Judges 9

1 And Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother’s brothers, and he spoke to them and to the whole family of his mother’s father’s house, saying, 2 “Say this, please, in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you — that seventy men should be lords over you, all the sons of Jerubbaal, or that one man should be lord over you?’ And remember that I am your own bone and your own flesh.” 3 And his mother’s brothers spoke about him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem, all these words; and their heart leaned after Abimelech, because they said, “He is our brother.” 4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, and Abimelech hired worthless and cowardly men for himself, and they went after him. [a] 5 And he went into 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, because he had hidden himself. 6 And all the men of Shechem and all the house of Beth-millo gathered together, and they went and made Abimelech king by the oak of the standing place at Shechem. [b]

7 And it was reported to Jotham, and he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice and wept, and he said to them, “Listen to me, men of Shechem, and God will listen to you.

16 And now, if you have acted in truth and completeness in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if you have paid him back as his own hand deserved — 17 seeing how my father fought for you and flung his own life out in front of him and rescued you from the hand of Midian, 18 while you have risen up today against my father’s house and killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and made Abimelech the son of his slave woman king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother — 19 if, then, you have acted in truth and completeness with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, be glad in Abimelech, and let him be glad in you as well. 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from the house of Beth-millo and devour Abimelech.” 21 And Jotham fled and ran away and went as far as Beer, and he lived there, out of reach of his brother Abimelech.

22 And Abimelech ruled over Israel three years. 23 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem broke faith with the house of Abimelech, 24 so that the wrong done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be brought home, and their blood laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, because they strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. 25 And the men of Shechem set men to lie in wait for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed everyone who went by them on the road; and it was reported to Abimelech the king.

26 And Gaal son of Jobel came, and his brothers with him, and they passed through Shechem, and the men of Shechem put their hope in him. 27 And they went out into the field and harvested their vineyards and trod them and kept *elloulim*, and they brought it into the house of their god, and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech. [c] 28 And Gaal son of Jobel said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is the son of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his overseer, his own slave, along with the men of Hamor the father of Shechem? Why should we serve him? 29 If only this people were in my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech, and I would say to him, ‘Make your army bigger and come out.’”

30 And Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Jobel, and he was hot with anger. 31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Gaal son of Jobel and his brothers have come to Shechem, and they are laying siege to the city against you. [d] 32 So now, get up in the night, you and the people with you, and lie in wait in the field; 33 and in the morning, as the sun comes up, get up early and spread out against the city; and when he and the people with him come out against you, do to him whatever your hand finds.”

34 And Abimelech got up in the night, and all the people with him, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. 35 And Gaal son of Jobel went out and stood at the doorway of the city gate, and Abimelech and the people with him rose up out of the ambush. 36 And Gaal son of Jobel saw the people and said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains.” And Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as men.” 37 And Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, people are coming down toward the sea from beside the navel of the land, and another company is coming by the road of Elon-maonenim.” 38 And Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now, that spoke and said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people you thought nothing of? Go out now and fight him.”

39 And Gaal went out in front of the men of Shechem and fought against Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, right up to the doorway of the gate. 41 And Abimelech went into Arumah; and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they could not live in Shechem.

42 And the next day the people went out into the field, and word was brought to Abimelech. 43 And he took his people and divided them into three companies and lay in wait in the field; and he looked, and there were the people coming out of the city — and he rose up against them and struck them down. 44 And Abimelech and the officers with him spread out and took their stand at the doorway of the city gate, while the two other companies spread out against everyone in the field and struck them down. 45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he took the city and killed the people in it and pulled the city down and sowed it with salt.

46 And all the men of the towers of Shechem heard it, and they went into the gathering place of Beth-el-berith. 47 And it was reported to Abimelech that all the men of the towers of Shechem had gathered together. 48 And Abimelech went up to Mount Hermon, he and all the people with him; and Abimelech took the axes in his hand and cut a branch from a tree and lifted it and laid it on his shoulders, and he said to the people with him, “What you have seen me do, do quickly, as I have.” [e] 49 And each man likewise cut his own branch, and they went after Abimelech and laid them against the gathering place and set the gathering place on fire over them; and they died too, all the men of the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women.

50 And Abimelech went from Beth-el-berith and camped against Thebez and took it. 51 And there was a strong tower in the middle of the city, and all the men and the women of the city fled there and shut themselves in and went up onto the roof of the tower. 52 And Abimelech came up to the tower, and they fought against him; and Abimelech came close to the doorway of the tower to burn it with fire. 53 And one woman threw a piece of an upper millstone onto Abimelech’s head and cracked his skull. 54 And he called quickly to the young man who carried his gear and said to him, “Draw my sword and put me to death, so that they will never say, ‘A woman killed him.’” And his young man ran him through, and he died.

55 And the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, and they went away, each to his own place. 56 So God turned back the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers; 57 and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem God turned back on their own head, and the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came on them.