Judges 9:23-57

Bishops^{(i) 23} God sent an euyll spirite betweene Abimelech, & the men of Sichem: and the citezins of Sichem brake their promise to Abimelech ²⁴ That the wickednes done to the three score and ten sonnes of Ierobaal might come on him, and that God might lay the blood of them vnto Abimelech their brother, which slue them, and vpon the other men of Sichem which ayded him in the killing of his brethren ²⁵ And the citezins of Sichem set men to lay awayte for hym in the toppe of the mountaynes, which men robbed al that came along the way by them: And it was tolde Abimelech ²⁶ And Gaal the sonne of Obed came with his brethren, and they gat them to Sichem: and the men of Sichem put their confidence in him ²⁷ And they went out into the fieldes, and gathered in their grapes, & trode them, and made mery, & went into the house of their god, and dyd eate and drinke, and cursed Abimelech ²⁸ And Gaal the sonne of Obed sayde: what is Abimelech? & what is Sichem, that we shoulde serue him? Is he not the sonne of Ierobaal? & Zebul is his officer? Serue such as come of Hemor the father of Sichem: for what reason is it that we shoulde serue him ²⁹ Woulde God this people were vnder my hande, then would I take Abimelech out of ye way. And he spake against Abimelech: Make thine hoast greater, and go out ³⁰ And when Zebul the ruler of the citie hearde the wordes of Gaal the sonne of Obed, he was wroth ³¹ And sent messengers vnto Abimelech priuyly, saying: Behold, Gaal the sonne of Obed and his brethren be come to Sichem, and beholde they fortifie the citie agaynst thee ³² Now therfore vp by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lye in wayte in the fielde ³³ And rise early in the morning assone as the sunne is vp, and fall vpon the citie: And if he & the people that is with hym come out against thee, do to hym what thine handes shalbe able ³⁴ And Abimelech rose vp, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they layde awayte against Sichem in foure companies ³⁵ And Gaal the sonne of Obed went out, and stoode in the entring of the gate of the citie: And Abimelech rose vp, and the folke that were with him, from lying in wayte ³⁶ And when Gaal sawe ye people, he sayd to Zebul: Beholde, there come people downe from the top of the mountaines. And Zebul sayd vnto him: The shadow of the hylles seeme men vnto thee ³⁷ And Gaal aunswered agayne, & sayd: See, there come folke downe by ye middle of the land, & another company come along by the playne of the charmars ³⁸ Then sayd Zebul vnto him: Where is nowe thy mouth that said, what felowe is Abimelech, that we should serue him? Is not this the people that thou hast despysed? Go out now & fight with the ³⁹ And Gaal went out before the citezins of Sichem, & fought with Abimelech ⁴⁰ And Abimelech chased him, that he fled before him, and many were ouerthrowen & wounded, euen vnto the entring of the gate ⁴¹ And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal & his brethre that they shoulde not dwell in Sichem ⁴² And on the morow, the people wet out into the fielde: And they told Abimelech ⁴³ And he toke the people, & deuided them into three copanies, & layd awayte in the fielde, and loked, and behold the people were come out of the citie, and he ran vpon them, and smote them ⁴⁴ And Abimelech and the companions that were with him, rushed forward, & stoode in the entring of the gate of the citie: and the two other companions ran vpon all the people that were in the fieldes, and slue them ⁴⁵ And when Abimelech had fought against the citie al that day, he toke it, and slue the people that was therin, and destroyed the citie, and sowed salte in it ⁴⁶ And when all the men of the towre of Sichem heard that, they entred into an holde of the house of the god Berith ⁴⁷ And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the towre of Sichem were gathered together ⁴⁸ And Abimeleh gat him to mount Zelmon, both he & all the people that were with him, & toke axes with him, and cut downe bowes of trees, & toke them and bare them on his shulder, & sayde vnto the folke that were with hym: what ye haue seene me do, speede your selues, & do lykewyse as I haue done ⁴⁹ And al the men that were among the people, cut downe bowes, and folowed Abimelech, and put them into the hold, and set the holde a fire by them: so that al the men of the towre of Sichem died also, vpon a thousande men & women ⁵⁰ Then went Abimelech to Thebez, & besieged it, and toke it ⁵¹ But there was a strong towre within the citie, and thyther ranne all the men and women, and all the chiefe that were in the citie, and shut it to them, and gate them vp to the toppe of the towre ⁵² And Abimelech came vnto the towre, and fought agaynst it, and went harde vnto the doore of ye towre to set it on fire ⁵³ And a certayne woman cast a peece of a mylstone vpon his head, & all to brake his brayne panne ⁵⁴ Then Abimelech called hastyly vnto the young man that bare his harnesse, and sayde vnto him: Drawe thy sworde and slea me, that men say not of me, A woman slue him: And his lad thrust him thorowe, and he died ⁵⁵ And when the men of Israel sawe that Abimelech was dead, they departed euery man vnto his owne house ⁵⁶ Thus God rendred the wickednesse of Abimelech which he dyd vnto his father, in sleyng his seuentie brethren ⁵⁷ And therto all the wickednesse of the men of Sichem, dyd God bryng vpon their heades: And vpon them came the curse of Ioatham the sonne of Ierobaal