Abimelech’s Conspiracy 1 UST Gideon’ s son Abimelech went to talk with his mother’ s brothers in the city of Shechem. He spoke to them and to all his mother’ s relatives. He said, BSB BSB: Now Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers at Shechem and said to them and to all the clan of his mother,
2 UST “I want you to gather all the leaders of Shechem. Tell them,‘It would not be good to have all 70 of Gideon’ s sons rule over us. It would be better to have only one man, Abimelech, rule over us.’ And do not forget that I am a part of your family!” BSB BSB: “Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Is it better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal, rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember that I am your own flesh and blood.”
3 UST So Abimelech’ s mother’ s brothers gathered all the leaders of Shechem. They told them everything that Abimelech wanted them to say. The leaders decided to allow Abimelech to rule over them, considering that he was their relative. BSB BSB: And when his mother’s brothers spoke all these words about him in the presence of all the leaders of Shechem, their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
4 UST So the leaders of Shechem took about a kilogram of silver from the temple of their god Baal- Berith and gave it to Abimelech. He used that money to hire some wicked and violent men. They did whatever he told them to do. BSB BSB: So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless men to follow him.
5 UST Abimelech and the men he had hired went to Ophrah, his father’ s town. There they murdered his 70 brothers, the sons of his father Gideon. They brought each one of them to a huge rock and killed him there. But Gideon’ s youngest son Jotham escaped because he hid from Abimelech and his men. BSB BSB: He went to his father’s house in Ophrah, and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he hid himself.
6 UST Then all the town leaders of Shechem and the officers from the nearby fort gathered next to the pillar under the big sacred tree at Shechem. There they appointed Abimelech to be their king. BSB BSB: Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo gathered beside the oak at the pillar in Shechem and proceeded to make Abimelech their king.
Jotham’s Parable 7 UST When Jotham heard about that, he climbed high up on Mount Gerizim. From where he was standing, he shouted very loudly to the people below,“You leaders of Shechem, pay attention to what I say, or God will not answer your prayers! BSB BSB: When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: “Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you.
8 UST One day the trees decided to choose one tree to be their king. First they told the olive tree,‘We would like you to be our king.’ BSB BSB: One day the trees set out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
9 UST But the olive tree replied,‘I produce olives, and people make oil from them. They put the oil in sacrifices that they offer, and they use it to anoint people whom they want to honor. It is much more important for me to keep producing olives than to wander around settling matters for other trees as a king would do.{ So I will not be your king.}’ BSB BSB: But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’
10 UST So the trees told the fig tree,‘Then we want you to be our king!’ BSB BSB: Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us.’
11 UST But the fig tree replied,‘I produce figs. They are good to eat, and they taste sweet. It is much more important for me to keep producing figs than to wander around settling matters for other trees as a king would do.{ So I will not be your king.}’ BSB BSB: But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, to hold sway over the trees?’
12 UST So the trees told the grapevine,‘Then we want you to be our king!’ BSB BSB: Then the trees said to the grapevine, ‘Come and reign over us.’
13 UST But the grapevine replied,‘I produce grapes, and people produce new wine from them. That new wine causes gods and people to be happy. It is much more important for me to keep producing grapes than to wander around settling matters for other trees as a king would do.{ So I will not be your king.}’ BSB BSB: But the grapevine replied, ‘Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’
14 UST So all of the trees finally told the thornbush,‘Then we want you to be our king!’ BSB BSB: Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and reign over us.’
15 UST The thornbush said to the trees,‘If you sincerely want to appoint me to be your king, then accept my protection and obey my commands. But be sure that you are sincere, because if you do not obey me, then I will start a fire that will burn up all of you, even the biggest trees, such as the cedar trees in the country of Lebanon!’” BSB BSB: But the thornbush replied, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
16 UST After Jotham finished telling them this parable, he said,“Now you must consider whether you have truly done the right thing by making Abimelech your king. You must consider whether you have treated Gideon and his family properly. You must consider whether you have treated him the way he deserved for what he did. BSB BSB: Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have done to him as he deserves—
17 UST Remember what my father did for you. He led the Israelites into battle against the Midianites. He was willing to die if necessary to rescue you from their power. BSB BSB: for my father fought for you and risked his life to deliver you from the hand of Midian,
18 UST But now you have rebelled against my father’ s family. You have murdered 70 of his sons on one huge rock. And you have appointed Abimelech to be the king who will rule you people of Shechem.{ You think he will treat you well} because he is your relative.{ But he has no right to be a king, since} he is only the son of my father’ s slave girl, not of one of his full legal wives. BSB BSB: but you have risen up against my father’s house this day and killed his seventy sons on a single stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother—
19 UST Now if you truly have done the right thing toward Gideon and his family, then may you now be happy that Abimelech is your king, and may he also be happy that you are his subjects. BSB BSB: if you have acted faithfully and honestly toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, then may you rejoice in Abimelech, and he in you.
