Judges:9:30-49
Seeker Overlay ON
*
And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed ,
his anger was kindled .
*
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 .
*
Now therefore up by night ,
thou and the people that is with thee ,
and lie in wait in the field :
*
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 .
*
And Abimelech rose up ,
and all the people that were with him ,
by night ,
and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem ,
and fought with Abimelech .
*
And Abimelech chased him ,
and he fled before him ,
and many were overthrown and wounded ,
even unto the entering of the gate .
*
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah :
and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren ,
that they should not dwell in Shechem .
*
And it came to pass on the morrow ,
that the people went out into the field ;
and they told Abimelech .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that ,
they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith .
*
And it was told Abimelech ,
that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together .
*
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 .
*
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 .