1 Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and spoke with them and with all the clan of his mother's father's house. He said,
2 "Speak, please, in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem: 'Which is better for you, to have seventy men, every one of Jerubbaal's sons, ruling over you, or to have one man rule over you?' And keep in mind that I am your own bone and flesh."
3 His mother's brothers spoke on his behalf, saying all these words in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts leaned toward Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."
4 They gave him seventy silver pieces from the house of Baal-berith, and with it Abimelech hired idle, reckless men, and they followed him.
5 He came to his father's house in Ophrah and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, upon a single stone. Only Jotham, Jerubbaal's youngest son, survived, because he hid.
6 Then all the leaders of Shechem and all Beth-millo assembled and went and made Abimelech king beside the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
7 When Jotham heard of it, he went and stood on the summit of Mount Gerizim and called out to them in a loud voice: "Hear me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may hear you!
8 The trees went out one day to anoint a king over them. They said to the olive tree, 'Be king over us.'
9 The olive tree answered them, 'Shall I leave my oil, through which gods and men are honored, to go and sway above the trees?'
10 So the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come, you be king over us.'
11 The fig tree answered them, 'Shall I leave my sweetness and my fine fruit to go and sway above the trees?'
12 So the trees said to the vine, 'Come, you be king over us.'
13 The vine answered them, 'Shall I leave my new wine, which gladdens gods and men, to go and sway above the trees?'
14 At last all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come, you be king over us.'
15 The thornbush answered the trees, 'If you really mean to anoint me king over you, come, shelter in my shade. If not, may fire burst from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'
16 So now, if it was in truth and integrity that you acted when you made Abimelech king, if you did right by Jerubbaal and his house, and if you treated him as the work of his hands deserved,
17 my father, who fought on your behalf, risked his life and rescued you from the hand of Midian,
18 while you today have risen against my father's house, killed his sons, seventy men, upon a single stone, and made Abimelech, his slave woman's son, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother,
19 if, I say, you have acted today in truth and integrity toward Jerubbaal and his house, then be glad in Abimelech, and may he too be glad in you.
20 If not, may fire burst from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire burst from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech!"
21 Then Jotham ran off and escaped. He went to Beer and settled there, away from his brother Abimelech.
22 Abimelech held power over Israel for three years.
23 God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem betrayed Abimelech,
24 so that the wrong done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come home and their blood be put upon their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and upon the leaders of Shechem, who had made his hands strong to kill his brothers.
25 The leaders of Shechem placed men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, and they robbed everyone who came by them along the road. Abimelech was told of it.
26 Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and passed into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem put their confidence in him.
27 They went out to the fields, harvested their vineyards and trod the grapes, and they held a celebration. They went into their god's house, ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.
28 Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not Jerubbaal's son, and Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve this man?
29 If only someone would put this people under my command! I would get rid of Abimelech." And he said to Abimelech, "Muster your army and come out!"
30 When Zebul, the governor of the city, heard what Gaal son of Ebed had said, his anger flared.
31 He sent messengers to Abimelech secretly to say, "Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem, and they are turning the city against you.
32 So now, set out by night, you and the troops with you, and wait in ambush in the field.
33 In the morning, at sunrise, get up early and make a dash against the city. When he and his troops come out against you, do to him whatever you are able."
34 Abimelech and all the troops with him set out by night and lay in ambush against Shechem in four units.
35 Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the opening of the city gate, and Abimelech and his troops got up from their ambush.
36 Gaal saw the troops and said to Zebul, "See, troops are coming down off the mountaintops!" Zebul told him, "You are taking the shadows of the mountains for men."
37 Gaal spoke once more: "Look, troops are coming down from the navel of the land, and one unit is coming by way of the Diviners' Oak."
38 Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Are these not the troops you scorned? Go out now and fight them!"
39 So Gaal went out in front of the leaders of Shechem and fought Abimelech.
40 Abimelech chased him and he fled from him, and many fell slain all the way to the opening of the gate.
41 Abimelech remained at Arumah, while Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out so they could no longer live in Shechem.
42 The next day the people went out into the fields, and Abimelech was told.
43 He took the troops, split them into three units and set an ambush in the field. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose up against them and struck them down.
44 Abimelech and the unit with him charged ahead and took their stand at the opening of the city gate, while the other two units charged everyone in the fields and struck them down.
45 All that day Abimelech fought against the city. He took it and killed the people in it; then he razed the city and sowed salt over it.
46 All the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard of this and went into the stronghold of the house of El-berith.
47 Abimelech received word that all the leaders of the tower of Shechem had gathered there.
48 Abimelech went up Mount Zalmon, he and all his troops. Abimelech took an axe in his hand, chopped off a bough from the trees, hoisted it, and set it on his shoulder. He said to the troops with him, "You have seen what I did; quick, do the same!"
49 So every one of the troops also chopped off a bough and followed Abimelech. They laid them against the stronghold and set the stronghold ablaze over the people inside, and all the people of the tower of Shechem died too, about a thousand men and women.
50 Abimelech went on to Thebez, laid siege to Thebez, and took it.
51 In the middle of the city stood a strong tower, and all the men and women, all the leaders of the city, fled into it; they shut it behind them and went up to the tower's roof.
52 Abimelech came up to the tower and attacked it, and he drew near the tower's door to set it on fire.
53 A woman dropped an upper millstone onto Abimelech's head and broke his skull.
54 Quickly he called to the young man who bore his armor and told him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" His young man ran him through, and he died.
55 Seeing that Abimelech was dead, the men of Israel went off, each to his own place.
56 So God paid back the evil Abimelech had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers,
57 and God brought all the evil of the men of Shechem back on their heads; the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal fell on them.