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The Book of Judges 9

9 Now Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to the brothers of his mother and he spoke to them and to all of the family of the house of the father of his mother saying, 2 “Please speak in the ears of all of the citizens of Shechem, ‘What is better for you, seventy men ruling over you, all of the sons of Jerubbaal, or one man ruling over you? Remember that I am your bone and your flesh.” 3 The brothers of his mother spoke all of these things on his behalf in the ears of all of the citizens of Shechem, and their heart turned aside after Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 Then they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal Berith, and Abimelech hired with them unprincipled and undisciplined men, so they went after him. 5 Then he went to the house of his father at Ophrah, and he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men upon one stone. But Jotham was left, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, for he had hidden himself. 6 Then all of the prominent citizens of Shechem and all of Beth Millo assembled themselves and they went and installed Abimelech as king beside an oak tree near the standing pillar that was in Shechem.

7 When they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He lifted up his voice and cried out and said to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so God will listen to you. 8 Once the trees went about in order to anoint a king over themselves. So they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ 9 But the olive tree replied to them, ‘Have I stopped producing my fatness, when by me they honor gods and men, that I should go to wave over the trees?’ 10 So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come! Reign over us.’ 11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Have I stopped producing my sweetness and my good fruit, that I should go to wave over the trees?’ 12 Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come! Reign over us.’ 13 Then the vine said to them, ‘Have I stopped producing my new wine, which cheers gods and man, that I should go to wave over the trees?’ 14 Then all of the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come, reign over us.’ 15 The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come, seek refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire go forth from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’ 16 Therefore, now if in truth and in integrity you have acted when you installed Abimelech as king, and if you have done well concerning Jerubaal and with his household, and if according to the deed of his hands you have done to him, 17 that my father fought on your behalf, and threw aside his life even out front, when he delivered you out of the hand of Midian, 18 but today you have risen up against the house of my father and have killed his sons, seventy men, upon one stone. Then you have installed Abimelech, the son of his female servant, as king over the citizens of Shechem, because he is your brother. 19 Now if you have acted in truth and in integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice about Abimelech, and he himself will also rejoice about you. 20 But if not, fire shall come forth from Abimelech and it shall consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo. Fire shall also come forth from the citizens of Shechem and from Beth Millo and it shall consume Abimelech.” 21 Then Jotham fled away and escaped, and he went to Beer. He settled there away from the presence of Abimelech, his brother.

22 Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. 23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and between the citizens of Shechem so that the citizens of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 by revisiting the violent treatment of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal and by putting their blood upon Abimelech their brother, who had killed them, and upon the citizens of Shechem who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. 25 So the citizens of Shechem positioned men in ambush after him along the tops of the hills. They robbed everyone who would pass by them along the road, and it was reported to Abimelech.

26 Then Gaal, the son of Ebed came along with his brothers and they went over to Shechem. The citizens of Shechem trusted him. 27 They went out into the field and they picked grapes from their vineyards, and they pressed them. They celebrated harvest festivals and they went into the house of their gods, then they ate and they drank, and they cursed Abimelech. 28 Then Gaal, the son of Ebed, said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal and Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve him, ourselves? 29 Who will give this people into my hand? Then I would depose Abimelech. He said to Abimelech, ‘Enlarge your army and come forth.’ ”

30 When Zebul, the prince of the city, heard the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, his anger burned. 31 So he sent messengers to Abimelech in secret, saying, “Look, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers are coming to Shechem, and look, they are inciting the city against you. 32 Therefore, now, rise up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in ambush in the field. 33 Then it shall happen, in the morning, at the rising of the sun, you shall set out early and you shall spread out in an attack against the city. Watch, when he and the people who are with him are coming out to you, then you do to him just as your hand finds occasion.”

34 So Abimelech and all of the people who were with him rose up by night, and they set up an ambush against Shechem. They were four units. 35 Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out and he stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. Then Abimelech and the people who were with him rose up from the ambush. 36 When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, a group of people is coming down from the tops of the hills!” Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadow of the hills as men.” 37 Again, Gaal continued to speak and said, “Look, groups of people are coming down from beside the summit of the land, and one unit is coming from the way of the oak of the diviners.” 38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where then is your mouth, with which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people who you regard it with contempt? Indeed, go out now and fight against him.” 39 So Gaal went out before the citizens of Shechem, and he fought against Abimelech. 40 Abimelech pursued him, and he fled from his presence. Many fell fatally wounded as far as the entrance of the city gate.

41 Then Abimelech settled in Arumah. Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers away from dwelling in Shechem. 42 Now it happened that the next day the people went out into the field, and they reported it to Abimelech. 43 So he took the people, and he split up into three units. Then he waited in ambush in the field. When he saw and look, the people were going out of the city, then he rose up against them and he killed them. 44 Abimelech and the units that were with him spread out and they stood at the entrance of the gate of the city. But two units spread out against everyone who was in the field and they killed them. 45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city, and he killed the people who were in it. Then he tore down the city and scattered salt on it.

46 When all the lords of the tower of Shechem heard, they went into the citadel of the house of El-Berith. 47 Then it was reported to Abimelech that all the lords of the tower of Shechem had assembled themselves. 48 So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. Abimelech took the proper ax in his hand and cut off a branch from the trees. He lifted it and set it upon his shoulder and said to the people who were with him, “Whatsoever you have seen that I have done, hurry, do the same as me.” 49 So all the people also each cut off a branch and they went after Abimelech. Then they piled them on top of the underground chamber, thus on account of them they burned the underground chamber with fire. As a result all the distinguished people in the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he set up camp around Thebez and he captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower in the midst of the city, so all of the men and the women and all the prominent citizens of the city fled to there. They closed it up behind themselves and they went up on the roof of the tower. 52 Then Abimelech came towards the tower and he fought against it, and he approached as far as the entrance of the tower in order to burn it with fire. 53 But one woman threw down an upper millstone onto the head of Abimelech and it crushed his skull. 54 Then he cried out hurriedly to the young man bearing his armor, and he said to him, “Draw out your sword and put me to death, lest they will say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his young man stabbed him so that he died. 55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech had died, they went each to his own place. 56 Thus God avenged the evil of Abimelech that he did to his father by killing his seventy brothers. 57 All the evil of the men of Shechem God caused to return back upon their own heads and on them came the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal.

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