The Judges & Ruth

Therefore he sent messengers vnto Abimelech priuily, saying, Beholde, Gaal the sonne of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem, and beholde, they fortifie the citie against thee.

Now therefore arise by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lye in wayte in the fielde.

And rise early in the morning as soone as the sunne is vp, and assault the citie: and when he and the people that is with him, shall come out against thee, doe to him what thou canst.

So Abimelech rose vp, and all the people that were with him by night: and they lay in wayte against Shechem in foure bandes.

Then Gaal the sonne of Ebed went out and stood in the entring of the gate of the citie: and Abimelech rose vp, and the folke that were with him, from lying in waite.

And when Gaal sawe the people, he said to Zebul, Beholde, there come people downe from the tops of the mountaines: and Zebul said vnto him, The shadowe of the mountaines seeme men vnto thee.

And Gaal spake againe, and said, See, there come folke downe by the middle of the land, and another bande commeth by the way of the plaine of Meonenim.

Then sayd Zebul vnto him, Where is now thy mouth, that said, Who is Abimelech, that we should serue him? Is not this the people that thou hast despised? Go out now, I pray thee, and fight with them.

And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

But Abimelech pursued him, and he fledde before him, and many were ouerthrowen and wounded, euen vnto the entring of the gate.

And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren that they should not dwell in Shechem.

And on the morowe, the people went out into the fielde: which was tolde Abimelech.

And he tooke the people, and deuided them into three bandes, and layde wayte in the fieldes, and looked, and beholde, the people were come out of the citie, and he rose vp against them, and smote them.

And Abimelech, and the bandes that were with him, russhed forwarde, and stoode in the entring of the gate of the citie: and the two other bandes ran vpon all the people that were in the fielde and slewe them.

And when Abimelech had fought against the citie all that day, he tooke the citie, and slewe the people that was therein, and destroyed the citie and sowed salt in it.

And when all the men of the towre of Shechem heard it, they entred into an holde of the house of the god Berith.

And it was tolde Abimelech, that all the men of the towre of Shechem were gathered together.

And Abimelech gate him vp to mounte Zalmon, hee and all the people that were with him: and Abimelech tooke axes with him, and cut downe boughes of trees, and tooke them, and bare them on his shoulder, and sayde vnto the folke that were with him, What ye haue seene me doe, make haste, and doe like me.

Then all the people also cut downe euery man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the holde, and set the holde on fire with them: so all the men of the towre of Shechem dyed also, about a thousand men and women.

Then went Abimelech to Tebez, and besieged Tebez, and tooke it.

But there was a strong towre within the citie, and thither fledde all the men and women, and all the chiefe of the citie, and shut it to them, and went vp to the toppe of the towre.

And Abimelech came vnto the towre and fought against it, and went hard vnto the doore of the towre to set it on fire.

But a certaine woman cast a piece of a milstone vpon Abimelechs head, and brake his braine pan.

Then Abimelech called hastily his page that bare his harneis, and sayde vnto him, Drawe thy sworde and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slewe him. And his page thrust him thorowe, and he dyed.

And when the men of Israel sawe that Abimelech was dead, they departed euery man vnto his owne place.