Judges 9:34-45 ▼

34 So Abimelech and his entire army got up that night and waited in ambush against Shechem in four separate companies.

35 Ebed's son Gaal went out and stood in the entrance to the city gate while Abimelech and his army were creeping out of their ambush.

36 When Gaal saw the army, he observed to Zebul, |Look there! People are coming down from the top of the mountains.| But Zebul replied to him, |You're looking at morning shadows cast by the mountains. They just look like men to you.|

37 Gaal spoke up again to say, |Look! People are coming down from the highest part of the land, and there's a company approaching from the diviner's oak tree.|

38 So Zebul replied, |Right... So where's your boasting now? You said, 'Who is Abimelech? Should we serve him?' Isn't this the army that you insulted? So go out right now and fight them!|

39 So Gaal went out in full view of the |lords| of Shechem and fought Abimelech.

40 Abimelech chased him, and Gaal ran away from him. Many fell wounded right up to the entrance to the city gate.

41 Afterwards, Abimelech remained at Arumah, but Zebul expelled Gaal and his family so they couldn't remain in Shechem.

42 The next day, the people went out to the field, and Abimelech learned about it.

43 So he took his army, divided it into three separate companies, and laid in ambush out in the field. When Abimelech noticed the people coming out from the city, his army attacked them and killed them.

44 Then Abimelech and the soldiers who were with him rushed forward and commandeered the entrance to the city gate while the other two companies ran out to kill everyone who was in the field.

45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day, captured the city, killed the people in it, then tore the city to the ground and sowed it with salt.