Study Desk

The officials of Succoth said, "You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your army?"

He approached the men of Succoth and said, "Look what I have! Zebah and Zalmunna! You insulted me, saying, ‘You have not yet overpowered Zebah and Zalmunna. So why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'"

Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "Come on, you strike us, for a man is judged by his strength." So Gideon killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent-shaped ornaments which were on the necks of their camels.

They said, "We are happy to give you earrings." So they spread out a garment, and each one threw an earring from his plunder onto it.

When Jotham heard the news, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim. He spoke loudly to the people below, "Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you!

"So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and be our king!'

"So the trees said to the grapevine, ‘You come and be our king!'

But the grapevine said to them, ‘I am not going to stop producing my wine, which makes gods and men so happy, just to sway above the other trees!'

"So all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and be our king!'

So if you have shown loyalty and integrity to Jerub-Baal and his family today, then may Abimelech bring you happiness and may you bring him happiness!

He did this so the violent deaths of Jerub-Baal's seventy sons might be avenged and Abimelech, their half-brother who murdered them, might have to pay for their spilled blood, along with the leaders of Shechem who helped him murder them.

So Abimelech and all his men came up at night and set an ambush outside Shechem—they divided into four units.

So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out and fought Abimelech.

So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches against the stronghold and set fire to it. All the people of the Tower of Shechem died—about a thousand men and women.

There was a fortified tower in the center of the city, so all the men and women, as well as the city's leaders, ran into it and locked the entrance. Then they went up to the roof of the tower.

He quickly called to the young man who carried his weapons, "Draw your sword and kill me, so they will not say, ‘A woman killed him.'" So the young man stabbed him and he died.

They threw away the foreign gods they owned and worshiped the Lord . Finally the Lord grew tired of seeing Israel suffer so much.

So Jephthah left his half-brothers and lived in the land of Tob. Lawless men joined Jephthah's gang and traveled with him.

They said, "Come, be our commander, so we can fight with the Ammonites."

So Jephthah went with the leaders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander. Jephthah repeated the terms of the agreement before the Lord in Mizpah.