Judges 9:50–57

9:50 Abimelech moved on110 to Thebez; he besieged and captured it.111 9:51 There was a fortified112 tower113 in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city’s leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower. 9:52 Abimelech came and attacked the tower. When he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire, 9:53 a woman threw an upper millstone114 down on his115 head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons,116 “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say,117 ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So the young man stabbed him and he died. 9:55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.118

9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers.119 9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell120 on them.

110	tn Or “went.”
111	tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”
112	tn Or “strong.”
113	tn Or “fortress.” The same Hebrew term occurs once more in this verse and twice in v. 52.
114	sn A hand mill consisted of an upper stone and larger lower stone. One would turn the upper stone with a handle to grind the grain, which was placed between the stones. An upper millstone, which was typically about two inches thick and a foot or so in diameter, probably weighed 25–30 pounds (11.4–13.6 kg). See G. F. Moore, Judges (ICC), 268; C. F. Burney, Judges, 288.
115	tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.
116	tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
117	tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.
118	tn Heb “each to his own place.”
119	tn Heb “seventy brothers.”
120	tn Heb “came.”