Judges 9:14 - Prayer Tents



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Judges 9
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Abimelech’s Conspiracy

9Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,H40H1121H3378H3212H7927H517H251H1696H4940H1004H517H1H559 2"Please speak in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: 'Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?' Remember that I am your own flesh and bone."H1696H241H1167H7927H2896H1121H3378H7657H376H4910H259H4910H2142H6106H1320 3And his mother's brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother."H517H251H1696H241H1167H7927H1697H3820H5186H310H40H559H251 4So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him.H5414H7657H3701H1004H1170H40H7936H7386H6348H582H3212H310 5Then he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, because he hid himself.H935H1H1004H6084H2026H251H1121H3378H7657H376H259H68H3147H6996H1121H3378H3498H2244 6And all the men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in Shechem.H1167H7927H622H1004H4407H1037H3212H4427H40H4428H436H5324H7927

The Parable of the Trees

7Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them: "Listen to me, you men of Shechem, That God may listen to you!H5046H3147H3212H5975H7218H2022H1630H5375H6963H7121H559H8085H1167H7927H430H8085 8"The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us!'H6086H1980H1980H4886H4428H559H2132H4427 9But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I cease giving my oil, With which they honor God and men, And go to sway over trees?'H2132H559H2308H1880H3513H430H582H1980H5128H6086 10"Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come and reign over us!'H6086H559H8384H3212H4427 11But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit, And go to sway over trees?'H8384H559H2308H4987H2896H8570H1980H5128H6086 12"Then the trees said to the vine, 'You come and reign over us!'H559H6086H1612H3212H4427 13But the vine said to them, 'Should I cease my new wine, Which cheers both God and men, And go to sway over trees?'H1612H559H2308H8492H8055H430H582H1980H5128H6086 14"Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'You come and reign over us!'H559H6086H329H3212H4427 15And the bramble said to the trees, 'If in truth you anoint me as king over you, Then come and take shelter in my shade; But if not, let fire come out of the bramble And devour the cedars of Lebanon!'H329H559H6086H571H4886H4428H935H2620H6738H784H3318H329H398H730H3844 16"Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as he deserves—H6213H571H8549H40H4427H6213H2896H3378H1004H6213H1576H3027 17"for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian;H1H3898H7993H5315H5048H5337H3027H4080 18"but you have risen up against my father's house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother—H6965H1H1004H3117H2026H1121H7657H376H259H68H40H1121H519H4427H1167H7927H251 19"if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you.H6213H571H8549H3378H1004H3117H8055H40H8055 20"But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!"H784H3318H40H398H1167H7927H1004H4407H1037H784H3318H1167H7927H1004H4407H1037H398H40 21And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.H3147H1272H5127H3212H876H3427H6440H40H251

Downfall of Abimelech

22After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years,H40H7786H7969H8141H3478 23God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,H430H7971H7451H7307H40H1167H7927H1167H7927H898H40 24that the crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers.H2555H7657H1121H3378H935H1818H7760H40H251H2026H1167H7927H2388H3027H2026H251 25And the men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech.H1167H7927H7760H693H7218H2022H1497H5674H1870H5046H40 26Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem; and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.H1603H1121H5651H935H251H5674H7927H1167H7927H982 27So they went out into the fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards and trod them, and made merry. And they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.H3318H7704H1219H3754H1869H6213H1974H935H1004H430H398H8354H7043H40 28Then Gaal the son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should we serve him?H1603H1121H5651H559H40H7927H5647H1121H3378H2083H6496H5647H582H2544H1H7927H5647 29"If only this people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech." So he said to Abimelech, "Increase your army and come out!"H5971H5414H3027H5493H40H559H40H7235H6635H3318 30When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was aroused.H2083H8269H5892H8085H1697H1603H1121H5651H639H2734 31And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, "Take note! Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and here they are, fortifying the city against you.H7971H4397H40H8649H559H1603H1121H5651H251H935H7927H6696H5892 32"Now therefore, get up by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field.H6965H3915H5971H693H7704 33"And it shall be, as soon as the sun is up in the morning, that you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may then do to them as you find opportunity."H1242H8121H2224H7925H6584H5892H5971H3318H6213H3027H4672 34So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.H40H6965H5971H3915H693H7927H702H7218 35When Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate, Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from lying in wait.H1603H1121H5651H3318H5975H6607H8179H5892H40H6965H5971H3993 36And when 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 see the shadows of the mountains as if they were men."H1603H7200H5971H559H2083H3381H5971H3381H7218H2022H2083H559H7200H6738H2022H582 37So Gaal spoke again and said, "See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the Diviners' Terebinth Tree."H1603H1696H3254H559H3381H5971H3381H2872H776H259H7218H935H436H1870H6049 38Then Zebul said to him, "Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Are not these the people whom you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight with them now."H559H2083H645H6310H559H40H5647H5971H3988H3318H4994H3898 39So Gaal went out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.H1603H3318H6440H1167H7927H3898H40 40And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the gate.H40H7291H5127H6440H7227H5307H2491H6607H8179 41Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they would not dwell in Shechem.H40H3427H725H2083H1644H1603H251H3427H7927 42And it came about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech.H4283H5971H3318H7704H5046H40 43So he took his people, divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field. And he looked, and there were the people, coming out of the city; and he rose against them and attacked them.H3947H5971H2673H7969H7218H693H7704H7200H5971H3318H5892H6965H5221 44Then Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and the other two companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and killed them.H40H7218H6584H5975H6607H8179H5892H8147H7218H6584H7704H5221 45So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed it with salt.H40H3898H5892H3117H3920H5892H2026H5971H5422H5892H2232H4417 46Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the stronghold of the temple of the god Berith.H1167H4026H7927H8085H935H6877H1004H410H1286 47And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.H5046H40H1167H4026H7927H6908 48Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder; then he said to the people who were with him, "What you have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done."H40H5927H2022H6756H5971H40H3947H7134H3027H3772H7754H6086H5375H7760H7926H559H5971H7200H6213H4116H6213H3644 49So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, put them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.H5971H3772H376H7754H3212H310H40H7760H6877H3341H6877H784H582H4026H7927H4191H505H376H802 50Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and took it.H3212H40H8405H2583H8405H3920 51But there was a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled there and shut themselves in; then they went up to the top of the tower.H5797H4026H8432H5892H5127H582H802H1167H5892H5462H5927H1406H4026 52So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire.H40H935H4026H3898H5066H6607H4026H8313H784 53But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull.H259H802H7993H6400H7393H40H7218H7533H1538 54Then he called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" So his young man thrust him through, and he died.H7121H4120H5288H5375H3627H559H8025H2719H4191H559H802H2026H5288H1856H4191 55And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his place.H376H3478H7200H40H4191H3212H376H4725 56Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers.H430H7725H7451H40H6213H1H2026H7657H251 57And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.H7451H582H7927H430H7725H7218H935H7045H3147H1121H3378


New King James Version (NKJV). Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. More details.
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