Daily Text and Bible Reading: Thursday, March 19 [Press play below]

8.1 Then the men of Ephraim said to him: “What have you done to us? Why did you not call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they quarreled bitterly with him.
8.2 But he said to them: “What have I done compared with you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abi-ezer?
8.3 It was into your hand that God gave Midian’s princes Oreb and Zeeb, and what have I done compared with you?” When he spoke this way, they calmed down.
8.4 Gideon then came to the Jordan and crossed it. He and the 300 men with him were tired, but they kept up the pursuit.
8.5 So he said to the men of Succoth: “Please give loaves of bread to the people following me, for they are tired and I am chasing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
8.6 But the princes of Succoth said: “Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand so that we should give bread to your army?”
8.7 At this Gideon said: “Just for that, when Jehovah gives Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will give you a thrashing with the thorns and the briars of the wilderness.”
8.8 And he went up from there to Penuel and made the same request, but the men of Penuel gave him the same answer as the men of Succoth.
8.9 So he said also to the men of Penuel: “When I return in peace, I will pull down this tower.”
8.10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their armies, about 15,000 men. These were all who remained of the entire army of the Easterners, for 120,000 men armed with swords had fallen.
8.11 Gideon continued up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the camp, which was off guard.
8.12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued and captured the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, throwing the whole camp into a panic.
8.13 Gideon the son of Joash then returned from the war by way of the pass that goes up to Heres.
8.14 En route he captured and interrogated a young man from Succoth. So the young man wrote out for him the names of the princes and elders of Succoth, 77 men.
8.15 With that he went to the men of Succoth and said: “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the palms of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand so that we should give bread to your exhausted men?’”
8.16 Then he took the elders of the city and with thorns and briars of the wilderness, he taught the men of Succoth a lesson.
8.17 And he pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
8.18 He asked Zebah and Zalmunna: “What sort of men did you kill in Tabor?” To this they said: “They were like you, each one looked like the son of a king.”
8.19 At that he said: “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As surely as Jehovah lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not have to kill you.”
8.20 Then he said to Jether his firstborn: “Get up, kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was afraid, for he was still a young man.
8.21 So Zebah and Zalmunna said: “Get up yourself and slay us, for a man is judged by his mightiness.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna and took the crescent-shaped ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.
8.22 Later the men of Israel said to Gideon: “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson as well, for you saved us out of the hand of Midian.”
8.23 But Gideon said to them: “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. Jehovah is the one who will rule over you.”
8.24 Gideon continued: “Let me make one request of you: that each of you give me a nose ring from his spoil.” (For they had gold nose rings because they were Ishmaelites.)
8.25 They replied: “We will surely give them.” With that they spread out a robe and each man threw a nose ring from his spoil on it.
8.26 The weight of the gold nose rings that he had requested amounted to 1,700 gold shekels, besides the crescent-shaped ornaments, the pendants, the purple wool garments worn by the kings of Midian, and the necklaces from the camels.
8.27 Gideon made it into an ephod and exhibited it in his city Ophrah; and all Israel committed spiritual prostitution with it there, and it served as a snare to Gideon and to his household.
8.28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and they did not challenge them again; and the land had rest for 40 years in the days of Gideon.
8.29 So Jerubbaal the son of Joash returned to his home and stayed there.
8.30 Gideon became father to 70 sons, for he had many wives.
8.31 His concubine in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
8.32 And Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.
8.33 As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites again committed spiritual prostitution with the Baals, and they appointed Baal-berith as their god.
8.34 The Israelites did not remember Jehovah their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies around them;
8.35 nor did they show loyal love toward the household of Jerubbaal, that is Gideon, in return for all the good that he had done for Israel.
9.1 In time Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem, and he said to them and to all the family of his grandfather:
9.2 “Please ask all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, for all 70 sons of Jerubbaal to rule over you or for one man to rule over you? And remember that I am your own bone and flesh.’”
9.3 So his mother’s brothers said this in his behalf to all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said: “He is our own brother.”
9.4 Then they gave him 70 pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith, and Abimelech used it to hire idle and insolent men to accompany him.
9.5 After that he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, 70 men, on one stone. The only survivor was Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, because he hid.
9.6 Then all the leaders of Shechem and all Beth-millo gathered together and made Abimelech king, close by the big tree, by the pillar that was in Shechem.
9.7 When they reported it to Jotham, he at once went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and called out in a loud voice to them: “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, and then God will listen to you.
9.8 “Once there were trees that went to anoint a king over them. So they said to the olive tree, ‘Rule over us.’
9.9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Must I give up my oil, which they use to glorify God and men, to go and wave over the other trees?’
9.10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and rule over us.’
9.11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Must I give up my sweetness and my good fruitage to go and wave over the other trees?’
