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Then he sayde vnto Iether his first borne sonne, Vp, & slay them: but the boy drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet yong.

Then Zebah & Zalmunna sayd, Rise thou, & fall vpon vs: for as the man is, sou his stregth. And Gideon arose and slew Zebah & Zalmunna, and tooke away the ornamentes, that were on their camels neckes.

Againe Gideon sayd vnto them, I would desire a request of you, that you would giue mee euery man the earings of his pray (for they had golden earings because they were Ismaelites)

And they answered, Wee will giue them. And they spred a garment, and did cast therein euery man the earings of his pray.

And Gideon made an Ephod thereof, & put it in Ophrah his citie: and all Israel went a whoring there after it, which was the destruction of Gideon and his house.

Then Ierubbaal the sonne of Ioash went, and dwelt in his owne house.

And Gideon had seuentie sonnes begotten of his body: for he had many wiues.

And his concubine that was in Shechem, bare him a sonne also, whose name he called Abimelech.

So Gideon the sonne of Ioash dyed in a good age, & was buried in the sepulchre of Ioash his father in Ophrah, of the father of ye Ezrites.

Then Abimelech the sonne of Ierubbaal went to Shechem vnto his mothers brethren, & communed with them, and with all the familie, and house of his mothers father, saying,

Then his mothers brethren spake of him in the audience of all the men of Shechem, all these wordes: and their hearts were moued to followe Abimelech: for sayd they, He is our brother.

And he went vnto his fathers house at Ophrah, & slew his brethren, the sonnes of Ierubbaal, about seuentie persons vpon one stone: yet Iotham the yongest sonne of Ierubbaal was left: for he hid himselfe.

And when they told it to Iotham, he went and stoode in the top of mount Gerizim, & lift vp his voyce, and cryed, & sayd vnto them, Hearken vnto mee, you men of Shechem, that God may hearken vnto you.

Now therefore, if ye doe truely and vncorruptly to make Abimelech King, and if ye haue delt well with Ierubbaal and with his house, and haue done vnto him according to the deseruing of his handes,

(For my father fought for you, and aduentured his life, and deliuered you out of the handes of Midian.

And yee are risen vp against my fathers house this day, and haue slayne his children, about seuentie persons vpon one stone, and haue made Abimelech the sonne of his mayde seruant, King ouer the men of Shechem, because hee is your brother)

If ye then haue delt truely and purely with Ierubbaal, and with his house this day, then reioyce with you.

And Iotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there for feare of Abimelech his brother.

That the crueltie toward the seuentie sonnes of Ierubbaal and their blood might come & be laide vpon Abimelech their brother, which had slayne them, and vpon the men of Shechem, which had ayded him to kill his brethren.

Then Gaal the sonne of Ebed came with his brethren, and they went to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.