The Death of Gideon

29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, ⌊his own offspring⌋,w for he had many wives. 31 His concubine who was in Shechem also bore for him a son, and ⌊he named him⌋x Abimelech. 32 And Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and he was buried in the tomb of Jehoash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.y

33 And it happened, as soon as Gideon died, the ⌊Israelites⌋z returned and prostituted themselves after the Baals, and they made for themselves Baal-Berith as god. 34 The ⌊Israelites⌋a did not remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them from the hand of their enemies from all around, 35 nor did they show favorb to the house of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in accordance with all the good that he did for Israel.

Abimelech Attempts to Become King

9 And Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem, to the relatives of his mother, and he said to them and to the house of his mother’s father, 2 “⌊Speak to⌋a the lords of Shechem, ‘What is better for you, that seventy men all from the sons of Jerub-Baal rule over you, or that one man rules over you?’ Remember that I am your bone and your flesh.” 3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words concerning him ⌊to⌋b all the lords of Shechem; and ⌊they supported Abimelech⌋,c for they said, “He is our relative.”d 4 And they gave to him seventy pieces of silver from the templee of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech hired with themf worthless and reckless men, and ⌊they followed him⌋.g 5 And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah, and he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerub-Baal survived, because he hid himself.