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son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and spoke to them and all his mother’s clan. 2 He said, “Ask this question in the hearing of all the leading men of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that just one man rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your own flesh and blood.”
3 When his mother’s brothers spoke all these words about him to all the leading men of Shechem, their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 So they gave him seventy shekels of silverfrom the temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech used it to hired worthless and reckless men, and they followed him. 5 Then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself. 6 Then all the leading men of Shechem and all Beth-millo gathered together, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the oak at the pillar that was at Shechem.
7 When Jotham was told about this, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and shouted to them, “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
8 “One day the trees once went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us!’
9 “But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease from giving my rich oil, by which by both God and men are honoured, to go and rule over the trees?’
10 “Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’
11 “But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I stop producing the sweetness of my good fruit to go and rule over the trees?’
12 “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’
13 “But the vine said to them, ‘Should I stop giving my new wine that cheers both God and men, to go and rule over trees?’
14“Finally all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us!’
15 “The bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me as 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’.
16 “Now if you have acted honourably and in good faith in making Abimelech king, and if you have done well with Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have treated him as he deserves— 17 for my father fought for you, and risked his life to deliver you from the hand of Midian, 18 and now you have risen against my father’s house this day, murdered his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave girl, king over the leading men of Shechem, because he is your brother— 19 If then you have acted honourably and in good faith with Jerubbaal and his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20 But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the leading men of Shechem and Beth-millo, and let fire come out of the leading men of Shechem and Beth-millo and devour Abimelech!”
21 Then Jotham fled and escaped, and he went to Beer and lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
22 After Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years, 23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. They dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24 so that the crime committed against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged, and their blood be laid on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem who helped him kill his brothers. 25 The leading men of Shechem came to oppose his rule, so they set men along the hilltops to rob everyone who passed by, and the report of this reached Abimelech.
26 Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his brothers into Shechem, and the leading men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 27 They went out into the fields, and gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them. Then they held a celebration. They went to the temple of their god, and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech. 28 Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal, and isn’t Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem! Why should we serve this Abimelech? 29 If only this people were under my command, then I would remove Abimelech! I would say to Abimelech, ‘Call together your army and come out!’ ”
30 When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 31 So he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly to tell him: “Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you. 32 So therefore go out by night with your men and lie in wait in the fields. 33 Then in the morning, as soon as the sun rises, get up and advance on the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do to them whatever you will.”
34 So Abimelech and all the people with him went out by night, and they separated into four groups and lay in wait to ambush Shechem. 35 When Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate, Abimelech and the people with him emerged from their hiding places.
36 When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains.”
But Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.”
37 But Gaal spoke up again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the central part of the land, and another company is coming from the direction of the Diviners’ Oak.”
38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouthing off now, for you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Aren’t these the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight them.”
39 So Gaal went out at the head of the leading men of Shechem and fought Abimelech. But Abimelech chased him, and Gaal fled before him. 40 Many were overthrown and fell wounded and dying, right up to the entrance of the gate. 41 Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul droved out Gaal and his brothers from Shechem.
42 The next day the people of Shechem went out into the countryside, and Abimelech was told of it. 43 So he took his people, divided them into three companies, and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out from the city, he rose up against them and struck them down. 44 Then Abimelech and the company with him rushed forward and took up their positions at the entrance of the city gate. The other two companies rushed against all the people in the fields and struck them down. 45 So Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he captured the city and killed the people who were in it. Then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.
46 When all the leading men of Shechem heard, they fled to the stronghold of the temple of El-berith. 47 When Abimelech heard that the leading men from the Tower of Shechem had gathered there, 48 he went up Mount Zalmon with all his men. Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees. He picked it up, put it on his shoulder, and said to his men, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.” 49 So all of the men likewise cut down a branch and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the Tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.
50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he camped against Thebez and captured it. 51 But there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and the leaders of the city fled to it. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower. 52 When Abimelech launched an attack on the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire. 53 But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech and crushed his skull.
54 Then he immediately called out to his armourbearer, “Draw your sword and kill me, so men will not say of me, ‘A woman killed him’.” So the young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed and went home.
56 Thus God repaid Abimelech for the wickedness he had committed against his father by murdering his seventy brothers. 57 God also returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem upon their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubba came on them.