9:1 Now
Abimelech
the
son
of
Jerubbaal
went
to
Shechem
to
his
mother's
relatives
and
said
to
them
and
to
the
whole
clan
of
his
mother's
family,
9:2 "Say
in
the
ears
of
all
the
leaders
of
Shechem,
'Which
is
better
for
you,
that
all
seventy
of
the
sons
of
Jerubbaal
rule
over
you,
or
that
one
rule
over
you'
Remember
also
that
I
am
your
bone
and
your
flesh."
9:3 And
his
mother's
relatives
spoke
all
these
words
on
his
behalf
in
the
ears
of
all
the
leaders
of
Shechem,
and
their
hearts
inclined
to
follow
Abimelech,
for
they
said,
"He
is
our
brother."
9:4 And
they
gave
him
seventy
pieces
of
silver
out
of
the
house
of
Baal-berith
with
which
Abimelech
hired
worthless
and
reckless
fellows,
who
followed
him.
9:5 And
he
went
to
his
father's
house
at
Ophrah
and
killed
his
brothers
the
sons
of
Jerubbaal,
seventy
men,
on
one
stone.
But
Jotham
the
youngest
son
of
Jerubbaal
was
left,
for
he
hid
himself.
9:6 And
all
the
leaders
of
Shechem
came
together,
and
all
Beth-millo,
and
they
went
and
made
Abimelech
king,
by
the
oak
of
the
pillar
at
Shechem.
9:7 When
it
was
told
to
Jotham,
he
went
and
stood
on
top
of
Mount
Gerizim
and
cried
aloud
and
said
to
them,
"Listen
to
me,
you
leaders
of
Shechem,
that
God
may
listen
to
you.
9:8 The
trees
once
went
out
to
anoint
a
king
over
them,
and
they
said
to
the
olive
tree,
'Reign
over
us.'
9:9 But
the
olive
tree
said
to
them,
'Shall
I
leave
my
abundance,
by
which
gods
and
men
are
honored,
and
go
hold
sway
over
the
trees'
9:10 And
the
trees
said
to
the
fig
tree,
'You
come
and
reign
over
us.'
9:11 But
the
fig
tree
said
to
them,
'Shall
I
leave
my
sweetness
and
my
good
fruit
and
go
hold
sway
over
the
trees'
9:12 And
the
trees
said
to
the
vine,
'You
come
and
reign
over
us.'
9:13 But
the
vine
said
to
them,
'Shall
I
leave
my
wine
that
cheers
God
and
men
and
go
hold
sway
over
the
trees'
9:14 Then
all
the
trees
said
to
the
bramble,
'You
come
and
reign
over
us.'
9:15 And
the
bramble
said
to
the
trees,
'If
in
good
faith
you
are
anointing
me
king
over
you,
then
come
and
take
refuge
in
my
shade,
but
if
not,
let
fire
come
out
of
the
bramble
and
devour
the
cedars
of
Lebanon.'
9:16 "Now
therefore,
if
you
acted
in
good
faith
and
integrity
when
you
made
Abimelech
king,
and
if
you
have
dealt
well
with
Jerubbaal
and
his
house
and
have
done
to
him
as
his
deeds
deserved--
9:17 for
my
father
fought
for
you
and
risked
his
life
and
delivered
you
from
the
hand
of
Midian,
9:18 and
you
have
risen
up
against
my
father's
house
this
day
and
have
killed
his
sons,
seventy
men
on
one
stone,
and
have
made
Abimelech,
the
son
of
his
female
servant,
king
over
the
leaders
of
Shechem,
because
he
is
your
relative--
9:19 if
you
then
have
acted
in
good
faith
and
integrity
with
Jerubbaal
and
with
his
house
this
day,
then
rejoice
in
Abimelech,
and
let
him
also
rejoice
in
you.
9:20 But
if
not,
let
fire
come
out
from
Abimelech
and
devour
the
leaders
of
Shechem
and
Beth-millo;
and
let
fire
come
out
from
the
leaders
of
Shechem
and
from
Beth-millo
and
devour
Abimelech."
9:21 And
Jotham
ran
away
and
fled
and
went
to
Beer
and
lived
there,
because
of
Abimelech
his
brother.
9:22 Abimelech
ruled
over
Israel
three
years.
9:23 And
God
sent
an
evil
spirit
between
Abimelech
and
the
leaders
of
Shechem,
and
the
leaders
of
Shechem
dealt
treacherously
with
Abimelech,
9:24 that
the
violence
done
to
the
seventy
sons
of
Jerubbaal
might
come,
and
their
blood
be
laid
on
Abimelech
their
brother,
who
killed
them,
and
on
the
men
of
Shechem,
who
strengthened
his
hands
to
kill
his
brothers.
9:25 And
the
leaders
of
Shechem
put
men
in
ambush
against
him
on
the
mountaintops,
and
they
robbed
all
who
passed
by
them
along
that
way.
And
it
was
told
to
Abimelech.
9:26 And
Gaal
the
son
of
Ebed
moved
into
Shechem
with
his
relatives,
and
the
leaders
of
Shechem
put
confidence
in
him.
9:27 And
they
went
out
into
the
field
and
gathered
the
grapes
from
their
vineyards
and
trod
them
and
held
a
festival;
and
they
went
into
the
house
of
their
god
and
ate
and
drank
and
reviled
Abimelech.
9:28 And
Gaal
the
son
of
Ebed
said,
"Who
is
Abimelech,
and
who
are
we
of
Shechem,
that
we
should
serve
him
Is
he
not
the
son
of
Jerubbaal,
and
is
not
Zebul
his
officer
Serve
the
men
of
Hamor
the
father
of
Shechem;
but
why
should
we
serve
him
9:29 Would
that
this
people
were
under
my
hand!
