8 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with Midian? And they did chide with him sharply. ² And he said unto them, What have I now done in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? ³ God hath delivered into your hand the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their ^[a]anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

⁴ And Gideon came to the Jordan, ^[b]and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing. ⁵ And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. ⁶ And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread unto thine army? ⁷ And Gideon said, Therefore when Jehovah hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will ^[c]tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. ⁸ And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them in like manner; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. ⁹ And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the host of the children of the east; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. ¹¹ And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure. ¹² And Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued after them; and he took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and ^[d]discomfited all the host.

¹³ And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle from the ascent of Heres. ¹⁴ And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he ^[e]described for him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, seventy and seven men. ¹⁵ And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom ye did taunt me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thy hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? ¹⁶ And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. ¹⁷ And he brake down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

¹⁸ Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. ¹⁹ And he said, They were my brethren, the sons of my mother: as Jehovah liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. ²⁰ And he said unto Jether his first-born, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth. ²¹ Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels’ necks.

²² Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also; for thou hast saved us out of the hand of Midian. ²³ And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: Jehovah shall rule over you. ²⁴ And Gideon said unto them, I would make a request of you, that ye would give me every man the ^[f]ear-rings of his spoil. (For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites.) ²⁵ And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the ear-rings of his spoil. ²⁶ And the weight of the golden ear-rings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels’ necks. ²⁷ And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel played the harlot after it there; and it became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house. ²⁸ So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

²⁹ And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. ³⁰ And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten; for he had many wives. ³¹ And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, and he ^[g]called his name Abimelech. ³² And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

³³ And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and played the harlot after the Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god. ³⁴ And the children of Israel remembered not Jehovah their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side; ³⁵ neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel.

9 And 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, ² Speak, 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. ³ And 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. ⁴ And 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. ⁵ And 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. ⁶ And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all ^[h]the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the ^[i]oak of the ^[j]pillar that was in Shechem.

⁷ And 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. 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, ^[k]wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig-tree, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹¹ But 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? ¹² And the trees said unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹³ And 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? ¹⁴ Then said all the trees unto the ^[l]bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹⁵ And the ^[m]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 ^[n]bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. ¹⁶ Now 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 ^[o]adventured his life, 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 Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother); ¹⁹ if 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: ²⁰ but 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. ²¹ And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

²² And Abimelech was prince over Israel three years. ²³ And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: ²⁴ that 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. ²⁵ And 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.

²⁶ And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their trust in him. ²⁷ And they went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and ^[p]held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. ²⁸ And 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? ²⁹ And would that this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said ^[q]to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

³⁰ And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. ³¹ And he sent messengers unto Abimelech ^[r]craftily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold, they ^[s]constrain the city to take part against thee. ³² Now therefore, up by night, thou and the people that are 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 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 ^[t]as thou shalt find occasion.

³⁴ And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. ³⁵ And 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. ³⁶ And 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. ³⁷ And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the ^[u]middle of the land, and one company cometh by the way of ^[v]the oak of Meonenim. ³⁸ Then 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. ³⁹ And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. ⁴⁰ And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even unto the entrance of the gate.

⁴¹ And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem. ⁴² And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech. ⁴³ And 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. ⁴⁴ And 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. ⁴⁵ And 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.

⁴⁶ And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard thereof, they entered into the stronghold of the house of Elberith. ⁴⁷ And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. ⁴⁸ And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took ^[w]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. ⁴⁹ And 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.

⁵⁰ Then went Abimelech to Thebez, 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 themselves in, and gat them up to the roof of the tower. ⁵² And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and drew near unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. ⁵³ And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and brake his skull. ⁵⁴ Then 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. ⁵⁵ And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. ⁵⁶ Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren; ⁵⁷ and 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.