9.12 Next the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and rule over us.’
9.13 The vine replied to them, ‘Must I give up my new wine that makes God and men rejoice to go and wave over the trees?’
9.14 Finally all the other trees said to the bramble, ‘Come and rule over us.’
9.15 At this the bramble said to the trees, ‘If you are really anointing me as king over you, come and seek refuge under my shadow. But if not, let fire come out of the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’
9.16 “Now have you acted sincerely and honorably in making Abimelech king, and have you shown goodness toward Jerubbaal and his household, and have you treated him as he deserves?
9.17 When my father fought for you, he risked his life to save you from Midian’s hand.
9.18 But today you have risen up against my father’s household and killed his sons, 70 men, on one stone. Then you made Abimelech, the son of his slave girl, king over the leaders of Shechem just because he is your brother.
9.19 Yes, if you are acting sincerely and honorably toward Jerubbaal and his household this day, rejoice over Abimelech and let him also rejoice over you.
9.20 But if not, may fire come out of Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come out of the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.”
9.21 Then Jotham fled and escaped to Beer, and he lived there because of his brother Abimelech.
9.22 Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years.
9.23 Then God let hostility develop between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem, and they dealt treacherously with Abimelech.
9.24 This was so that the violence done to the 70 sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged, so as to place responsibility for their blood on their brother Abimelech for killing them and on the leaders of Shechem for helping him to kill his brothers.
9.25 So the leaders of Shechem set men to ambush him on the mountaintops, and they would rob everyone who passed by them on the road. In time it was reported to Abimelech.
9.26 Then Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers crossed over into Shechem, and the leaders of Shechem put their trust in him.
9.27 They went out into the field and gathered the grapes of their vineyards, trod them out, and held a festival, after which they went into the house of their god and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech.
9.28 Then Gaal the son of Ebed said: “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his commissioner? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem’s father! But why should we serve him?
9.29 If only this people were under my command, I would depose Abimelech.” Then he said to Abimelech: “Increase your army and come out.”
9.30 When Zebul the prince of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger blazed.
9.31 So he secretly sent messengers to Abimelech, saying: “Look! Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers are now in Shechem, and here they are inciting the city against you.
9.32 Now come up by night, you and your men, and lie in wait in the field.
9.33 As soon as the sun rises in the morning, you should get up early and attack the city; and when he and his men come out against you, do whatever you can to defeat him.”
9.34 So Abimelech and all the people with him rose up by night, and in four bands they lay in wait against Shechem.
9.35 When Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate, Abimelech and the people with him rose up from the ambush.
9.36 When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul: “Look! There are people coming down from the mountaintops.” But Zebul said to him: “You are seeing the shadows of the mountains as if they were men.”
9.37 Gaal later said: “Look! People are coming down from the center of the land, and one band is coming by the way of the big tree of Meonenim.”
9.38 Zebul replied to him: “Where now is your boast, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Are these not the people you rejected? Go out now and fight against them.”
9.39 So Gaal went out at the head of the leaders of Shechem and fought against Abimelech.
9.40 Abimelech pursued him, and Gaal fled from him, and many fell slain as far as the entrance of the city gate.
9.41 And Abimelech continued to dwell in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.
9.42 The next day the people went out into the field, and Abimelech was told about it.
9.43 So he took the people and divided them into three bands and lay in wait in the field. When he saw the people going out of the city, he attacked them and struck them down.
9.44 Abimelech and the bands with him charged forward and took a position at the entrance of the city gate, while two bands attacked all who were in the field, and they struck them down.
9.45 Abimelech fought against the city all that day and captured it. He killed the people in it, and then he pulled the city down and sowed it with salt.
9.46 When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard about this, they immediately went to the vault of the house of El-berith.
9.47 As soon as it was reported to Abimelech that all the leaders of the tower of Shechem had gathered together,
9.48 Abimelech and all the men with him went up Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut off a tree branch and lifted it on his shoulder and said to the people with him: “What you saw me do, hurry and do the same!”
9.49 So all the people also cut off branches and followed Abimelech. Then they put the branches against the vault and set the vault on fire. So all the people of the tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women.
9.50 Abimelech then went to Thebez; he camped against Thebez and captured it.
9.51 There was a strong tower in the middle of the city, and all the men and women and all the city leaders fled there. They shut themselves in and climbed onto the roof of the tower.
9.52 Abimelech made his way to the tower and attacked it. He approached the entrance of the tower to set it on fire.
9.53 Then one of the women dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.
9.54 He quickly called the attendant bearing his weapons and said to him: “Draw your sword and put me to death, so that they may not say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So his attendant ran him through, and he died.
9.55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they all went back home.
9.56 Thus God repaid Abimelech for the evil that he had done to his father by killing his 70 brothers.
9.57 God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem come back on their own heads. So the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.