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

¹ And 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, ² Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Which is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are seventy men, rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

³ And his mother's brothers spoke of 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 [pieces] of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired vain and unstable fellows who followed him. ⁵ And he went to his father's house at Ophrah, and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy men, upon one stone, but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. ⁶ And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.

⁷ And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried out, and said to them, Hearken to me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken to you. ⁸ The trees went forth a time to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, Reign thou over us. ⁹ But the olive tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness with which by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹¹ But the fig tree said to them, Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹² And the trees said to the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹³ And the vine said to them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees? ¹⁴ Then all the trees said to the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹⁵ And the bramble said to the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶ Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deed of his hands ¹⁷ (for my father fought for you, and ventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian, ¹⁸ and ye have risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy men, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem because he is your brother), ¹⁹ if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly 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.