Abimelech Seizes the Throne
Abimelech buys thugs with temple silver and murders his seventy brothers on one stone; only Jotham escapes, shouting his fable of the trees who crowned a bramble. Our Father then sets Shechem against him. He burns a thousand alive, and a woman's millstone crushes his skull.
9 1Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and said to them and to all his mother's father's clan. 2Ask all Shechem's citizens: 'Which is better—seventy men, all Jerubbaal's sons, ruling you, or one man ruling you?' Remember, I am your own flesh and blood.
3His mother's brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, and their hearts turned to Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother." 4They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-berith, and with it Abimelech hired worthless, reckless men who followed him. 5Then at his father's house in Ophrah he killed his brothers, Jerubbaal's seventy sons, on one stone. But Jotham, Jerubbaal's youngest son, survived by hiding. 6All the citizens of Shechem and all Beth-millo gathered, went, and made Abimelech king by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
7When Jotham was told, he went and stood atop Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and called out: "Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, that our Father may listen to you. 8One day the trees went out to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' 9But the olive tree answered them, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both our Father and people are honored, to go and sway over the trees?' 10Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and reign over us.' 11But the fig tree answered them, 'Should I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, to go and sway over the trees?' 12Then the trees said to the vine, 'You come and reign over us.' 13But the vine answered them, 'Should I give up my new wine, which cheers both our Father and people, to go and sway over the trees?' 14Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'You come and reign over us.' 15And the bramble said to the trees, 'If you really mean to anoint me 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.'
16Now if you acted honestly and with integrity in making Abimelech king, and if you dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, repaying him as his deeds deserved, 17my father fought for you, risked his life to rescue you from Midian's hand, 18but today you rose against my father's house, killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and made Abimelech, son of his slave woman, king over Shechem's citizens because he's your brother, 19if you have acted in good faith and integrity toward Jerubbaal and his house today, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him rejoice in you too. 20But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour Shechem's citizens and Beth-millo, and fire from Shechem's citizens and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech."
21Jotham fled and escaped, going to Beer, where he lived, away from his brother Abimelech.
The Father Repays the Bloodshed
22After Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years, 23our Father sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and Shechem's citizens, and they dealt treacherously with Abimelech. a a v23 Our Father did not plant evil in their hearts; he gave Abimelech and the men of Shechem over to the treachery they had already chosen, so that the blood of the murdered brothers would meet its justice. 24So that the violence to Jerubbaal's seventy sons would be repaid, their blood placed on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on Shechem's citizens, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. 25The citizens of Shechem set ambushers against him on the hilltops, and they robbed everyone passing by on the road. And Abimelech was told.
26Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and moved into Shechem, and its citizens trusted him. 27They went to the fields, picked grapes from their vineyards, trod them, and held a festival in their god's temple, where they ate, drank, and cursed Abimelech.
28Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn't he Jerubbaal's son, and isn't Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech? 29If only this people were mine to command! Then I'd remove Abimelech; I'd say to him, 'Call out your whole army!'"
30When Zebul the city's ruler heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, his anger flared. 31He secretly sent messengers to Abimelech: "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are turning the city against you. 32Now rise by night, you and the people with you, and lie in wait in the field. 33In the morning at sunrise, get up early and raid the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do to them whatever your hand finds."
34So Abimelech and all his people set out at night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. 35Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the city gate entrance; Abimelech and the people with him rose from ambush.
36Gaal saw the people and told Zebul, "Look, people coming down from the hilltops!" Zebul said, "You're seeing mountain shadows as men."
37Gaal spoke again, "Look, people coming down from the center of the land, and one company from the direction of the Diviners' Oak."
38Then Zebul said to him, "Where's your big talk now—you who said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Aren't these the people you despised? Go out and fight them!"
39So Gaal went out at the head of the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech. 40But Abimelech chased him, Gaal fled before him, and many fell wounded up to the gate's entrance. 41Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem, so they could not live there. 42The next day the people went out into the fields, and Abimelech was told. 43He took his men, split them into three companies, and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people leaving the city, he rose against them and struck them down. 44Abimelech and his companies rushed forward and took their stand at the city gate's entrance, while the other two companies rushed on all in the fields and struck them down. 45Abimelech fought the city all that day, captured it, killed its people, tore down the city, and sowed it with salt. b b v45 Sowing a conquered city with salt was an ancient act of cursing—a sign that the ground should stay barren and the place never be rebuilt.
46Hearing this, all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem entered the stronghold of the temple of El-berith. 47Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem had gathered there, 48so he went up Mount Zalmon, he and all his people. He took an axe in his hand, cut a branch of brushwood, lifted it, set it on his shoulder, and said to his people, "Hurry, do what you saw me do!" 49So everyone cut branches, followed Abimelech, piled them against the stronghold, and set it burning over those inside. The people of Shechem's Tower died too—about 1,000 men and women.
50Then Abimelech went to Thebez, camped against it, and captured it. 51A strong tower stood inside the city, and all the men and women—all the city's leaders—fled to it, shut themselves in, and climbed to the tower's roof. 52Abimelech reached the tower, attacked it, and neared its door to burn it. 53But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. 54He quickly called his armor-bearer and said, "Draw your sword and kill me, so they can't say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" So the young man ran him through, and he died.
55When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home. 56This is how our Father repaid the evil Abimelech did to his father by killing his seventy brothers. 57Our Father returned all the evil of Shechem's men on their own heads, and Jotham son of Jerubbaal's curse came on them.