Then
I
would
remove
Abimelech.
I
would
say
to
Abimelech,
'Increase
your
army,
and
come
out.'"
9:30 When
Zebul
the
ruler
of
the
city
heard
the
words
of
Gaal
the
son
of
Ebed,
his
anger
was
kindled.
9:31 And
he
sent
messengers
to
Abimelech
secretly,
saying,
"Behold,
Gaal
the
son
of
Ebed
and
his
relatives
have
come
to
Shechem,
and
they
are
stirring
up
the
city
against
you.
9:32 Now
therefore,
go
by
night,
you
and
the
people
who
are
with
you,
and
set
an
ambush
in
the
field.
9:33 Then
in
the
morning,
as
soon
as
the
sun
is
up,
rise
early
and
rush
upon
the
city.
And
when
he
and
the
people
who
are
with
him
come
out
against
you,
you
may
do
to
them
as
your
hand
finds
to
do."
9:34 So
Abimelech
and
all
the
men
who
were
with
him
rose
up
by
night
and
set
an
ambush
against
Shechem
in
four
companies.
9:35 And
Gaal
the
son
of
Ebed
went
out
and
stood
in
the
entrance
of
the
gate
of
the
city,
and
Abimelech
and
the
people
who
were
with
him
rose
from
the
ambush.
9:36 And
when
Gaal
saw
the
people,
he
said
to
Zebul,
"Look,
people
are
coming
down
from
the
mountaintops!"
And
Zebul
said
to
him,
"You
mistake
the
shadow
of
the
mountains
for
men."
9:37 Gaal
spoke
again
and
said,
"Look,
people
are
coming
down
from
the
center
of
the
land,
and
one
company
is
coming
from
the
direction
of
the
Diviners'
Oak."
9:38 Then
Zebul
said
to
him,
"Where
is
your
mouth
now,
you
who
said,
'Who
is
Abimelech,
that
we
should
serve
him'
Are
not
these
the
people
whom
you
despised
Go
out
now
and
fight
with
them."
9:39 And
Gaal
went
out
at
the
head
of
the
leaders
of
Shechem
and
fought
with
Abimelech.
9:40 And
Abimelech
chased
him,
and
he
fled
before
him.
And
many
fell
wounded,
up
to
the
entrance
of
the
gate.
9:41 And
Abimelech
lived
at
Arumah,
and
Zebul
drove
out
Gaal
and
his
relatives,
so
that
they
could
not
dwell
at
Shechem.
9:42 On
the
following
day,
the
people
went
out
into
the
field,
and
Abimelech
was
told.
9:43 He
took
his
people
and
divided
them
into
three
companies
and
set
an
ambush
in
the
fields.
And
he
looked
and
saw
the
people
coming
out
of
the
city.
So
he
rose
against
them
and
killed
them.
9:44 Abimelech
and
the
company
that
was
with
him
rushed
forward
and
stood
at
the
entrance
of
the
gate
of
the
city,
while
the
two
companies
rushed
upon
all
who
were
in
the
field
and
killed
them.
9:45 And
Abimelech
fought
against
the
city
all
that
day.
He
captured
the
city
and
killed
the
people
who
were
in
it,
and
he
razed
the
city
and
sowed
it
with
salt.
9:46 When
all
the
leaders
of
the
Tower
of
Shechem
heard
of
it,
they
entered
the
stronghold
of
the
house
of
El-berith.
9:47 Abimelech
was
told
that
all
the
leaders
of
the
Tower
of
Shechem
were
gathered
together.
9:48 And
Abimelech
went
up
to
Mount
Zalmon,
he
and
all
the
people
who
were
with
him.
And
Abimelech
took
an
axe
in
his
hand
and
cut
down
a
bundle
of
brushwood
and
took
it
up
and
laid
it
on
his
shoulder.
And
he
said
to
the
men
who
were
with
him,
"What
you
have
seen
me
do,
hurry
and
do
as
I
have
done."
9:49 So
every
one
of
the
people
cut
down
his
bundle
and
following
Abimelech
put
it
against
the
stronghold,
and
they
set
the
stronghold
on
fire
over
them,
so
that
all
the
people
of
the
Tower
of
Shechem
also
died,
about
1,000
men
and
women.
9:50 Then
Abimelech
went
to
Thebez
and
encamped
against
Thebez
and
captured
it.
9:51 But
there
was
a
strong
tower
within
the
city,
and
all
the
men
and
women
and
all
the
leaders
of
the
city
fled
to
it
and
shut
themselves
in,
and
they
went
up
to
the
roof
of
the
tower.
9:52 And
Abimelech
came
to
the
tower
and
fought
against
it
and
drew
near
to
the
door
of
the
tower
to
burn
it
with
fire.
9:53 And
a
certain
woman
threw
an
upper
millstone
on
Abimelech's
head
and
crushed
his
skull.
9:54 Then
he
called
quickly
to
the
young
man
his
armor-bearer
and
said
to
him,
"Draw
your
sword
and
kill
me,
lest
they
say
of
me,
'A
woman
killed
him.'"
And
his
young
man
thrust
him
through,
and
he
died.
9:55 And
when
the
men
of
Israel
saw
that
Abimelech
was
dead,
everyone
departed
to
his
home.
9:56 Thus
God
returned
the
evil
of
Abimelech,
which
he
committed
against
his
father
in
killing
his
seventy
brothers.
9:57 And
God
also
made
all
the
evil
of
the
men
of
Shechem
return
on
their
heads,
and
upon
them
came
the
curse
of
Jotham
the
son
of
Jerubbaal.