Chapter 9

1. AND A-bim-e-lech the son of Jer-ub-ba-al went to She-chem 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 She-chem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jer-ub-ba-al, 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 She-chem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow A-bim-e-lech; for they said, He is our brother.
4. And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Ba-al-be-rith, wherewith A-bim-e-lech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
5. And he went unto his father's house at Oph-rah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jer-ub-ba-al, 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 She-chem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made A-bim-e-lech 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 Ge-ri-zim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of She-chem, 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 unto 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 A-bim-e-lech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jer-ub-ba-al 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 A-bim-e-lech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of She-chem, because he is your brother;)
19. If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jer-ub-ba-al and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in A-bim-e-lech, and let him also rejoice in you:
20. But if not, let fire come out from A-bim-e-lech, and devour the men of She-chem, 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 A-bim-e-lech his brother.
22. When A-bim-e-lech had reigned three years over Israel,
23. Then God sent an evil spirit between A-bim-e-lech and the men of She-chem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
24. That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jer-ub-ba-al might come, and their blood be laid upon A-bim-e-lech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of She-chem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
25. And the men of She-chem set liers in wait for him in the top to the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told A-bim-e-lech.
26. And Ga-al the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to She-chem: 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 A-bim-e-lech.
28. And Ga-al the son of Ebed said, Who is A-bim-e-lech, and who is She-chem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jer-ub-ba-al? 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 A-bim-e-lech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.
30. And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Ga-al the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
31. And he sent messengers unto A-bim-e-lech privily, saying, Behold, Ga-al the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to She-chem; 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 A-bim-e-lech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against She-chem in four companies.
35. And Ga-al the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and A-bim-e-lech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.
36. And when Ga-al 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 Ga-al spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Me-o-ne-nim.
38. Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is A-bim-e-lech, 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 Ga-al went out before the men of She-chem, and fought with A-bim-e-lech.
40. And A-bim-e-lech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
41. And A-bim-e-lech dwelt at A-ru-mah: and Zebul thrust out Ga-al and his brethren, that they should not dwell in She-chem.
42. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told A-bim-e-lech.
43. And he took the people, an 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 A-bim-e-lech, 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 A-bim-e-lech 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 She-chem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.
47. And it was told A-bim-e-lech, that all the men of the tower of She-chem were gathered together.
48. And A-bim-e-lech gat him up to mount Zal-mon, 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 A-bim-e-lech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shem-chem died also, about a thousand men and women.
50. Then went A-bim-e-lech to The-bez, 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 A-bim-e-lech 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 A-bim-e-lech's head, and all to brake his skull.
54. Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, 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 A-bim-e-lech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
56. Thus God rendered the wickedness of A-bim-e-lech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:
57. And all the evil of the men of She-chem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jer-ub-ba-al.

Mar. 30 Daily reading schedule.. go to chapter 10