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

¹ And Abimelech son of Jerubbaal, will come to Shechem to his mother's brethren, and say to them, to all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, ² Speak, now, in the ears of all the lords of Shechem, What good to you for seventy men of all the sons of Jerubbaal to rule over you, or one man to rule over you? and remember that I am your bone and your flesh.

³ And his mother's brethren will speak concerning him in the ears of all the lords of Shechem all these words: and their heart will incline after Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother. ⁴ And they will give him seventy of silver from the house of Baal of the covenant, and Abimelech will hire with them men empty and vain-glorious, and they will go after him. ⁵ And he will come to his father's house at Ophrah, and will kill his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men upon one stone: and Jotham the young son of Jerubbaal will be left, for he was hid. ⁶ And all the lords of Shechem will gather together, and all the House of the Rampart, and they will make Abimelech king, by the Oak of the Pillar which is in Shechem.

⁷ And they will announce to Jotham and he will go and stand upon the head of mount Gerizim, and he will lift up his voice and call, and say to them, Hear to me, ye lords of Shechem, and God will hear to you. ⁸ The trees going forth went to anoint over them a king; and they will say to the olive, Reign thou over us. ⁹ And the olive will say to them, Left I my fatness which by me they will honor God and men, and went I to wander about over the trees? ¹⁰ And the trees will say to the fig tree, Come thou, reign over us. ¹¹ And the fig tree will say to them, Left I my sweetness, and my good produce, and went I to wander about over the trees? ¹² And the trees will say to the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. ¹³ And the vine will say to them, Left I my new wine-making, rejoicing God and men, and went I to wander about over the trees? ¹⁴ And all the trees will say to the buckthorn. Come thou, reign over us. ¹⁵ And the buckthorn will say to the trees, If in truth ye anoint me for king over you, come, take refuge in my shadow: and if not, fire shall come forth from the buckthorn and shall consume the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶ And now if in truth and in uprightness ye did and ye shall make Abimelech king, and if ye did good with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if according to the desert of his hands ye did to him: ¹⁷ (For my father fought for you, and he will cast his soul away, and he will deliver you from the hand of Midian. ¹⁸ And ye rose up against the house of my father this day, and ye will kill his sons, seventy men, upon one stone; and ye will make Abimelech, son of his maid, king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your brother:) ¹⁹ And if in sincerity and uprightness ye did with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice ye in Abimelech, and he shall rejoice also in you. ²⁰ And if not, fire shall come forth from Abimelech and shall consume the lords of Shechem and the House of the Rampart; and fire shall come forth from the lords of Shechem and from the House of the Rampart, and shall consume Abimelech. ²¹ And Jotham will flee, and break away, and he will go to the well and will dwell there from the face of Abimelech his brother.