-
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,
02 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.
03 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.
04 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.
05 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.
06 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 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.
08 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a
king over them; and they said unto the olive
tree, Reign thou over us.
09 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?
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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.
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