“ In his place a despised person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peace and seize the kingdom by intrigue.

“必有一个卑鄙的人兴起接续为王，人未曾将国的尊荣给他，他却趁人坦然无备的时候，用谄媚的话得国。

“后来，有一个卑鄙的人兴起接续他的王位，人未曾将国的尊荣给他，他却趁人无备的时候前来，用诡诈夺取政权。

“后来，有一个卑鄙的人兴起接续他的王位，人未曾将国的尊荣给他，他却趁人无备的时候前来，用诡诈夺取政权。

“接着继位的是一个卑鄙的人。他无权继位，却乘人不备用奸计夺取王位。

必另有一个卑鄙的人兴起来代替他；虽然人未曾把王国的尊荣给这人，这人却乘人不备的时候来到，用奉承的话夺得了王国。

“此后必有一个卑鄙的人兴起坐上王位；他没有被赐予王权的尊荣，却在人安稳无备的时候来到，以奸滑的手段抓取了王权。

「必有一個卑鄙的人興起接續為王，人未曾將國的尊榮給他，他卻趁人坦然無備的時候，用諂媚的話得國。

「後來，有一個卑鄙的人興起接續他的王位，人未曾將國的尊榮給他，他卻趁人無備的時候前來，用詭詐奪取政權。

「後來，有一個卑鄙的人興起接續他的王位，人未曾將國的尊榮給他，他卻趁人無備的時候前來，用詭詐奪取政權。

「接著繼位的是一個卑鄙的人。他無權繼位，卻乘人不備用奸計奪取王位。

必另有一個卑鄙的人興起來代替他；雖然人未曾把王國的尊榮給這人，這人卻乘人不備的時候來到，用奉承的話奪得了王國。

『必有一個卑鄙的人立起來接替他的位子；君王的威榮未曾給了他，他卻趁人坦然無備時用圓滑手段取得了國。

「此後必有一個卑鄙的人興起坐上王位；他沒有被賜予王權的尊榮，卻在人安穩無備的時候來到，以奸猾的手段抓取了王權。

嗣其位者、為卑陋之夫、國位之榮、原不宜得、乃乘宴安之際、以諂諛而得國、

又繼位者、所行卑賤、不宜踐位、乃因時值承平、以諂諛而得國、

繼其位者卑陋之人、原不當得國榮、乘人不備之時、用狡譎之計獲國、

“ He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.

“ After him, another king will take his place. Many people will hate him. He will not be honored as a king should be. He will lead an army into the kingdom when its people feel secure. He will make clever plans to capture it.

In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

“ The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue.

And in his place a despicable person will arise, on whom the majesty of kingship has not been conferred; but he will come in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue.

And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.

And in his place shall stand up a contemptible person, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in time of security, and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

“ In his place a despised person will arise; royal honors will not be given to him, but he will come during a time of peace and seize the kingdom by intrigue.

And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

“ Then there will arise in his place a despicable person to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred. He will come on the scene in a time of prosperity and will seize the kingdom through deceit.

“ In his place a contemptible person will stand up, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom; but he will come in time of security, and will obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind he will exalt himself. He will destroy many in a time of peace; he will even stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be broken— not by human hands.

When they fall, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely.

Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, a ruthless king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne.

His buttery words are smooth, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.

The LORD has issued an order concerning you: There will be no offspring to carry on your name. I will eliminate the carved idol and cast image from the house of your gods; I will prepare your grave, for you are contemptible.

“ In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be broken, though not in anger or in battle.

With flattery he will corrupt those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.

In the place of the king of the South, one from her family will rise up, come against the army, and enter the fortress of the king of the North. He will take action against them and triumph.

The wicked prowl all around, and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

A fool will no longer be called a noble, nor a scoundrel said to be important.

I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are cursing God, and he has not stopped them.

Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem and spoke to his uncles and to his mother’s whole clan, saying,“ Please speak in the hearing of all the citizens of Shechem,‘ Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you or that one man rule over you?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”His mother’s relatives spoke all these words about him in the hearing of all the citizens of Shechem, and they were favorable to Abimelech, for they said,“ He is our brother.”So they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech used it to hire worthless and reckless men, and they followed him.He went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, on top of a large stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid.Then all the citizens of Shechem and of Beth-millo gathered together and proceeded to make Abimelech king at the oak of the pillar in Shechem.When they told Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and called to them: Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, and may God listen to you:The trees decided to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree,“ Reign over us.”But the olive tree said to them,“ Should I stop giving my oil that people use to honor both God and men, and rule over the trees?”Then the trees said to the fig tree,“ Come and reign over us.”But the fig tree said to them,“ Should I stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, and rule over trees?”Later, the trees said to the grapevine,“ Come and reign over us.”But the grapevine said to them,“ Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, and rule over trees?”Finally, all the trees said to the bramble,“ Come and reign over us.”The bramble said to the trees,“ If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.”“ Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have rewarded him appropriately for what he did—for my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you from Midian,and now you have attacked my father’s family today, killed his seventy sons on top of a large stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the citizens of Shechem‘ because he is your brother’—so if you have acted faithfully and honestly with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he also rejoice in you.But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”

He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for settlement, Absalom called out to him and asked,“ What city are you from?” If he replied,“ Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,”Absalom said to him,“ Look, your claims are good and right, but the king does not have anyone to listen to you.”He added,“ If only someone would appoint me judge in the land. Then anyone who had a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would make sure he received justice.”When a person approached to pay homage to him, Absalom reached out his hand, took hold of him, and kissed him.Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for a settlement. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

who despises the one rejected by the LORD but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his word whatever the cost,

“ While I was considering the horns, suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. And suddenly in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a human and a mouth that was speaking arrogantly.

From one of them a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the beautiful land.