Judges 9:47-50

9:47 Abimelech heard ¹  that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place. ²  9:48 He and all his men ³  went up on Mount Zalmon. He ⁴  took an ax ⁵  in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it ⁶  on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!” ⁷  9:49 So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches ⁸  against the stronghold and set fire to it. ⁹  All the people ¹⁰  of the Tower of Shechem died – about a thousand men and women.

9:50 Abimelech moved on ¹¹  to Thebez; he besieged and captured it. ¹² 

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¹ tn Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”

² tn Heb “were assembled.”

³ tn Heb “his people.”

⁴ tn Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.

⁵ tn The Hebrew text has the plural here.

⁶ tn Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”

⁷ tn Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”

⁸ tn The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁹ tn Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”

¹⁰ tn Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.

¹¹ tn Or “went.”

¹² tn Heb “he camped near Thebez and captured it.”