1And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and spake with them , and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father , saying , 2Speak , I pray you , in the ears of all the men of Shechem , Whether is better for you , that all the sons of Jerubbaal , who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you , or that one rule over you ? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh . 3And 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. 4And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith , wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows , who followed him . 5And 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: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left ; for he hid himself. 6And 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 .
The Murder of Gideon's Sons
7And 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 unto them , Hearken unto me , ye men of Shechem , that God may hearken unto you . 8The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them ; and they said unto the olive-tree, Reign thou over us . 9But the olive-tree said unto them , Should I leave my fatness , wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees ? 10And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou , and reign over us . 11But the fig-tree said unto them , Should I leave my sweetness , and my good fruit , and go to wave to and fro over the trees ? 12And the trees said unto the vine , Come thou , and reign over us . 13And the vine said unto them , Should I leave my new wine , which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees ? 14Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou , and reign over us . 15And the bramble said unto the trees , If in truth ye 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 . 16Now therefore , if ye have dealt truly and uprightly , 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 , and delivered you out of the hand of Midian : 18and 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 maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem , because he is your brother); 19if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day , then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you : 20but 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. 21And Jotham ran away , and fled , and went to Beer, and dwelt there , for fear of Abimelech his brother.
Jotham's Parable and Curse
22And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years . 23And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem ; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 24that the violence done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who slew them , and upon the men of Shechem , who strengthened his hands to slay his brethren. 25And the men of Shechem set liers-in-wait for him on the tops of the mountains , and they robbed all that came along that way by them : and it was told Abimelech. 26And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem ; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him . 27And they went out into the field , and gathered their vineyards , and trod the grapes , and held festival , and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink , and cursed Abimelech. 28And 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 ye the men of Hamor the father of Shechem : but why should we serve him ? 29And would that this people were under my hand ! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army , and come out . 30And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed , his anger was kindled . 31And he sent messengers unto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold , Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem ; and , behold , they constrain the city to take part against thee . 32Now therefore , up by night , thou and the people that are with thee, and lie in wait in the field : 33and it shall be , that in the morning , as soon as the sun is up , thou shalt rise early , and rush upon the city ; and , behold , when he and the people that are with him come out against thee , then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion . 34And Abimelech rose up , and all the people that were with him , by night , and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies . 35And 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 ambushment . 36And when Gaal saw the people , he said to Zebul , Behold , there come people down from the tops of the mountains . And Zebul said unto him , Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men . 37And Gaal spake again and said , See , there come people down by the middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim . 38Then said Zebul unto him , Where is now thy mouth , that thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him ? is not this the people that thou hast despised ? go out now , I pray , and fight with them . 39And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem , and fought with Abimelech. 40And Abimelech chased him , and he fled before him , and there fell many wounded , even unto the entrance of the gate . 41And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem . 42And it came to pass on the morrow , that the people went out into the field ; and they told Abimelech. 43And he took the people , and divided them into three companies , and laid wait in the field ; and he looked , and , behold , the people came forth out of the city ; and he rose up against them , and smote them . 44And 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 upon all that were in the field , and smote them . 45And 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 . 46And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof , they entered into the stronghold of the house of Elberith. 47And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together . 48And 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 up , and laid it on his shoulder : and he said unto the people that were with him , What ye have seen me do , make haste , and do as I have done . 49And 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 upon them ; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also , about a thousand men and women. 50Then went Abimelech to Thebez , and encamped against Thebez , and took it . 51But there was a strong tower within the city , and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city , and shut themselves in , and gat them up to the roof of the tower . 52And Abimelech came unto the tower , and fought against it , and drew near unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech’s head , and brake his skull . 54Then he called hastily unto the young man his armorbearer, and said unto him , Draw thy sword , and kill me , that men say not of me , A woman slew him . And his young man thrust him through , and he died . 55And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead , they departed every man unto his place . 56Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren; 57and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite upon their heads : and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal .