Study Desk

So Gideon took the elders of the city and punished them with thorns and briers from the desert.

Then Gideon said to Jether, his oldest son, "Kill them." But Jether was only a boy and was afraid, so he did not take out his sword.

Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "Come on. Kill us yourself. As the saying goes, ‘It takes a man to do a man's job.'" So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna and took the decorations off their camels' necks.

They said, "We will gladly give you what you want." So they spread out a coat, and everyone threw down an earring from what he had taken.

Gideon used the gold to make a holy vest, which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. But all the Israelites were unfaithful to God and worshiped it, so it became a trap for Gideon and his family.

So Midian was under the rule of Israel; they did not cause trouble anymore. And the land had peace for forty years, as long as Gideon was alive.

So Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age. He was buried in the tomb of Joash, his father, in Ophrah, where the Abiezrites live.

So the leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech about one and three-quarter pounds of silver from the temple of the god Baal-Berith. Abimelech used the silver to hire some worthless, reckless men, who followed him wherever he went.

When Jotham heard this, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He shouted to the people: "Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, so that God will listen to you!

So then, if you have been honest and sincere to Gideon and his family today, be happy with Abimelech as your king. And may he be happy with you!

Then God sent an evil spirit to make trouble between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem so that the leaders of Shechem turned against him.

Abimelech had killed Gideon's seventy sons, his own brothers, and the leaders of Shechem had helped him. So God sent the evil spirit to punish them.

So Abimelech and all his soldiers got up during the night and hid near Shechem in four groups.

So Gaal led the men of Shechem out to fight Abimelech.

So he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon, near Shechem. Abimelech took an ax and cut some branches and put them on his shoulders. He said to all those with him, "Hurry! Do what I have done!"

So all those men cut branches and followed Abimelech and piled them against the safest room of the temple. Then they set them on fire and burned the people inside. So all the people who were at the Tower of Shechem also died—about a thousand men and women.

But inside the city was a strong tower, so all the men, women, and leaders of that city ran to the tower. When they got inside, they locked the door behind them. Then they climbed up to the roof of the tower.

He quickly called to the officer who carried his armor and said, "Take out your sword and kill me. I don't want people to say, ‘A woman killed Abimelech.'" So the officer stabbed Abimelech, and he died.

God also punished the men of Shechem for the evil they had done. So the curse spoken by Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon, came true.

So the Lord was angry with them and handed them over to the Philistines and the Ammonites.