Abimelech’s Conspiracy

1And Abimelech son of Jerubbaal, will come to Shechem to his mother's brethren, and say to them, to all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, 2Speak, now, in the ears of all the lords of Shechem, What good to you for seventy men of all the sons of Jerubbaal to rule over you, or one man to rule over you? and remember that I am your bone and your flesh. 3And his mother's brethren will speak concerning him in the ears of all the lords of Shechem all these words: and their heart will incline after Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. 4And they will give him seventy of silver from the house of Baal of the covenant, and Abimelech will hire with them men empty and vain-glorious, and they will go after him. 5And he will come to his father's house at Ophrah, and will kill his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men upon one stone: and Jotham the young son of Jerubbaal will be left, for he was hid. 6And all the lords of Shechem will gather together, and all the House of the Rampart, and they will make Abimelech king, by the Oak of the Pillar which is in Shechem.

Jotham’s Parable

7And they will announce to Jotham and he will go and stand upon the head of mount Gerizim, and he will lift up his voice and call, and say to them, Hear to me, ye lords of Shechem, and God will hear to you. 8The trees going forth went to anoint over them a king; and they will say to the olive, Reign thou over us. 9And the olive will say to them, Left I my fatness which by me they will honor God and men, and went I to wander about over the trees? 10And the trees will say to the fig tree, Come thou, reign over us. 11And the fig tree will say to them, Left I my sweetness, and my good produce, and went I to wander about over the trees? 12And the trees will say to the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. 13And the vine will say to them, Left I my new wine-making, rejoicing God and men, and went I to wander about over the trees? 14And all the trees will say to the buckthorn. Come thou, reign over us. 15And the buckthorn will say to the trees, If in truth ye anoint me for king over you, come, take refuge in my shadow: and if not, fire shall come forth from the buckthorn and shall consume the cedars of Lebanon.

16And now if in truth and in uprightness ye did and ye shall make Abimelech king, and if ye did good with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if according to the desert of his hands ye did to him: 17(For my father fought for you, and he will cast his soul away, and he will deliver you from the hand of Midian. 18And ye rose up against the house of my father this day, and ye will kill his sons, seventy men, upon one stone; and ye will make Abimelech, son of his maid, king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your brother:) 19And if in sincerity and uprightness ye did with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice ye in Abimelech, and he shall rejoice also in you. 20And if not, fire shall come forth from Abimelech and shall consume the lords of Shechem and the House of the Rampart; and fire shall come forth from the lords of Shechem and from the House of the Rampart, and shall consume Abimelech. 21And Jotham will flee, and break away, and he will go to the well and will dwell there from the face of Abimelech his brother.

Gaal Conspires with the Shechemites

22And Abimelech will have dominion over Israel three years, 23And God will send an evil spirit between Abimelech and between the lords of Shechem; and the lords of Shechem will act deceitfully with Abimelech, 24To bring the wrong of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal and to put their blood upon Abimelech their brother who killed them, and upon the lords of Shechem who strengthened his hands to kill his brethren. 25And the lords of Shechem will set for him liers in wait upon the heads of the mountains, and they will rob all who shall pass over by them in the way: and it was announced to Abimelech.

26And Gaal son of Ebed will come, and his brethren, and they will pass over to Shechem: and the lords of Shechem will trust in him. 27And they will go forth to the field, and they will gather their vineyards, and they will tread down, and they will make rejoicings, and go in to the house of their God, and they will eat and drink, and curse Abimelech. 28And Gaal son of Ebed will say, Who Abimelech, and who Shechem, that we shall serve him? is he not the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his overseer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: and why shall we serve him? 29And who will give this people into my hand? And I will remove Abimelech. And he will say to Abimelech, Increase thine army and come forth.

The Fall of Shechem

30And Zebul the ruler of the city will hear the words of Gaal, son of Ebed, and his wrath will kindle. 31And he will send messengers to Abimelech in deceit, saying, Behold, Gaal son of Ebed, and his brethren, came to Shechem; and behold, they pressed the city against thee. 32And now, rise up by night, thou and the people which are with thee, and lie in wait in the field: 33And it was in the morning when the sun rose, thou shalt rise early and invade upon the city: and behold, he and the people which with him coming forth against thee; and do thou to him as thy hand shall find.

34And Abimelech will rise, and all the people which are with him, by night, and they will lie in wait against Shechem in four heads. 35And Gaal son of Ebed will go forth, and he will stand at the door of the gate of the city: and Abimelech will rise, and the people that are with him, from the ambush. 36And Gaal will see the people, and he will say to Zebul, Behold, people coming down from the heads of the mountains. And Zebul will say to him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as men. 37And Gaal will add to speak, and will say, Behold, people coming down from the height of the land, and one head coming from the way of the oak of Meonenim. 38And Zebul will say to him, Where now thy mouth with which thou wilt say, Who Abimelech, that we shall serve him? is not this the people which thou despised it? now go forth now, and fight with it. 39And Gaal will go forth before the lords of Shechem, and he will fight against Abimelech. 40And Abimelech will pursue him and he will flee from his face, and many will fall wounded at the door of the gate. 41And Abimelech will dwell in Arumah: and Zebul will drive out Gaal and his brethren from dwelling in Shechem.

42And it will be from the morrow, and the people will go forth to the field; and they will announce to Abimelech. 43And he will take the people and will divide them into three heads, and he will lie in wait in the field, and he will see, and behold, the people will come forth from the city, and he will rise up against them and smite them. 44And Abimelech and the heads which are with him will invade, and they will stand at the door of the gate of the city: and two heads will invade upon all which are in the field, and they will smite them. 45And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he will take the city, and the people which in it he killed, and he will tear down the city, and will sow it with salt.

46And all the lords of the tower of Shechem will hear, and they will go in to the tower of the god of the covenant. 47And it was announced to Abimelech that all the lords of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48And Abimelech will go up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that with him; and Abimelech will take axes in his hand, and he will cut boughs of the trees, and will lift up and will put upon his shoulder, and he will say to the people which are with him, What ye saw I did, hasten, do like me. 49And also all the people will cut each a bough, and will go after Abimelech, and they will put upon the tower, and will set the tower on fire upon them, and all the men of the tower of Shechem will die; about a thousand men and women.

Abimelech’s Punishment

50And Abimelech will go to Thebez, and he will encamp against Thebez and take it. 51And a strong tower was in the midst of the city, and thither will flee all the men and women and all the lords of the city, and will shut up from after them, and they will go up upon the roof of the tower. 52And Abimelech will come even to the tower, and will fight against it, and will urge on, even to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53And one woman will cast a piece of the upper mill-stone upon the head of Abimelech, and she will break his skull. 54And he will call quickly to the youth lifting up his weapons, and he will say to him, Draw thy sword and put me to death, lest they shall say of me, A woman killed him. And his youth will thrust him through and he will die. 55And the men of Israel will see that Abimelech died, and they will go each to his place.

56And God will turn back the evil of Abimelech which he did to his father for killing his seventy brethren. 57And all the evil of the men of Shechem God turned back upon their head: and against them will come the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.