20 UST But if what you did was not right, then I hope that Abimelech destroys you leaders of Shechem and you officers from the fort, and I hope that you destroy him!” BSB BSB: But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”
21 UST After Jotham finished saying all of this, the leaders of Shechem tried to capture him, but he got away from them. He ran away to the town of Beer. He stayed there so that his half- brother Abimelech would not be able to kill him. BSB BSB: Then Jotham ran away, escaping to Beer, and he lived there for fear of his brother Abimelech.
Gaal Conspires with the Shechemites 22 UST For the next three years, Abimelech ruled as the king of the city of Shechem. Many Israelites also accepted him as their king. BSB BSB: After Abimelech had reigned over Israel for three years,
23 UST Then God made Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem hostile toward each other. The leaders of Shechem started plotting against Abimelech. BSB BSB: God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,
24 UST The 70 sons of Jerubbaal were Abimelech’ s half- brothers, but he hired men to kill them. The leaders of Shechem gave him the money to have men kill his half- brothers.{ So God made them enemies so that} they would suffer violently, just as they had caused others to suffer violently. God did this to punish them for the murders they had committed. BSB BSB: in order that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers.
25 UST The leaders of Shechem decided not to rely on Abimelech anymore. Instead, they had some of their men hide up high on the hills around the city.{ From there these men could see travelers approaching, and they surprised them} and robbed them when they got close. Abimelech heard about what they were doing. BSB BSB: The leaders of Shechem set up an ambush against Abimelech on the hilltops, and they robbed all who passed by them on the road. So this was reported to Abimelech.
26 UST Then Gaal son of Ebed moved into the city of Shechem along with a group of men he commanded. The leaders of Shechem liked him and welcomed him. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, Gaal son of Ebed came with his brothers and crossed into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem put their confidence in him.
27 UST Then the people who lived in Shechem went out to their vineyards to pick some grapes. They pressed the grapes to make juice, and from the juice they made wine. They brought some of the wine as an offering into the temple of their god Baal- Berith. There they had a big feast and drank a lot of wine. Then they started cursing Abimelech. BSB BSB: And after they had gone out into the fields, gathered grapes from their vineyards, and trodden them, they held a festival and went into the house of their god; and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech.
28 UST Gaal son of Ebed said,“We should not allow Abimelech to rule over us! His mother was from Shechem, but his father was Jerubbaal{, an Israelite}. So he is not really one of us!{ We should not allow} Zebul{ to rule over us either, since} it was Abimelech who appointed him as governor of our city. Instead, our ruler should be one of the descendants of Hamor, who founded our city of Shechem. We should not be allowing a foreigner like Abimelech to rule us. BSB BSB: Then 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 officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?
29 UST If you appoint me to be your leader, I will make Abimelech stop being your leader.” Then Gaal boasted that he would not be afraid to fight Abimelech and his whole army. BSB BSB: If only this people were under my authority, I would remove Abimelech; I would say to him, ‘Muster your army and come out!’”
The Fall of Shechem 30 UST When Zebul, the governor of Shechem, heard Gaal son of Ebed talking{ about Abimelech} this way, he became very angry. BSB BSB: When Zebul the governor of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he burned with anger.
31 UST But Zebul did not show that he was angry. He sent messengers to warn Abimelech, but he pretended he was sending them for some other reason. The messengers told Abimelech,“Be careful! A certain man, Gaal son of Ebed, has brought a group of men that he commands to Shechem. You need to know that they are getting the people who live in Shechem to rebel against you. BSB BSB: So he covertly sent messengers to Abimelech to say, “Look, Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you.
32 UST So you and your troops should come here at night{, when no one will see you,} and hide in the area outside the city. BSB BSB: Now then, tonight you and the people with you are to come and lie in wait in the fields.
33 UST That way, in the morning, as soon as it becomes light, you can immediately attack the city. Gaal and his men will surely come out of the city to fight against you, and when they do, you can do whatever you want to him.” BSB BSB: And in the morning at sunrise, get up and advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do to them whatever you are able.”
34 UST So Abimelech and all of his troops got up during the night. They divided into four groups and hid in the fields near Shechem. BSB BSB: So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.
35 UST { The next morning,} Gaal went out and stood at the city gate.{ While he was standing there,} Abimelech and his soldiers came out of their hiding places and started coming toward him. BSB BSB: Now Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate just as Abimelech and his men came out from their hiding places.
36 UST When Gaal saw the soldiers, he said to Zebul,“Look! There is a group of people coming down from the hills!” But Zebul said,“You are just seeing the shadow that one hill casts on another as the sun gets higher in the sky. That dark shape is not a group of people. It only looks like one.” BSB BSB: When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the mountains!” But Zebul replied, “The shadows of the mountains look like men to you.”
37 UST But Gaal{ kept watching and} spoke again. He said to Zebul,“Look! I do see groups of people coming down that central hill! I also see a group coming towards us along the road that goes past the Oak of the Diviners.” BSB BSB: Then Gaal spoke up again, “Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and one company is coming by way of the Diviners’ Oak.”
