Gaal's conspiracy. JUDGES, IX. Gaal's flight. Shechem in four companies. 21 And Jotham ran away, and fled,| B. C. 1209. | by night, and they laid wait against and went to Beer, t and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. 22 TWhen Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 23 Then God sent u an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechern v dealt treacherously with Abimelech : 24 That w 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 ed him in the killing of his brethren. aid 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. t2Sa.20.14. u 1Sa. 16.14. 1Ki. 12.15. 22.22,23. Is. 19.14. 2Th.2.11, 12. 28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is y Abimelech, and who is 9 or, hot. Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerub-10 baal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor z the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 29 And would a to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. 11 to Tormah. thine hand shall find, 1Sa.10.7. 25.8. Ec.9.10. 33 And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, e De.29.23. 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 thouf ch.8.33. do to them as 11 thou shalt find occasion. 34 T And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, g Ps.68.14. 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 12 middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of 13 Meonenim 38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, b 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 c he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down & the city, and sowed it with salt.e 46 T And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berithf 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, g he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech slain. JUDGES, X. Abimelech took an axe in his hand,| B. C. 1206. and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his 14 I have shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen 14 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 T 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. done. h2Sa.11.21. i Sa.31.4. k ver.24. i deliver. a ch.5.10. 12.14. Deut.3.14. 2 or, the vil- Israel oppressed 6 And c 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 d 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 e them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. 8 And that year they vexed and 3 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.f 10 T And the children of Israel 53 And ħ a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abime- c ch.2.11-14. cried unto the LORD, saying, We Tech's head, and all to break his skull. 3.7. 4.1. 6.1. 13.1. 54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, d 1Ki.11.33. and slay me, that men say not of e 1Sa.12.9,10. me, A woman slew him. And his And his 3 crushed. young man thrust him through, and he died. 25. f1Sa.28.15. 55 And when the men of Israel g Ex. 14.30. saw that Abimelech was dead, they h Nu.21.21departed every man unto his place. 56 Thus God rendered the ; ch.3.12-15, i ch.3.12-15, wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying ch.5.19. 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. CHAPTER X. Tola judyeth Israel in Shamir. AND meat, Tola the son 2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. 3 T And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years. 4 And he had thirty sons that rode a on thirty ass-colts, and they had thirty cities, which bare called 2 Havoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon. 31. 7 ch.6.3. 38. 2Kİ.3.13. Jer.2.28. 1Sa.3.18. 2Sa.15.26. is good in thine eyes. 2Ch.7.14. 15.8. 5 gods of 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, g and from the Amorites, h from the children of Ammon, i and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians k also and the Amalekites, and the Maonites did oppress m you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13 Yet ye have forsaken me, n and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them o deliver you in the time of your tribulation. 15 ¶ And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thoup unto us whatsoever 4 seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. 16 And they put away g the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was 6 grieved r for the misery of Israel. 17 Then the children of Ammon were 7 gathered together, and enstrangers.camped in Gilead. And the child6 shortened. ren of Israel assembled themr Ps. 106.44, selves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.s Jephthah chosen captain. CHAPTER XI. The covenant between Jephthah and the Gileadites. JUDGES, XI. Nwas on mighty man of valour, a He.11.32, OW Jephthah a the Gileadite (CHAP. 11.) and he was the son of 1 an harlot : and Gilead begat Jephthah. 2 And Gilead's wife bare him sons and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not c inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. 3 Then Jephthah fled 2 from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob and there were gathered vain d men to Jephthah, and went out with him. 4 T And it came to pass 3 in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Am mon. called Jepthae. b ch.6.12. 2Ki.5.1. 1 a woman, an harlot. c Ge.21.10. Gal.4.30. 2 from the face of. d ch.9.4. 1Sa.22.2. 3 after days, e Ge.26.27. Luke 17.4. g ch. 10. 18. h Jer.42.5. 4 Jephthah s treaty they came up out of Egypt, froin Arnon even unto Jabbok, m and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably. 14 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not n away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked o through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came p to Kadesh; 17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, 1 pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab; but he would not consent. And Israel abode in Kadesh. 18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed q the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the borderr of Moab for Arnon was the border 7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did e not ye hate the hearer. of Moab. me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? i ver.8. k ch.20.1. 1Sa.10.17. 8 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn Nu.21.24. again f to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head g over all the inhabitants ofm Ge.32.22. Gilead. 9 And Jephthah said unto the el-n De.2.9,19. ders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against theo Nu.14.25. children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The h LORD be 4 witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words. Deut. 1.40. Jos.5.6. Nu.20.1,14, &C. q Nu.21.4,&c. 19 And Israel sent s messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 23 So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosht thy god giveth thee to possess? So u whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive v out from before us, them will we pos sess. 25 And now art thou any thing better than Balak w the son of Zippor king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, 26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbou |