitt folk og delte dem i tre grupper og ventet i hemmelighet i marken; da han så folk komme ut av byen, gikk han til angrep på dem.

And he took his people, separating them into three bands, and was waiting secretly in the field; and when he saw the people coming out of the town, he went up and made an attack on them.

44 Abimelek og hans gruppe angrep portene til byen, mens de to andre gruppene angrep alle som var i markene og overvant dem.

And Abimelech with his band made a rush, and took up their position at the doorway into the town; and the other two bands made a rush on all those who were in the fields, and overcame them.

45 Hele den dagen kjempet Abimelek mot byen; han tok den, drepte folket der og rev byen ned, og strødde den med salt.

And all that day Abimelech was fighting against the town; and he took it, and put to death the people who were in it, and had the town pulled down and covered with salt.

46 Da mennene i tårnet i Sikem hørte om det, gikk de inn i det innerste rommet i El-Berit-tempelet.

Then all the townsmen of the tower of Shechem, hearing of it, went into the inner room of the house of El-berith.

47 Det ble fortalt Abimelek at alle mennene i tårnet i Sikem var samlet der.

And word was given to Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were there together.

48 Så dro Abimelek opp til Salmon-fjellet med sitt folk; han tok en øks i hånden og hugget ned grener, tok dem og la dem på ryggen. Han sa til dem som var med ham: Vær rask og gjør som jeg.

Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, with all his people; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand and, cutting down branches of trees, took them and put them on his back. And he said to the people who were with him, Be quick and do as you have seen me do.

49 Alle folkene hogde grener og fulgte Abimelek; de samlet grenene mot det innerste rommet, satte fyr på dem og brente ned tårnet i Sikem, og rundt tusen menn og kvinner døde.

So all the people got branches, every man cutting down a branch, and they went with Abimelech at their head and, massing the branches against the inner room, put fire to the room over them; so all those who were in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, were burned to death with it.

50 Abimelek dro deretter til Tebes, beleiret byen og tok den.

Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and put his army in position against Thebez and took it.

51 Men innenfor byen var det et sterkt tårn, og alle menn og kvinner i byen flyktet dit, lukket det og gikk opp på taket av tårnet.

But in the middle of the town there was a strong tower, to which all the men and women of the town went in flight and, shutting themselves in, went up to the roof of the tower.

52 Abimelek kom til tårnet og angrep det; han nærmet seg inngangen for å sette ild på den.

And Abimelech came to the tower and made an attack on it, and got near to the door of the tower for the purpose of firing it.

53 Men en kvinne kastet en tung kvernstein ned på Abimeleks hode, så hodeskallen sprakk.

But a certain woman sent a great stone, such as is used for crushing grain, on to the head of Abimelech, cracking the bone.

54 Han ropte straks til sin våpenbærer: Trekk ditt sverd og drep meg, så de ikke sier at jeg ble drept av en kvinne. Så stakk hans unge mann ham, og han døde.

Then quickly crying out to his body-servant, he said to him, Take out your sword and put an end to me straight away, so that men may not say of me, His death was the work of a woman. So the young man put his sword through him, causing his death.

55 Da israelittene så at Abimelek var død, dro de hver til sitt hjem.

And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they went away, every man to his place.

56 Således gjengjeldte Gud Abimelek for den ondskap han hadde gjort mot sin far ved å drepe sine sytti brødre;

In this way Abimelech was rewarded by God for the evil he had done to his father in putting his seventy brothers to death;

57 Og Gud lot alt det onde mennene i Sikem hadde gjort, komme tilbake over dem, og Jotams, Jerubba'als sønns, forbannelse kom over dem.

And God sent back on to the heads of the men of Shechem all the evil they had done, and the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal, came on them.