38 UST Then Zebul said to Gaal,“Earlier you spoke boastfully. You said,‘We should not allow Abimelech to rule over us!’ That is who you see coming: the army that you said you could easily defeat. So now that they are here, go out and fight them!” BSB BSB: “Where is your gloating now?” Zebul replied. “You said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the people you ridiculed? Go out now and fight them!”
39 UST So Gaal and his men went out of the city and fought against the army of Abimelech. The leaders of Shechem were watching{ to see what would happen}. BSB BSB: So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem and fought against Abimelech,
40 UST Abimelech and his men{ defeated them and} chased them when they ran away. They stabbed and killed many of Gaal’ s men all the way back to the city gate of Shechem. BSB BSB: but Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal fled before him. And many Shechemites fell wounded all the way to the entrance of the gate.
41 UST Abimelech then went to the nearby town of Arumah. Zebul forced Gaal and the group of men he commanded to leave Shechem, where they had been living. BSB BSB: Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
42 UST Then, the next day, the people of Shechem were getting ready to leave the city and go out and work in their fields. Someone told Abimelech what they were going to do. BSB BSB: The next day the people of Shechem went out into the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech.
43 UST So Abimelech divided his men into three groups and had them hide in the fields around Shechem. Then, once they saw that the people were out in the fields away from the city, they got up and attacked them. BSB BSB: 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 up against them and attacked them.
44 UST When Abimelech and his soldiers came out of hiding, he and one group of them ran to the city gate{ and blocked it}. The other two groups of soldiers ran out to the fields and killed the people of Shechem who were there. BSB BSB: Then Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward and took their stand at the entrance of the city gate. The other two companies rushed against all who were in the fields and struck them down.
45 UST Abimelech and his soldiers fought against the people of Shechem all that day. When they finally conquered the city, they killed all the people who lived there. They tore down all of the buildings. Then they threw salt over the ruins to show that they never wanted anyone to live there again. BSB BSB: And all that day Abimelech fought against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.
46 UST A group of soldiers lived in a fortress near Shechem that had a defensive tower. When their commanders heard what had happened, all of them went inside the fortress, which was also a temple of their god El- Berith. BSB BSB: On hearing of this, all the leaders in the tower of Shechem entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.
47 UST Somebody told Abimelech that the commanders of the fortress near Shechem had all gone inside it. BSB BSB: And when Abimelech was told that all the leaders in the tower of Shechem were gathered there,
48 UST So Abimelech and all of his soldiers went onto the slopes of{ nearby} Mount Zalmon. They brought axes with them. Abimelech cut a large branch from a tree and put it on his shoulder. He told all of his soldiers,“Quickly, all of you cut branches as you just saw me do!” BSB BSB: he and all his men went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his axe in his hand and cut a branch from the trees, which he lifted to his shoulder, saying to his men, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.”
49 UST So each one of the soldiers also cut a branch,{ and they carried them down the mountain,} following Abimelech. They went to the fortress and piled the branches against its walls. Then they set the branches on fire. About 1, 000 men and women were inside the tower near Shechem. The fire burned up the fortress and killed all of them too. BSB BSB: So each man also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. Then they piled the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire above them, killing everyone in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women.
Abimelech’s Punishment 50 UST After that, Abimelech and his soldiers went to the town of Thebez{, whose people had also rebelled against him}. They surrounded it and conquered it. BSB BSB: Then Abimelech went to Thebez, encamped against it, and captured it.
51 UST But the people of that city had built a tower where they would be safe if someone attacked them. Many men and women from the city, including its leaders, ran to the tower. Once they were inside, they locked the door. Then they climbed up to the roof of the tower. BSB BSB: But there was a strong tower inside the city, and all the men, women, and leaders of the city fled there. They locked themselves in and went up to the roof of the tower.
52 UST Abimelech and his soldiers came to the tower to try to kill the people who were in it. Abimelech went right up to the tower to start a fire that would burn it down. BSB BSB: When Abimelech came to attack the tower, he approached its entrance to set it on fire.
53 UST But when Abimelech came near the tower, a woman who was on the roof dropped a large grinding stone on his head. It cracked the bone of his skull. BSB BSB: But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
54 UST The servant who was carrying Abimelech’ s weapons was nearby. Abimelech quickly ordered him,“Pull out your sword and kill me with it! I do not want people to say about me,‘A woman killed Abimelech.’” So the servant stabbed Abimelech with his sword, and that killed him. BSB BSB: He quickly called his armor-bearer, saying, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So Abimelech’s armor-bearer ran his sword through him, and he died.
55 UST When the Israelite soldiers saw that Abimelech was dead, they all returned to their homes. BSB BSB: And when the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went home.
56 UST In that way, God punished Abimelech for murdering all 70 of his brothers. When Abimelech did that, he did a wicked thing to his father. BSB BSB: In this way God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father in murdering his seventy brothers.
57 UST God also punished the people of Shechem for all the wicked things that they had done. Jotham son of Gideon had said that Abimelech would destroy them, and that is what happened. BSB BSB: And God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.