07_JUD_09_01 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_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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?
07_JUD_09_10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, [and] reign over us.
07_JUD_09_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?
07_JUD_09_12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, [and] reign over us.
07_JUD_09_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?
07_JUD_09_14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, [and] reign over us.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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;
07_JUD_09_17 [For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
07_JUD_09_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;]
07_JUD_09_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:
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
07_JUD_09_22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
07_JUD_09_23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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?
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_30 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_32 Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that [is] with thee, and lie in wait in the field:
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that [were] with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
07_JUD_09_40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown [and] wounded, [even] unto the entering of the gate.
07_JUD_09_41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
07_JUD_09_42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
07_JUD_09_48 And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that [were] with him; and Abimelech took an ax 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_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_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.
07_JUD_09_53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
07_JUD_09_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 woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
07_JUD_09_55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
07_JUD_09_56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
07_JUD_09_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.