Judges 9:1-25 ▼

1 Abimelech the sonne of Ierobaal! went to Sichem vnto his mothers brethren, & communed with them, & with all the kynrede of the house of his mothers father, saying:

2 Saye I pray you, in the eares of all the men of Sichem, whether is better for you, that all the sonnes of Ierobaal, (which are threescore and ten persons) raigne ouer you: either that one raigne ouer you? Remember that I am of your bone, and of your fleshe.

3 And his mothers brethren spake of him in the audience of all the men of Sichem all these wordes, & their heartes were moued to folow Abimelech: For they sayde, He is our brother.

4 And they gaue him threescore and ten peeces of siluer out of the house of Baal Berith, wherwith Abimelech hyred vayne and light persons, which went with hym.

5 And he went vnto his fathers house at Ephrah, and slue his brethren, the sonnes of Ierobaal, beyng threescore & ten persons, vpon one stone: Notwithstandyng, yet Ioatham the youngest sonne of Ierobaal escaped, for he hyd hymselfe.

6 And all the men of Sichem gathered together, and al the house of Mello, and came and made Abimelech kyng in the playne, where the stone was in Sichem.

7 And when they tolde it to Ioatham, he went and stoode in the top of mount Garizim, and lyft vp his voyce, & cryed, and sayd vnto them: Hearken vnto me you men of Sichem, that God may hearken vnto you.

8 The trees went foorth to annoynt a kyng ouer them, and sayde vnto the Olyue tree: Raigne thou ouer vs.

9 But the Olyue tree sayd vnto them: Should I leaue my fatnesse wherwith by me they honour God and man, & to be promoted ouer the trees?

10 And the trees sayd to the figge tree: Come thou, and be kyng ouer vs.

11 The figge tree aunswered them: should I forsake my sweetnes, and my good fruite, and go to be promoted ouer the trees?

12 Then sayde the trees vnto the vine: Come thou and be kyng ouer vs.

13 The vine sayde vnto them: Should I leaue my wine wherby I cheare both God and man, and go to be promoted ouer the trees?

14 Then said all the trees vnto the bryer: Come thou and raigne ouer vs.

15 And the bryer sayde vnto the trees: If it be true that ye will annoynt me kyng ouer you, then come and put your trust vnder my shadow: If no, the fyre come out of the bryer, & waste the Cedar trees of Libanon.

16 Nowe therfore, if ye do truely and vncorruptly to make Abimelech kyng, and if ye haue dealte well with Ierobaal & his house, and haue done vnto hym according to the deseruing of his handes:

17 (For euen my father fought for you, and aduentured his life, and ridde you out of the hande of Madian.

18 And ye are rysen vp agaynst my fathers house this day, and haue slayne his children, beyng threescore & ten persones vpon one stone, and haue made Abimelech the sonne of his mayde seruaunt, king ouer the men of Sichem, because he is your brother.)

19 If ye then haue dealt truely and purely with Ierobaal and with his house this day, then reioyce ye with Abimelech, and let him reioyce with you.

20 But if you haue not dealt truely, then let a fire come out of Abimelech, & consume the men of Sichem, & the house of Mello: and let there come out a fire fro among the men of Sichem, & out of the house of Mello, & consume Abimelech.

21 And Ioatham ran away and fledde, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for feare of Abimelech his brother.

22 When Abimelech had raigned three yeres ouer Israel,

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.