Judges 9 · The Lantern

Abimelech’s Conspiracy

And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother’s brothers; and he spoke to them and to all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying:

“Speak, please, in the ears of all the masters of Shechem: Which is better for you — that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you? And remember that I am your bone and your flesh.”

And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words about him in the ears of all the masters of Shechem; and their heart inclined after Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”

And they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith; and with them Abimelech hired empty and reckless men, and they followed him.

And he came to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal — seventy men on one stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, was left, for he hid himself.

And all the masters of Shechem gathered, and all Beth-millo; and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that is at Shechem.

Jotham’s Parable

And they told Jotham; and he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and called, and said to them: “Listen to me, masters of Shechem — and may God listen to you.

The trees went, they went, to anoint a king over themselves. And they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’

And the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my rich oil, by which gods and men are honored, and go to sway over the trees?’

And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come, you — reign over us.’

And the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to sway over the trees?’

And the trees said to the vine, ‘Come, you — reign over us.’

And the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my new wine, which makes gods and men glad, and go to sway over the trees?’

And all the trees said to the bramble, ‘Come, you — reign over us.’

And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come, take refuge in my shade. But if not, let fire go out from the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’

And now — if you have acted in truth and in wholeness in making Abimelech king, and if you have done good with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if you have done to him as his hands deserved —

for my father fought for you, and threw his life out in front, and delivered you from the hand of Midian;

but you have risen up against my father’s house today, and killed his sons — seventy men on one stone — and made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the masters of Shechem because he is your brother —

if, then, you have acted in truth and in wholeness with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech, and let him too rejoice in you.

But if not, let fire go out from Abimelech and consume the masters of Shechem and Beth-millo; and let fire go out from the masters of Shechem and from Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”

And Jotham fled; he ran away and went to Beer, and lived there, away from Abimelech his brother.

Gaal Conspires with the Shechemites

And Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.

And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the masters of Shechem; and the masters of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech —

so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the masters of Shechem, who made his hands strong to kill his brothers.

And the masters of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed everyone who passed by them on the road; and it was told to Abimelech.

And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers, and they crossed into Shechem; and the masters of Shechem put their trust in him.

And they went out into the field and gathered their vineyards and trod the grapes, and held a festival; and they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.

And Gaal the son of Ebed said: “Who is Abimelech — and who is Shechem — that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem! But why should we serve him?

If only this people were in my hand — then I would remove Abimelech.” And he said of Abimelech, “Make your army great, and come out!”

The Fall of Shechem

And Zebul, the prince of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, and his anger burned.

And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying: “Look — Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and look, they are stirring up the city against you.

And now, rise by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field.

And it shall be in the morning, as the sun rises, that you shall rise early and rush upon the city. And look — when he and the people who are with him come out against you, then you shall do to him whatever your hand finds to do.”

And Abimelech rose by night, and all the people who were with him, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and Abimelech rose from the ambush, and the people who were with him.

And Gaal saw the people and said to Zebul, “Look — people coming down from the tops of the mountains!” And Zebul said to him, “You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as men.”

And Gaal spoke yet again and said, “Look — people coming down from the navel of the land, and one company coming by the way of the Diviners’ Oak.”

And Zebul said to him: “Where now is your mouth, you who said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people you despised? Go out now, please, and fight against them.”

And Gaal went out before the masters of Shechem and fought against Abimelech.

And Abimelech pursued him, and he fled before him; and many fell slain, as far as the entrance of the gate.

And Abimelech stayed at Arumah; and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers from living in Shechem.

And it was the next day that the people went out into the field; and it was told to Abimelech.

And he took the people and divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field; and he looked, and look — the people were coming out of the city. And he rose against them and struck them.

And Abimelech and the companies that were with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and the two companies rushed upon all who were in the field and struck them.

And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he captured the city, and the people who were in it he killed; and he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.

And all the masters of the Tower of Shechem heard, and they went into the stronghold of the house of El-berith.

And it was told to Abimelech that all the masters of the Tower of Shechem had gathered together.

And Abimelech went up Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took the axes in his hand and cut down a branch of the trees, and lifted it and put it on his shoulder; and he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do — hurry, do as I have done.”

And all the people also cut down, each man his branch, and followed Abimelech; and they put them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire over them. And all the people of the Tower of Shechem died as well — about a thousand men and women.

Abimelech’s Punishment

And Abimelech went to Thebez, and camped against Thebez, and captured it.

And there was a strong tower in the middle of the city, and all the men and the women and all the masters of the city fled there; and they shut themselves in, and went up on the roof of the tower.

And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it; and he drew near to the entrance of the tower, to burn it with fire.

And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, and it crushed his skull.

And he called quickly to the young man carrying his weapons and said to him, “Draw your sword and put me to death — lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” And his young man ran him through, and he died.

And the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, and they went each to his place.

So God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers;