Judges
Chapter 9
1 Abimelech, Jerubbaal’s son, went to Shechem to his mother’s brothers, talked with them, and with all his mother’s father’s family, saying,
2 Please tell everyone in Shechem: What’s better for you—to have all seventy sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or just one person? And remember, I am your own family.
3 His mother’s relatives spoke about him to all the men of Shechem, saying all these things: and they felt moved to support Abimelech because they said, “He is our brother.”
4 They gave him seventy silver coins from the temple of Baalberith, and with this money, Abimelech paid worthless and reckless men to follow him.
5 He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and killed his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, on a single stone. However, Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived because he had hidden.
6 All the men of Shechem and the family of Millo came together and declared Abimelech as king near the tree in Shechem.
7 When they reported this to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and shouted, saying to them, “Listen to me, men of Shechem, so that God will listen to you.”
8 The trees once set out to choose a king for themselves; they asked the olive tree, “Be our ruler.”
9 The olive tree said to them, “Should I give up my richness, which is used to honor both God and people, to rule over the trees?”
10 The trees said to the fig tree, “Come and be our leader.”
11 The fig tree answered, “Should I give up my sweetness and good fruit to rule over the trees?”
12 Then the trees said to the grapevine, “Come and be our leader.”
13 The vine said to them, “Should I stop making wine, which makes both God and people happy, to rule over the trees?”
14 Then all the trees said to the thorny bush, “Come and be our king.”
15 The bramble said to the trees, “If you really make me your king, come and rest in my shade. But if not, let fire come from me and burn the cedars of Lebanon.”
16 So, if you have honestly and truly made Abimelech king, and you have treated Jerubbaal and his family well, giving him what his actions deserved;
17 My father fought for you, risked his life greatly, and saved you from the power of Midian.
18 Today, you have turned against my father’s family, killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the maidservant’s son, king of Shechem’s people because he is your brother.
19 If you have been honest and sincere with Jerubbaal and his family today, then be happy about Abimelech, and let him be happy about you.
20 But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and burn the men of Shechem and the house of Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and the house of Millo and burn Abimelech.
21 Jotham ran away and hid in Beer because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.
22 After Abimelech had been king of Israel for three years,
23 God sent a bad spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem betrayed Abimelech.
24 To punish the killing of Jerubbaal’s 70 sons, let the guilt fall on their brother Abimelech who killed them, and on the men of Shechem who helped him.
25 The men of Shechem hid on the mountain tops to ambush him, stealing from everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelech.
26 Gaal, Ebed’s son, arrived with his brothers and moved to Shechem where the Shechem people started to trust him.
27 They went to the fields, collected grapes from the vineyards, pressed the grapes, celebrated, entered their god’s temple, ate, drank, and insulted Abimelech.
28 Gaal, Ebed’s son, asked, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem that we must serve him? Isn’t he Jerubbaal’s son and Zebul his assistant? Serve Hamor’s family, Shechem’s father. Why should we serve Abimelech?”
29 I wish these people were under my control! Then I would get rid of Abimelech. He told Abimelech, “Get more soldiers and come out to fight.”
30 When Zebul, the city leader, heard what Gaal, Ebed’s son, said, he became very angry.
31 He secretly sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem, and they are strengthening the city against you.”
32 Get up at night, you and the people with you, and hide in the field.
33 In the morning, when the sun comes up, wake up early and get ready to attack the city. And when he and his people come out to fight you, you can do whatever you think is best.
34 Abimelech and all his followers got up at night and set up ambushes around Shechem in four groups.
35 Gaal, Ebed’s son, went out and stood at the city gate entrance. Abimelech and his people got up from their hiding place.
36 When Gaal noticed the crowd, he told Zebul, “Look, there are people coming down from the mountain tops.” Zebul replied, “You’re seeing the mountain shadows looking like people.”
37 Gaal spoke again and said, “Look, there are people coming down through the center of the land, and another group is coming by the Plain of Meonenim.”
38 Zebul asked him, “Where are your bragging words now? You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Isn’t this the group you looked down on? Please, go out and battle them now.”
39 Gaal led the men of Shechem and battled against Abimelech.
40 Abimelech chased him, and he ran away. Many were knocked down and hurt, up to the gate.
41 Abimelech lived at Arumah, and Zebul forced Gaal and his brothers out so they couldn’t live in Shechem.
42 The next day, the people went into the field, and they told Abimelech.
43 He took the people, split them into three groups, hid in the field, watched as the people came out of the city, then attacked and defeated them.
44 Abimelech and his group charged ahead and stopped at the city gate entrance, while the two other groups attacked everyone in the fields and killed them.
45 Abimelech fought against the city all day; he captured the city, killed the people in it, destroyed the city, and covered it with salt.
46 When all the men from Shechem’s tower heard that, they went into a strong room in the temple of the god Berith.
47 People told Abimelech that all the men from Shechem’s tower had come together.
48 Abimelech and his followers went up Mount Zalmon. He took an axe and cut off a tree branch, put it on his shoulder, and told his followers, “Quickly do as you have seen me do.”
49 Everyone cut down branches, followed Abimelech, piled them against the stronghold, and set it on fire. So all the people in Shechem’s tower died—about a thousand men and women.
50 Abimelech went to Thebez, camped against it, and captured it.
51 Inside the city, there was a strong tower where all the city’s men and women ran to, closed the door, and went up to the top.
52 Abimelech went to the tower, fought it, and got close to the tower’s door to set it on fire.
53 A woman dropped a millstone piece on Abimelech’s head, breaking it.
54 He quickly called to his young armor-bearer and said, “Pull out your sword and kill me, so people won’t say a woman killed me.” His assistant stabbed him, and he died.
55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech had died, they all went back to their homes.
56 So God paid back Abimelech for the evil he did to his father by killing his seventy brothers.
57 God made the evil men of Shechem pay for their wrongs, and Jotham, Jerubbaal’s son, cursed them.