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JugesChapitre 9

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Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family,
"Ask all the leaders of Shechem this: Which is better for you—that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or that one man rule over you? Remember, I am your own flesh and blood."
When his mother's brothers repeated all this on his behalf to all the leaders of Shechem, their hearts inclined toward 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.
He went to his father's house at Ophrah and murdered his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on a single stone. Only Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself.
Then all the leaders of Shechem and all Beth-millo gathered together and went and made Abimelech king by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.
When Jotham was told of it, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and called out to them: "Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you!
But the olive tree answered them, 'Should I give up my rich oil, by which God and men are honored, to go and sway over the trees?'
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, 'Come, you reign over us.'
But the vine answered them, 'Should I give up my new wine, which gladdens God and men, to go and sway over the trees?'
And the thornbush said to the trees, 'If you are truly anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, let fire come out of the thornbush and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'
Now then, if you have acted in good faith and with integrity in making Abimelech king, if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and treated him as his deeds deserved—
for my father fought for you, risked his life, and rescued you from the hand of Midian,
but today you have risen against my father's house, murdered his sons, seventy men, on a single stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother—
if, then, you have acted in good faith and with integrity toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, may you rejoice in Abimelech, and may he rejoice in you too.
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 from Beth-millo and devour Abimelech."
Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech.
This happened so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged, and their blood laid on their brother Abimelech, who had killed them, and on the leaders of Shechem, who had strengthened his hands to murder his brothers.
The leaders of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the mountaintops, 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 leaders of Shechem put their trust in him.
They went out into the fields, gathered the grapes from their vineyards, trod them, and held a festival. Then they entered the temple of their god, 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, with Zebul as his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem! Why should we serve him?
If only this people were under my command, I would get rid of Abimelech!" And he said to Abimelech, "Muster your army and come out!"
When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, his anger burned.
He sent messengers secretly to Abimelech, 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 troops with you, and lie in wait in the fields.
In the morning, at sunrise, set out early and sweep down on the city. And when Gaal and the men with him come out against you, do to him whatever your hand finds to do.
So Abimelech and all the troops with him set out by night, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance of the city gate, Abimelech and the troops with him rose from the ambush.
Gaal saw the troops and said to Zebul, "Look, troops are coming down from the mountaintops!" But Zebul said to him, "You are seeing the shadows of the mountains as if they were men."
Gaal spoke up again, "Look, men are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming by way of the Diviners' Oak."
Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now? You said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Are these not the men you despised? Go out now and fight them!"
Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many fell slain all the way to the entrance of the gate.
Abimelech stayed at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers so they could not live in Shechem.
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 company with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate, while the other two companies charged all who were in the fields and struck them down.
All that day Abimelech fought against the city. He captured it and killed the people in it; he tore the city down and sowed it with salt.
When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they went into the stronghold of the temple of El-berith.
Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem had gathered there.
So Abimelech went up Mount Zalmon with all his men. He took an axe in his hand, cut off a branch from the trees, lifted it, and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the men with him, "Hurry and do what you have seen me do!"
So each of them cut a branch too and followed Abimelech. They piled the branches against the stronghold and set it on fire over those inside, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem died as well—about a thousand men and women.
Then Abimelech went to Thebez, laid siege to it, and captured it.
But there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men and women, all the leading citizens, fled to it. They shut themselves in and went up on the roof of the tower.
Abimelech came to the tower and attacked it, and he approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire.
But a woman threw an upper millstone down on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull.
He quickly called his young armor-bearer and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, so they cannot say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" So the young man ran him through, and he died.
When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.
and God brought all the evil of the men of Shechem back on their own heads. The curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.
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