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JUDGES ยท Chapter 9
9:1 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,
9:2 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.
9:3 And his mother's brethren 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.
9:4 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.
9:5 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.
9:6 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.
9:7 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, all of you men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
9:8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and
they said unto the olive tree, Reign you over us.
9:9 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?
9:10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come you, and reign over us.
9:11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness,
and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?
9:12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come you, and reign over us.
9:13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheers
God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?
9:14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come you, and reign
over us.
9:15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth all of you 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.
9:16 Now therefore, if all of you have done truly and sincerely, in
that all of you have made Abimelech king, and if all of you have dealt
well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to
the deserving of his hands;
9:17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and
delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
9:18 And all of you 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;)
9:19 If all of you then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal
and with his house this day, then rejoice all of you in Abimelech, and
let him also rejoice in you:
9:20 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.
9:21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there,
for fear of Abimelech his brother.
9:22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
9:23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of
Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
9:24 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.
9:25 And the men of Shechem set hidden attackers 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.
9:26 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.
9:27 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.
9:28 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?
9:29 And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I
remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase your army, and come
out.
9:30 And 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 unto Abimelech privately, saying, Behold,
Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold,
they fortify the city against you.
9:32 Now therefore up by night, you and the people that is with you,
and lie in wait in the field:
9:33 And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up,
you shall rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the
people that is with him come out against you, then may you do to them as
you shall find occasion.
9:34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him,
by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
9:35 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.
9:36 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,
You see the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.
9:37 And Gaal spoke again, and said, See there come people down by
the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of
Meonenim.
9:38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now your mouth, wherewith you
said, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people
that you have despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.
9:39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
9:40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were
overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
9:41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his
brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
9:42 And it came to pass on the next day, that the people went out
into the field; and they told Abimelech.
9:43 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 stroke them.
9:44 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.
9:45 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.
9:46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they
entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.
9:47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem
were gathered together.
9:48 And Abimelech got him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people
that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe 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 all of you have seen me do, make
haste, and do as I have done.
9:49 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.
9:50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and
took it.
9:51 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
got them up to the top of the tower.
9:52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and
went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
9:53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's
head, and all to brake his skull.
9:54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour bearer, and
said unto him, Draw your sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A
women slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
9:55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed
every man unto his place.
9:56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto
his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
9:57 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.
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