|
Chapter 9
- 9:1
- And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal
went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them,
and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,
- 9:2
- Speak, I pray you, in the ears of
all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the
sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over
you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and
your flesh.
- 9:3
- 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.
- 9:4
- And they gave him threescore and
ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith
Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.
- 9:5
- 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: notwithstanding yet Jotham
the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
- 9:6
- And all the men of Shechem
gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made
Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.
- 9:7
- And when they told it to Jotham,
he went and stood in 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.
- 9:8
- The trees went forth on a time to
anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou
over us.
- 9:9
- But the olive tree said unto them,
Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man,
and go to be promoted over the trees?
- 9:10
- And the trees said to the fig
tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
- 9:11
- But the fig tree said unto them,
Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be
promoted over the trees?
- 9:12
- Then said the trees unto the vine,
Come thou, and reign over us.
- 9:13
- And the vine said unto them,
Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be
promoted over the trees?
- 9:14
- Then said all the trees unto the
bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
- 9:15
- And the bramble said unto the
trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your
trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and
devour the cedars of Lebanon.
- 9:16
- Now therefore, if ye have done
truly and sincerely, 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;
- 9:17
- (For my father fought for you, and
adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:
- 9:18
- 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
maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your
brother;)
- 9:19
- If ye then have dealt truly and
sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye
in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
- 9:20
- 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.
- 9:21
- And Jotham ran away, and fled, and
went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
- 9:22
- When Abimelech had reigned three
years over Israel,
- 9:23
- Then God sent an evil spirit
between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt
treacherously with Abimelech:
- 9:24
- That the cruelty done to the
threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be
laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men
of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.
- 9:25
- And the men of Shechem set liers
in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that
came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
- 9:26
- And Gaal the son of Ebed came with
his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put
their confidence in him.
- 9:27
- And they went out into the fields,
and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry,
and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and
cursed Abimelech.
- 9:28
- 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 the men of Hamor
the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?
- 9:29
- And would to God this people were
under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech,
Increase thine army, and come out.
- 9:30
- And when Zebul the ruler of the
city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.
- 9:31
- And he sent messengers unto
Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his
brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city
against thee.
- 9:32
- Now therefore up by night, thou
and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:
- 9:33
- And it shall be, that in the
morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon
the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come
out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find
occasion.
- 9:34
- And Abimelech rose up, and all the
people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against
Shechem in four companies.
- 9:35
- And Gaal the son of Ebed went out,
and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose
up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.
- 9:36
- And when Gaal saw the people, he
said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the
mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the
mountains as if they were men.
- 9:37
- And Gaal spake again, and said,
See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another
company come along by the plain of Meonenim.
- 9:38
- Then said Zebul unto him, Where is
now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should
serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I
pray now, and fight with them.
- 9:39
- And Gaal went out before the men
of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
- 9:40
- And Abimelech chased him, and he
fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the
entering of the gate.
- 9:41
- And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and
Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in
Shechem.
- 9:42
- And it came to pass on the morrow,
that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.
- 9:43
- And he took the people, and
divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and
looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and
he rose up against them, and smote them.
- 9:44
- And Abimelech, and the company
that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the
gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people
that were in the fields, and slew them.
- 9:45
- And Abimelech fought against the
city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was
therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
- 9:46
- And when all the men of the tower
of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the
god Berith.
- 9:47
- And it was told Abimelech, that
all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
- 9:48
- And Abimelech gat him up to mount
Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took
an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it,
and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with
him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.
- 9:49
- And all the people likewise cut
down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the
hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the
tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
- 9:50
- Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and
encamped against Thebez, and took it.
- 9:51
- 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 it to them, and gat them up to the top of the
tower.
- 9:52
- And Abimelech came unto the tower,
and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to
burn it with fire.
- 9:53
- And a certain woman cast a piece
of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.
- 9:54
- Then he called hastily unto the
young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and
slay me, that men say not of me, A women slew him. And his young man
thrust him through, and he died.
- 9:55
- And when the men of Israel saw
that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
- 9:56
- Thus God rendered the wickedness
of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy
brethren:
- 9:57
- And all the evil of the men of
Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse
of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
|
|