Gideon's son Abimelech kills his brothers and becomes king at Shechem. Jotham, the one surviving brother, tells a parable of the trees. After three years Shechem rebels, and Abimelech is killed by a woman who drops a millstone on his head.
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 ,
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 .
3 And his mother's brethren spake 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 threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith , wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons , which followed him .
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.
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 .
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, ye men of Shechem , that God may hearken unto you.
8 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree , Reign thou over us.
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 ?
10 And the trees said to the fig tree , Come thou, and reign over us.
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 ?
12 Then said the trees unto the vine , Come thou, and reign over us.
13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine , which cheereth God and man , and go to be promoted over the trees ?
14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble , Come thou, and reign over us.
15 And the bramble said unto the trees , If in truth ye 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 .
16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely , in that ye have made Abimelech king , and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house , and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands ;
17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far , and delivered you out of the hand of Midian :
18 And ye 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 ;)
19 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day , then rejoice ye 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 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel ,
23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem ; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech :
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 .
25 And the men of Shechem set liers 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 .
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.
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 .
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?
29 And would to God this people were under my hand ! then would I remove Abimelech . And he said to Abimelech , Increase thine 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 unto Abimelech privily , saying , Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem ; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.
32 Now therefore up by night , thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field :
33 And it shall be, that in the morning , as soon as the sun is up , thou shalt rise early , and set upon the city : and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt 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 entering of the gate of the city : and Abimelech rose up , and the people that were with him, from lying in wait .
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, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men .
37 And Gaal spake again and said , See there come people down by the middle of the land , and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim .
38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth , wherewith thou saidst , Who is Abimelech , that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised ? go out , I pray now , 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 many were overthrown and wounded , even unto the entering of the gate .
41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah : and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren , that they should not dwell in Shechem .
42 And it came to pass on the morrow , 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 wait in the field , and looked , and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city ; and he rose up against them, and smote them.
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.
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 .
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 .
47 And it was told Abimelech , that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together .
48 And Abimelech gat 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 ye have seen me do , make haste , 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 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 .
50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez , and encamped against Thebez , and took it.
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 gat them up to the top of the tower .
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 .
53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head , and all to brake his skull .
54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer , and said unto him, Draw thy sword , and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through , and he died .
55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead , they departed every man unto his place .
56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech , which he did unto his father , in slaying his seventy brethren :
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 .