Judges 9 — Read & Listen Online | Father's Heart Bible

Abimelech Seizes the Throne

Chapter 9.

Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and said to them and to all the clan of his mother's father, "Ask all the citizens 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?' Remember that I am your own flesh and blood."

When his mother's brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother." They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-berith, and with it Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men, who followed him. Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on a single stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself. Then all the citizens of Shechem and all Beth-millo gathered together and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

Jotham's Parable of the Trees

When Jotham was told, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and raised his voice and called out to them: "Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, that our Father may listen to you. One day the trees went out to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us.' But the olive tree answered them, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both our Father and people are honored, to go and sway over the trees?' Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and reign over us.' But the fig tree answered them, 'Should I give up my sweetness and my good fruit, to go and sway over the trees?' Then the trees said to the vine, 'You come and reign over us.' But the vine answered them, 'Should I give up my new wine, which cheers both our Father and people, to go and sway over the trees?' Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'You come and reign over us.' And the bramble said to the trees, 'If you really mean to anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'

"Now then, if you acted in good faith and integrity when you made Abimelech king, and if you dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and treated him as his deeds deserved— for my father fought for you and risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian, but today you have risen against my father's house, killed his sons, seventy men on a single stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is your brother— if, then, you have acted in good faith and integrity toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and let fire come out from the citizens of Shechem and from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech."

Then Jotham slipped away and fled, and he went to Beer and lived there, out of reach of his brother Abimelech.

The Father Repays the Bloodshed

After Abimelech had ruled over Israel three years, our Father sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech. ¹ This happened so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal would be repaid, and their blood placed on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the citizens of Shechem, who had strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. The citizens of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the hilltops, and they robbed everyone who passed by them on the road. And Abimelech was told of it.

Now Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and moved into Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem put their confidence in him. They went out into the fields, gathered the grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and held a festival in the temple of their god, where they ate and drank and cursed Abimelech. And Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem! Why should we serve Abimelech? If only this people were under my command! Then I would remove Abimelech; I would say to him, 'Call out your whole army!'"

The Fall of Shechem

When Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. He sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, "Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem, and they are stirring up the city against you. Now then, set out by night, you and the people with you, and lie in wait in the fields. In the morning, as soon as the sun is up, rise early and rush the city. When Gaal and the people with him come out against you, do to them whatever your hand finds to do."

So Abimelech and all the people with him set out by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. When Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate, Abimelech and the people with him rose from their hiding place.

Gaal saw the people and said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the hilltops!" But Zebul said to him, "You are seeing the shadows of the mountains as if they were men."

Gaal spoke up again, "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming from the direction of the Diviners' Oak."

Then 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 people you despised? Go out now and fight them!"

So Gaal went out at the head of the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech. But Abimelech chased him, and Gaal fled before him, and many fell wounded all the way to the entrance of the gate. Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, so they could no longer live in Shechem. The next day the people went out into the fields, and Abimelech was told. So he took his men, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose against them and struck them down. Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate, while the other two companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and struck them down. Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured it and killed the people in it, and he tore down the city and sowed it with salt. ²

When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the temple of El-berith. Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem had gathered there, so he went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people with him. He took an axe in his hand, cut off a branch of brushwood, lifted it, and set it on his shoulder, and he said to the people with him, "Hurry and do what you have seen me do!" So all the people cut their own branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over those inside, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died—about a thousand men and women.

Abimelech Meets His End

Then Abimelech went to Thebez, encamped against it, and captured it. But there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men and women—all the leaders of the city—fled to it. They shut themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower. Abimelech came to the tower and attacked it, and he approached the door of the tower to set it on fire. But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. He quickly called the young man who carried his armor and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so they cannot say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" So his armor-bearer ran him through, and he died.

When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home. In this way our Father repaid the evil that Abimelech had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers. Our Father also brought all the evil of the men of Shechem back on their own heads, and the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.

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