07:009:001 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,
07:009:002 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.
07:009:003 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.
07:009:004 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.
07:009:005 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.
07:009:006 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.
07:009:007 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.
07:009:008 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and
they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.
07:009:009 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?
07:009:010 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over
us.
07:009:011 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my
sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the
trees?
07:009:012 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over
us.
07:009:013 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which
cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
07:009:014 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign
over us.
07:009:015 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.
07:009:016 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;
07:009:017 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far,
and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
07:009:018 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;)
07:009:019 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:
07:009:020 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.
07:009:021 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt
there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
07:009:022 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
07:009:023 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of
Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with
Abimelech:
07:009:024 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.
07:009:025 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.
07:009:026 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.
07:009:027 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.
07:009:028 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?
07:009:029 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.
07:009:030 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal
the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
07:009:031 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.
07:009:032 Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with
thee, and lie in wait in the field:
07:009:033 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.
07:009:034 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him,
by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four
companies.
07:009:035 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.
07:009:036 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.
07:009:037 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.
07:009:038 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.
07:009:039 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with
Abimelech.
07:009:040 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many
were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the
gate.
07:009:041 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and
his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
07:009:042 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out
into the field; and they told Abimelech.
07:009:043 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.
07:009:044 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.
07:009:045 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.
07:009:046 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they
entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.
07:009:047 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of
Shechem were gathered together.
07:009:048 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.
07:009:049 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.
07:009:050 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez,
and took it.
07:009:051 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.
07:009:052 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and
went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
07:009:053 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon
Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
07:009:054 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.
07:009:055 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they
departed every man unto his place.
07:009:056 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did
unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
07:009:057 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.