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¹ And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's brothers, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

² Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether it is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are seventy persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

³ And his mother's brothers spoke 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.

⁴ And they gave him seventy [pieces] of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him.

⁵ And he went to his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy persons, on one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

⁶ And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.

⁷ And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said to them, Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God may listen to you.

⁸ One time the trees went forth to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive-tree, Reign over us.

⁹ But the olive-tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness, which by me they honor God and men, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?

¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig-tree, You come, and reign over us.

¹¹ But the fig-tree said to them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?

¹² And the trees said to the vine, You come, and reign over us.

¹³ And the vine said to them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and men, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?

¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the bramble, You come, and reign over us.

¹⁵ And the bramble said to the trees, If in truth you anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶ Now therefore, if you have dealt truly and uprightly, in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to 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 hand of Midian:

¹⁸ and you have risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy persons, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female slave, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother);

¹⁹ if you then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice 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 And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.

²³ And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

²⁴ that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who slew them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to slay his brothers.

²⁵ And the men of Shechem set ambushers for him on the tops 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 brothers, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him.

²⁷ And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod [the grapes], and held a festival, and went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.

²⁸ And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? isn't he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? You serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve him?

²⁹ And if only this people were under my hand! then I would remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase your 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 to Abimelech craftily, saying, Look, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers are coming to Shechem; and, see, they are inciting the city against you.

³² Now therefore, rise up by night, you and the people that are with you, and lie in wait in the field:

³³ and it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early, and rush on the city; and, look, when he and the people that are with him come out against you, then may you do to them as you shall 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 entrance of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the ambush.

³⁶ And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said to him, You see the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.

³⁷ And Gaal spoke again and said, See, people are coming down by the middle of the land, and one company comes by the way of the Psychics' Oak.

³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, Where now is your mouth, that you said, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? isn't this the people that you have despised? go out now, I pray, 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 there fell many wounded, even to the entrance of the gate.

⁴¹ And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

⁴² And it came to pass on the next day, 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 in wait in the field; and he looked, and saw that the people came forth out of the city; And he rose up against them, and smote them.

⁴⁴ And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and the two companies rushed on all that were in the field, and smote them.

⁴⁵ And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that were therein: and he beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

⁴⁶ And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the stronghold of the house of El-berith.

⁴⁷ And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

⁴⁸ And Abimelech went up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took axes in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said to the people that were with him, What you have seen me do, hurry, 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 stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire on them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰ Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

⁵¹ But there was a strong tower inside the city, and there fled all the men and women, and all those of the city, and shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower.

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.

⁵³ And a certain woman cast an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and broke his skull.

⁵⁴ Then he called hastily to the young man his armorbearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword, and kill me. Or else men will say of me, A woman slew him." And his attendant thrust him through, and he died.

⁵⁵ And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place.

⁵⁶ Thus God returned the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in slaying his seventy brothers;

⁵⁷ and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God return on their heads: and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.