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          DASV: Judges 9    

1 Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his
mother's brothers, and spoke with them, and his mother's clan,
saying,
2 "Please, ask, all the leaders of Shechem, 'Which is better
for you, to have all seventy sons of Jerubbaal rule over you,
or just one? Remember also that I am your flesh and bone.'"
3 So his mother's relatives spoke all these words on his
behalf to all the leaders of Shechem. Their hearts were
inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."
4 They gave him seventy silver coins from the temple of
Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and
reckless hoodlums who followed him.
5 Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah, and killed
all seventy of his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal on one stone.
But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because
he hid himself.
6 All the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo assembled,
went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar
in Shechem.

7 When they told Jotham, he went and stood on the top of Mount
Gerizim. He raised his voice and shouted to them, "Listen
to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you.
8 Once upon a time the trees went out to anoint a king over them,
and they said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.'
9 But the olive tree replied, 'Should I give up producing my
olive oil, by which both God and man are honored, just to
wave back and forth over the trees?'
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come, you be king
over us.'
11 But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I leave my sweet
and delicious fruit, just to sway back and forth over the
trees?'
12 Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come, you be our king.'
13 But the vine said to them, 'Should I stop producing my new
wine that cheers both God and man, just to sway back and forth
over the trees?'
14 So all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come, you be our king.'
15 The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really are anointing
me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade. If not,
then let fire come out of the thornbush and devour the cedars
of Lebanon.'
16 Now therefore, if you have dealt in good faith and integrity
when you made Abimelech king, and if you have treated Jerubbaal
and his house fairly, and have repaid him according to what his
actions deserve--
17 for my father fought for you, and risked his life, and rescued
you from of the hand of Midian.
18 But you have revolted against my father's house this day,
by killing his seventy sons on one stone, and have made Abimelech,
the son of his female slave, king over Shechem, because he is
your relative.
19 If you then have dealt in good faith and integrity with Jerubbaal
and his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech and let him
be happy with you too.
20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the
leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and let fire come out from
the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and devour Abimelech."
21 Then Jotham ran away escaping to Beer, and settled there,
to evade Abimelech his brother.

22 Abimelech ruled over Israel three years.
23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders
of Shechem. The leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously
with Abimelech.
24 This occurred so that the violence done to the seventy sons
of Jerubbaal might be avenged, and that the blood of their
murders might be repaid on Abimelech, their brother, and the
leaders of Shechem, who assisted in killing his brothers.
25 Then the leaders of Shechem set an ambush for him on the
tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who came along
that way and it was reported to Abimelech.
26 Gaal, the son of Ebed, moved into Shechem with his brothers.
The leaders of Shechem backed him.
27 They went out into the field, gathered grapes from their vineyards,
and squeezed the grapes and held a festival. They went into the
house of their god, ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.
28 Gaal the son of Ebed challenged, "Who is Abimelech, and who is
Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal
and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor, the father
of Shechem! But why should we serve Abimelech?
29 If only these people were under control! Then I would remove
Abimelech. I would say to Abimelech, 'Muster the army, and come out.'"

30 When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son
of Ebed, he was infuriated.
31 So he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, "Look, Gaal,
the son of Ebed, and his brothers have come to Shechem. They are
stirring up the town to revolt against you.
32 Now therefore, go by night, you and your troops, and set an
ambush in the field.
33 In the morning, at sunrise, rise early and attack the city
and when he and the people that are with him come out against you,
then you may do with them as you wish."

34 So Abimelech and all his troops got up at night and they set
an ambush against Shechem in four companies.
35 Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out and stood in the entrance of
the town gate. Abimelech and his men came out from their ambush.
36 When Gaal saw them, he observed to Zebul, "Look, there are
people coming down from the tops of the mountains." Zebul said
to him, "You are just seeing shadows of the mountains that look
like men."
37 Gaal spoke again, "See, there are people coming down from the
center of the land, and another group is coming by the way of
the Diviner's Oak."
38 Then said Zebul to him, "Where is your big mouth now, you who
bragged, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Are not
these the troops you mocked? Go ahead now and fight them."
39 So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem, and fought
with Abimelech.

40 Abimelech chased him and he fled before him. Many fell
wounded all the way to the entrance of the gate.
41 Abimelech lived at Arumah. Zebul drove out Gaal and his
brothers so they could not live in Shechem.
42 The next day the people went out into the field. When
Abimelech was told,
43 he divided up his men into three groups, and set an ambush
in the field. When he looked, he saw the people coming
out of the town. He attacked them and killed them.
44 Abimelech and the group that were with him rushed forward,
and stood in the entrance of the town gate. Then the other
two groups attacked all who were in the field and killed them.
45 Abimelech fought against the town all that day. He took
the town and slew the people that were in it. He leveled
the town, and scattered salt on it.

46 When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard about it,
they entered into the stronghold of the temple of El-berith.
47 It was reported to Abimelech that all the men of the tower
of Shechem were gathered together.
48 So Abimelech and all his troops went up Mount Zalmon,
and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, cut down a tree branch,
picked it up and laid it on his shoulder. Then he ordered
the people that were with him, "Quickly, do what you have
seen me do."
49 Each of his men likewise cut down his branch and followed
Abimelech. They piled the branches up around the stronghold
and set it on fire. So all the men of the tower of
Shechem died too--about a thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, laid siege to Thebez,
and captured it.
51 But there was a fortified tower within the town, so all
the men and women of the town fled there and locked
themselves in and got up to the roof of the tower.
52 Then Abimelech came to the tower and attacked it.
When he approached the door of the tower to burn it
with fire,
53 a certain woman threw an upper millstone down on
Abimelech's head, and crushed his skull.
54 Then he quickly called his young armor bearer, and
ordered him, "Draw your sword, and kill me, so that
they will not say about me, 'A woman killed him.'
So his young attendant ran him threw and he died.
55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead,
they all went home.
56 So God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech,
for what he did to his father by slaying his
seventy brothers.
57 All the wickedness of the leaders of Shechem,
God repaid on their heads. On them came the
curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

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