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wait.
36
And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from
the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as
if
they were
men.
37
And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of
the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.
38
Then said Zebul unto him,
Where
is
now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who
is
Abimelech, that we should serve him?
is
not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.
39
And Gaal
went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40
And Abimelech chased him,
and he fled before him, and many were overthrown
and
wounded,
even
unto the entering of the
gate.
41
And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they
should not dwell in Shechem.
42
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into
the field; and they told Abimelech.
43
And he took the people, and divided them into three companies,
and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people
were
come forth out of the city; and
he rose up against them, and smote them.
44
And Abimelech, and the company that
was
with him,
rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two
other
companies ran
upon all
the people
that
were
in the fields, and slew them.
45
And Abimelech fought against the
city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that
was
therein, and beat down the city,
and sowed it with salt.
46
And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard
that,
they entered into an hold of the
house of the god Berith.
47
And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem
were gathered together.
48
And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that
were
with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and
took it, and laid
it
on his shoulder, and said unto the people that
were
with him, What ye have seen
me do, make haste,
and
do as I
have done.
49
And all the people likewise cut down every man his
bough, and followed Abimelech, and put
them
to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so
that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
50
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.
51
But there was
a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and
shut
it
to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.
52
And Abimelech came unto the tower,
and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53
And a certain
woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.
54
Then he
called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay
me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he
died.
55
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto
his place.
56
Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his
seventy brethren:
57
And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and
upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
322
KJV Bible