Judges 9:34–11:40
34 So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose by night, and 8lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. 35 When 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. 36 And 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.”
37 So Gaal spoke again and said, “See, people are coming down from the center of the land, and another company is coming from the 9Diviners’ Terebinth Tree.”
38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where indeed is your mouth now, with which you hsaid, ‘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.”
39 So Gaal went out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded, to the very entrance of the gate. 41 Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul 1drove out Gaal and his brothers, so that they would not dwell in Shechem.
42 And it came about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told Abimelech. 43 So 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 2attacked them. 44 Then 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. 45 So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; ihe took the city and killed the people who were in it; and he jdemolished the city and sowed it with salt.
46 Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the 3stronghold of the temple kof the god Berith. 47 And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. 48 Then Abimelech went up to Mount lZalmon, 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.” 49 So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, put them against the 4stronghold, 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.
50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he 5encamped against Thebez and took it. 51 But 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. 52 So 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. 53 But a certain woman mdropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. 54 Then nhe 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. 55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his 6place.
56 oThus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers. 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came pthe curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
10 After Abimelech there aarose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir.
3 After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 Now he had thirty sons who brode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, cwhich are called 1“Havoth Jair” to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon.
6 Then dthe children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and eserved the Baals and the Ashtoreths, fthe gods of Syria, the gods of gSidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He hsold them into the hands of the iPhilistines and into the hands of the people of jAmmon. 8 From that year they 2harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years—all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the kland of the Amorites, in Gilead. 9 Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.
10 lAnd the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have msinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!”
11 So the Lord said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you nfrom the Egyptians and ofrom the Amorites and pfrom the people of Ammon and qfrom the Philistines? 12 Also rthe Sidonians sand Amalekites and 3Maonites toppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. 13 uYet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and vcry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”
15 And the children of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned! wDo to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” 16 xSo they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And yHis soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.
17 Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in zMizpah. 18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall abe head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
11 Now aJephthah the Gileadite was ba mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Jephthah. 2 Gilead’s wife bore sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall have cno inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” 3 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and dwelt in the land of dTob; and eworthless men banded together with Jephthah and went out raiding with him.
4 It came to pass after a time that the fpeople of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And so it was, when the people of Ammon made war against Israel, that the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. 6 Then they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our commander, that we may fight against the people of Ammon.”
7 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, g“Did you not hate me, and expel me from my father’s house? Why have you come to me now when you are in 1distress?”
8 hAnd the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “That is why we have iturned 2again to you now, that you may go with us and fight against the people of Ammon, and be jour head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
9 So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back home to fight against the people of Ammon, and the Lord delivers them to me, shall I be your head?”
10 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, k“The Lord will be a witness between us, if we do not do according to your words.” 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him lhead and commander over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words mbefore the Lord in Mizpah.
12 Now Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, saying, n“What do you have against me, that you have come to fight against me in my land?”
13 And the king of the people of Ammon answered the messengers of Jephthah, o“Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from pthe Arnon as far as qthe Jabbok, and to the Jordan. Now therefore, restore those lands peaceably.”
14 So Jephthah again sent messengers to the king of the people of Ammon, 15 and said to him, “Thus says Jephthah: r‘Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the people of Ammon; 16 for when Israel came up from Egypt, they walked through the wilderness as far as the Red Sea and scame to Kadesh. 17 Then tIsrael sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Please let me pass through your land.” uBut the king of Edom would not heed. And in like manner they sent to the vking of Moab, but he would not consent. So Israel wremained in Kadesh. 18 And they xwent along through the wilderness and ybypassed the land of Edom and the land of Moab, came to the east side of the land of Moab, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon. But they did not enter the border of Moab, for the Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 Then zIsrael sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, “Please alet us pass through your land into our place.” 20 bBut Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. So Sihon gathered all his people together, encamped in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 And the Lord God of Israel cdelivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they ddefeated 3them. Thus Israel gained possession of all the land of the Amorites, who inhabited that country. 22 They took possession of eall the territory of the Amorites, from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the wilderness to the Jordan.
23 ‘And now the Lord God of Israel has 4dispossessed the Amorites from before His people Israel; should you then possess it? 24 Will you not possess whatever fChemosh your god gives you to possess? So whatever gthe Lord our God takes possession of before us, we will possess. 25 And now, are you