After Gideon—also called Jerub-Baal—died, his son Abimelech sought to rise above his brothers. Ambition burned in his heart. He went to Shechem, to his mother's relatives, and said to them, "Would you rather have seventy rulers, or just one? Remember, I'm your own blood."
The people of Shechem listened. "He's our brother," they said. And with that, they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith. With the money, Abimelech hired a band of reckless, godless men who became his followers.
Together, they went to Ophrah—his father's town. There, upon one cold stone, Abimelech slaughtered his seventy brothers—the sons of Jerub-Baal—one by one. Only the youngest, Jotham, escaped by hiding.
Then, the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great oak near the pillar in Shechem. There they crowned Abimelech king.
But when Jotham heard, he climbed Mount Gerizim and called out to the people below, his voice echoing across the valley.
"Listen to me, people of Shechem, and may God listen to you!
Once upon a time, the trees went out to choose a king.
They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.'
But the olive tree replied, 'Should I give up my oil that honors both God and man, just to rule over you?'
Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come, be our king.'
The fig tree answered, 'Should I give up my sweet fruit to rule over you?'
Next, they said to the vine, 'Be our king.'
The vine replied, 'Should I give up my wine that gladdens God and men, to rule over you?'
Finally, they turned to the thornbush.
And the thornbush said, 'If you really want me as king, come and rest under my shade; but if not, let fire come out of me and burn the cedars of Lebanon!'
Now tell me, people of Shechem—have you acted with honor and truth in making Abimelech king? Did you treat my father, Gideon, with justice? My father risked his life for you, but you've risen against his family and killed his sons upon a stone! You've made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, your king—just because he's your brother!
If you've done right, then may you and Abimelech find joy in each other. But if not—may fire come out from Abimelech and consume you, and fire from you consume Abimelech!"
When he finished, Jotham fled to Beer and hid there, fearing his brother's wrath.
For three years Abimelech ruled over Israel. Then God sent a spirit of discord between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem. They turned against each other so that the blood of Gideon's sons would be avenged.
The people of Shechem began to plot against Abimelech. They set ambushes on the hilltops to rob travelers, and word reached Abimelech. Soon, a man named Gaal son of Ebed came with his relatives and won the hearts of the Shechemites. During a harvest feast in their god's temple, they drank, danced, and cursed Abimelech.
Gaal shouted, "Who is Abimelech that we should serve him? Isn't he Jerub-Baal's son? And isn't Zebul his deputy? Let the men of Hamor, Shechem's founder, rule instead! If I were in charge, I'd drive Abimelech out myself!"
Zebul, the city's governor, heard this and secretly sent word to Abimelech: "Gaal and his brothers are stirring up the city. Come by night and hide in the fields. At sunrise, strike when they least expect it."
That night, Abimelech and his men crept into position. At dawn, Gaal stood at the city gate and saw shapes moving on the hills. "Look, men are coming down!" he said.
Zebul laughed. "You're seeing shadows of the mountains."
But Gaal insisted. "No, people are coming from the hills—and another group from the sorcerers' tree!"
Then Zebul mocked him. "Where's your big talk now? Go on—fight the man you mocked!"
Gaal led the people out to battle, but Abimelech struck them down. Many fell wounded as they fled back toward the gate. Abimelech stayed at Arumah, while Zebul drove Gaal and his family out of Shechem.
The next day, when the people of Shechem went out to the fields, Abimelech attacked again. He divided his men into three companies and set an ambush. They stormed the gates, cut down the people, and destroyed the city. Then Abimelech scattered salt over the ruins—a sign of everlasting desolation.
When the people in the tower of Shechem heard what had happened, they ran to the fortress of the temple of El-Berith for safety. Abimelech went to Mount Zalmon, cut down branches, and said to his men, "Do as I do!" They followed his lead, piled the branches around the tower, and set them on fire. Flames roared, and about a thousand men and women perished inside.
Still unsatisfied, Abimelech went to Thebez. The city fell, but inside was a strong tower where all the people fled. As Abimelech came close to burn it like the last, a woman dropped an upper millstone from above—it struck his head and cracked his skull.
Bleeding and humiliated, he called to his armor-bearer, "Quick! Kill me, so they won't say a woman killed me!" His servant ran him through, and he died.
When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they returned to their homes.
So God repaid Abimelech for the murder of his brothers, and He made the people of Shechem pay for their wickedness. The curse of Jotham, the son of Gideon, came true.