7And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim, and raised his voice, and cried, and said to them, “Listen to me, you men of Shechem, that God may Listen to you. 8The trees went forth once to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive tree, “Reign over us”. 9But the olive tree said to them, “Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” 10And the trees said to the fig tree, “Come, and reign over us”. 11But the fig tree said to them, “Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?” 12Then said the trees to the vine, “Come, and reign over us”. 13And the vine said to them, “Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?” 14Then said all the trees to the bramble, “Come, and reign over us”. 15And the bramble said to the trees, “If in truth you 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”. 16Now, therefore, if you have done truly and sincerely, in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands 17(For my father (Gideon) fought for you, and ventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; 18And you have risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother); 19If you then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice you in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 20But 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.” 21And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech, his brother.

22When Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, 23Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 24That the cruelty done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech, their brother, who slew them, and upon the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brethren. 25And the men of Shechem set an ambush for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all who came along that way by them; and it was told Abimelech.

26And Gaal, the son of Ebed, came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 27And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech. 28And 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? 29And would to God this people were under my hand! Then would I remove Abimelech.” And he said to Abimelech, “Increase your army, and come out”. 30And when Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal, the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 31And he sent messengers to Abimelech craftily, saying, “Behold, Gaal, the son of Ebed, and his brethren have come to Shechem; and they fortify the city against you. 32Now, therefore, up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field: 33And in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you shall rise early, and set upon the city; and, behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, then may you do to them as you shall find occasion”. 34And Abimelech arose, and all the people who were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

35And Gaal, the son of Ebed, went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city; and Abimelech arose, and the people who were with him, from lying in wait. 36And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains”. And Zebul said to him, “You see the shadow of the mountains as if they were men”. 37And Gaal spoke again and said, “See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the oak (plain) of Meonenim”. 38Then said Zebul to him, “Where is now your mouth, when you said, “Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? Are not these the people whom you have despised? Go out, I pray now, and fight with them”. 39And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 40And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entrance of the gate. 41And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

42And on the next day, the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech. 43And 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 arose against them, and struck them. 44And Abimelech, and the company who were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city; and the two other companies ran upon all the people who were in the fields, and slew them. 45And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people who were in it, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

46And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered a stronghold of the house of the god, Berith. 47And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem had gathered there. 48And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and laid it on his shoulder, and said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done”. 49And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

50Then Abimelech went and attacked Thebez, and took it. 51But there was a strong tower within the city, and there fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and went up to the top of the tower. 52And Abimelech came to the tower, and assaulted it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 53And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. 54Then he called hastily to the young man, his armor-bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword, and slay me, so that men will not say of me, “A woman slew him”.” And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place.

56Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, by murdering his seventy brothers. 57And God also punished all the evil of the men of Shechem for their wickedness; and the curse of Jotham, the son of Jerubbaal, came upon them.