After Gideon died, the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god.

They paid him seventy silver shekels out of the temple of Baal-Berith. Abimelech then used the silver to hire some lawless, dangerous men as his followers.

When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard the news, they went to the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith.