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“Ask all the “lords”[a] of Shechem, ‘What’s better for you? That 70 men, each of them Jerubbaal’s sons, rule over you? Or that one man rule over you?’ Keep in mind that I’m like your own close relative.”[b]

So his mother’s relatives spoke all of this on his behalf in the presence[c] of all the “lords” of Shechem. Since they were inclined to follow Abimelech, they said, “He’s our relative!” and they gave him 70 silver coins from the temple that they had built to[d] Baal-berith. Abimelech hired some worthless and useless men, who followed him

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 9:2 Lit. baals; i.e. the leaders—a pun contrasting the Heb. word lords with Baal, the chief male Canaanite deity; and so through v. 47
  2. Judges 9:2 Lit. your skin and flesh
  3. Judges 9:3 Lit. hearing
  4. Judges 9:4 Lit. temple of

“Ask all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember, I am your flesh and blood.(A)

When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelek, for they said, “He is related to us.” They gave him seventy shekels[a] of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith,(B) and Abimelek used it to hire reckless scoundrels,(C) who became his followers.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 9:4 That is, about 1 3/4 pounds or about 800 grams