Judges 9:30-57

30When Zebul the governor of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, his anger burned.

31So he sent messengers to Abimelech in deceit saying, “Watch out, Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives have moved to Shechem, and look, they are inciting the city against you.

32So now, arise by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field.

33So it will be in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you will rise early and advance on the city; and behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, then you should do to them whatever your hand finds.”

34So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose up by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four columns.

35Now Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate. Then Abimelech and the people who were with him emerged from the ambush.

36When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!” But Zebul said to him, “You’re seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.”

37Then Gaal spoke up again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the middle of the land, and one column is coming by the road of the Diviner’s Oak.”

38Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now? With it you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Isn’t this the people that you have trashed? Now go out and fight him!”

39So Gaal went out ahead of the lords of Shechem and fought with Abimelech.

40But Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate.

41While Abimelech stayed in Arumah, Zebul drove Gaal and his relatives out so that they could not stay in Shechem.

42Now it came to pass the next day that the people went out into the field, and it was reported to Abimelech.

43So he took his people, divided them into three columns, and lay in ambush in the field. When he looked and saw the people were coming out of the city, he pounced on them and struck them down.

44Then Abimelech and the column that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the city gate, and the other two columns rushed on all who were in the open field and struck them down.

45So Abimelech fought against the city all that day, captured the city and killed the people that were in it. Then he razed the city and sowed it with salt.

46Now when all the lords of Shechem’s Tower heard about it, they went into the vault of the temple of El-berith.

47When Abimelech was told that all the lords of Shechem’s Tower had gathered there,

48he and all the people with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Then Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees and lifted it up and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you’ve seen me do, hurry and do likewise.”

49So all the people likewise each cut down his branch and followed Abimelech. He laid them against the vault and set the vault on fire over them. So all the people of Shechem’s Tower also died—about a thousand men and women.

50Then Abimelech went to Thebez, camped against Thebez and captured it.

51But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the city leaders fled there and shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower.

52So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

53But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.

54Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor-bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman slew him.’” So his young man thrust him through, and he died.

55So when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they each departed to his place.

56Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech—what he had done to his father by slaying his 70 brothers.

57Also all the wickedness of the men of Shechem God requited on their heads. Thus on them came the curse of Jotam son of Jerubbaal.