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Judges
Chapter 9
1. And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his
mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the
family of the house of his mother's father, saying,
2. Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem,
Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of
Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over
you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am
your bone and your flesh.
3. And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all
the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts
inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our
brother.
4. And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of
the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and
light persons, which followed him.
5. And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his
brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten
persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the
youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
6. And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the
house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the
plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
7. And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the
top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried,
and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that
God may hearken unto you.
8. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them;
and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
9. But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my
fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to
be promoted over the trees?
10. And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign
over us.
11. But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my
sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the
trees?
12. Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over
us.
13. And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which
cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
14. Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and
reign over us.
15. And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint
me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow:
and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the
cedars of Lebanon.
16. Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that
ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with
Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to
the deserving of his hands;
17. (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far,
and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
18. And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and
have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one
stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant,
king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)
19. If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and
with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and
let him also rejoice in you:
20. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the
men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come
out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo,
and devour Abimelech.
21. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt
there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
22. When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
23. Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men
of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with
Abimelech:
24. That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of
Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech
their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem,
which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
25. And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top
of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that
way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
26. And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went
over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence
in him.
27. And they went out into the fields, and gathered their
vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went
into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and
cursed Abimelech.
28. And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is
Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of
Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the
father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?
29. And would to God this people were under my hand! then would
I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine
army, and come out.
30. And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal
the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
31. And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying,
Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to
Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.
32. Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with
thee, and lie in wait in the field:
33. And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is
up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and,
behold, when he and the people that is with him come out
against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find
occasion.
34. And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with
him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four
companies.
35. And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering
of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the
people that were with him, from lying in wait.
36. And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold,
there come people down from the top of the mountains. And
Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains
as if they were men.
37. And Gaal spake again, and said, See there come people down
by the middle of the land, and another company come along by
the plain of Meonenim.
38. Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith
thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is
not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray
now, and fight with them.
39. And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with
Abimelech.
40. And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many
were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the
gate.
41. And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and
his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out
into the field; and they told Abimelech.
43. And he took the people, and divided them into three
companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and,
behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he
rose up against them, and smote them.
44. And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed
forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city:
and the two other companies ran upon all the people that
were in the fields, and slew them.
45. And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he
took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and
beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
46. And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that,
they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.
47. And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of
Shechem were gathered together.
48. And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the
people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his
hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and
laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were
with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I
have done.
49. And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough,
and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set
the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower
of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
50. Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez,
and took it.
51. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither
fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and
shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
52. And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it,
and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with
fire.
53. And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon
Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
54. Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer,
and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say
not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him
through, and he died.
55. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they
departed every man unto his place.
56. Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did
unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
57. And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon
their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son
of Jerubbaal.