Judges Chapter 9

Judges Chapter 9
1 Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal
went to Shechem unto his mother's
brethren, and communed with them, and
with all the family, and house of his
mother's father, saying,
2 Say, I pray you, in the audience of all
the men of Shechem, whether is better
for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal,
which are seventy persons, reign over
you, either that one reign over you?
Remember also, that I am your bone, and
your flesh.
3 Then his mother's brethren spake of
him in the audience of all the men of
Shechem, all these words: and their
hearts were moved to follow
Abimelech: for said they, He is our
brother.
4 And they gave him seventy pieces of
silver out of the house of Baal-berith,
wherewith Abimelech hired vain and
light fellows which followed him. 5 And
he went unto his father's house at
Ophrah, and slew his brethren, the sons
of Jerubbaal , about seventy persons
upon one stone: yet Jotham the youngest
son of Jerubbaal was left: for he hid
himself.
6 And all the men of Shechem gathered
together with all the house of Millo, and
came and made Abimelech king in the
plain, where the stone was erected in
Shechem.
7 And when they told it to Jotham, he
went and stood in the top of mount
Gerizim, and lift up his voice, and cried,
and said unto them, Hearken unto me,
you men of Shechem, that God may
hearken unto you.
8 The trees went forth to anoint a king
over them, and 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 honor God and man, and go to
advance me above the trees?
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree,
Come thou, and be king over us. 11 But
the fig tree answered them, Should I
forsake my sweetness, and my good
fruit, and go to advance me above the
trees?
12 Then said the trees unto the vine,
Come thou, and be king over us. 13 But
the vine said unto them, Should I leave
my wine, whereby I cheer God and man,
and go to advance me above 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 ye will indeed anoint me king over
you, come, and put your trust under my
shadow: and if not, the fire shall come
out of the bramble, and consume the
cedars of Lebanon.
16 Now therefore, if ye do truly and
uncorruptly to make Abimelech king, and
if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and
with 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, and delivered you
out of the hands of Midian.
18 And ye are risen up against my
father's house this day, and have slain
his children, about seventy 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 purely
with Jerubbaal, and with his house this
day, then rejoice ye with Abimelech, and
let him rejoice with you. 20 But if not,
let a fire come out from Abimelech, and
consume the men of Shechem and the
house of Millo: also let a fire come forth
from the men of Shechem, and from the
house of Millo, and consume Abimelech.
21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and
went to Beer and dwelt there for fear of
Abimelech his brother.
22 So Abimelech reigned three year
over Israel.
23 But God sent an evil spirit between
Abimelech, and the men of Shechem:
and the men of Shechem break their
promise to Abimelech,
24 That the cruelty toward the seventy
sons of Jerubbaal and their blood might
come and be laid upon Abimelech their
brother, which had slain them, and upon
the men of Shechem, which had aided
him to kill his brethren. 25 So the men of
Shechem set men in wait for him in the
tops of the mountains: who robbed all
that passed that way by them: and it was
told Abimelech.
26 Then Gaal the son of Ebed came with
his brethren, and they went to Shechem:
and the men of Shechem put their
confidence in him.
27 Therefore they went out into the field,
and gathered in their grapes and trode
them, and made merry, and went into the
house of their gods, and did eat and
drink, and 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 is his officer?
Serve rather the men of Hamor the father
of Shechem: for why should we serve
him?
29 Now would God this people were
under mine hand: then would I put away
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 wrath was kindled.
31 Therefore 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 arise by night, thou
and the people that is with thee, and lie
in wait in the field.
33 And rise early in the morning as soon
as the sun is up, and assault the city: and
when he and the people that is with him,
shall come out against thee, do to him
what thou canst.
34 So Abimelech rose up, and all the
people that were with him by night: and
they lay in wait against Shechem in four
bands.
35 Then Gaal the son of Ebed went out
and stood in the entering of the gate of
the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the
folk 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 tops of the
mountains: and Zebul said unto him, The
shadow of the mountains seem men unto
thee.
37 And Gaal spake again, and said, See,
there come folk down by the middle of
the land, and another band cometh by the
way of the plain of Meonenim. 38 Then
said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy
mouth, that said, Who is Abimelech, that
we should serve him? Is not this the
people that thou hast despised? Go out
now, I pray thee, and fight with them.
39 And Gaal went out before the men of
Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40 But Abimelech pursued 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 on the morrow, the people went
out into the field: which was told
Abimelech.
43 And he took the people, and divided
them into three bands, and laid wait in
the fields, and looked, and behold, the
people were come out of the city, and he
rose up against them, and smote them.
44 And Abimelech, and the bands that
were with him, rushed forward, and
stood in the entering of the gate of the
city: and the two other bands ran upon
all the people that were in the field and
slew them.
45 And when Abimelech had fought
against the city all that day, he took the
city, and slew the people that was
therein, and destroyed the city and
sowed salt in it.
46 And when all the men of the tower of
Shechem heard it, 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 axes with
him and cut down boughs of trees and
took them, and bear them on his
shoulder, and said unto the folk that
were with him, What ye have seen me
do, make haste , and do like me. 49 Then
all the people also cut down every man
his bough, and followed Abimelech, and
put them to the hold, and set the hold on
fire with them: so all the men of the
tower of Shechem died also, about a
thousand men and women.
50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and
besieged Thebez, and took it. 51 But
there was a strong tower within the city,
and thither fled all the men and women,
and all the chief of the city, and shut it to
them, and went 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 set it on fire.
53 But a certain woman cast a piece of a
millstone upon Abimelech's head, and
break his brainpan.
54 Then Abimelech called hastily his
page that bear his harness, and said unto
him, Draw thy sword and slay me, that
men say not of me, A woman slew him.
And his page thrust him through, and he
died.
55 And when the men of Israel saw that
Abimelech was dead, they departed
every man unto his own place.
56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of
Abimelech, which he did unto his father,
in slaying his seventy brethren.
57 Also all the wickedness of the men of
Shechem did God bring upon their
heads. So upon them came the curse of
Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.