Judges 9:1-21 - Abimelech Attempts To Become King

¹ And Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal, went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, ² Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, What would seem better unto you, that seventy persons reign over you, all the sons of Jerubbaal; or that one reign over you? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

³ And his mother's brethren spoke for him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, He is our brother. ⁴ And they gave him seventy shekels of silver out of the house of Baalberith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light men who followed him. ⁵ And coming unto his father's house at Ophrah, he slew his brethren, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons, upon a stone; yet Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, was left, for he hid himself. ⁶ And all the men of Shechem gathered together with all the house of Millo and went and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

⁷ And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice and cried and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. ⁸ The trees went forth to anoint a king over them, and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. ⁹ But the olive tree replied, Should I leave my fatness, which because of me, God and man are honoured, to go and sway over the trees? ¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou and reign over us. ¹¹ But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit to go and sway over the trees? ¹² Then the trees said unto the vine, Come thou and reign over us. ¹³ And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, to go and sway over the trees? ¹⁴ Then all the trees said unto the bramble, Come thou and reign over us. ¹⁵ And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and confide under my shadow; and if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶ Now therefore, if ye have proceeded with truth and integrity in making Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house and have recompensed him according to the work of his hands ¹⁷ (For my father fought for you and cast his life far from him to deliver you out of the hand of Midian; ¹⁸ and ye are risen up against my father's house this day and have slain his sons, seventy men, upon a stone and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem because he is your brother;) ¹⁹ if ye then have dealt in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. ²⁰ But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from the house of Millo and devour Abimelech. ²¹ And Jotham ran away and fled and went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.