Judges 9:52-57

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 millstone ¹  down on his ²  head and shattered his skull. 9:54 He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, ³  “Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, ⁴  ‘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. ⁵ 

9:56 God repaid Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by murdering his seventy half-brothers. ⁶  9:57 God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell ⁷  on them.

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¹ 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.

² tn Heb “Abimelech’s.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “his” in the translation in keeping with conventions of English narrative style.

³ tn The Hebrew text adds, “and said to him.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁴ tn The Hebrew text adds, “concerning me.” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁵ tn Heb “each to his own place.”

⁶ tn Heb “seventy brothers.”

⁷ tn Heb “came.”