[ Judges Chapter 8 ]
1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou
calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did
chide with him sharply.
2 And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the
gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and
what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward
him, when he had said that.
4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that
were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.
5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto
the people that follow me, for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and
Zalmunna, kings of Midian.
6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in
thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?
7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna
into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness
and with briers.
8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of
Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.
9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace,
I will break down this tower.
10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about
fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the
east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.
11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of
Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host, for the host was secure.
12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two
kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.
13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,
14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he
described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even
threescore and seventeen men.
15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna,
with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in
thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?
16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers,
and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye
slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they, each one resembled
the children of a king.
19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD
liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.
20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew
not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is,
so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away
the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.
22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and
thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of
Midian.
23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son
rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.
24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would
give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings,
because they were Ishmaelites.)
25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment,
and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.
26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and
seven hundred shekels of gold, beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment
that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their
camels' necks.
27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and
all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto
Gideon, and to his house.
28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up
their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of
Gideon.
29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.
30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many
wives.
31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he
called Abimelech.
32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the
sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel
turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.
34 And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had
delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:
35 Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon,
according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.
[ Judges Chapter 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,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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?
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.
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?
12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.
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?
14 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
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.
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,
17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you
out of the hand of Midian:
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,)
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:
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.
21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of
Abimelech his brother.
22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,
23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, and
the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
30 And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed,
his anger was kindled.
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.
32 Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in
wait in the field:
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.
34 And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and
they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.
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.
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.
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.
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.
39 And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown
and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.
41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren,
that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field,
and they told Abimelech.
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.
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.
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.
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.
47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were
gathered together.
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.
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.
50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
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.
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.
53 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and
all to brake his skull.
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.
55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every
man unto his place.
56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father,
in slaying his seventy brethren:
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.
[ Judges Chapter 10 ]
1 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son
of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.
2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in
Shamir.
3 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.
4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty
cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of
Gilead.
5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.
6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served
Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the
gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the
Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.
7 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the
hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.
8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years,
all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the
Amorites, which is in Gilead.
9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah,
and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was sore
distressed.
10 And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned
against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.
11 And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the
Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the
Philistines?
12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you,
and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.
13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you
no more.
14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen, let them deliver you in the
time of your tribulation.
15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto
us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee, deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.
16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and
his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.
17 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead.
And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in
Mizpeh.
18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that
will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the
inhabitants of Gilead.
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