And he also shall come to destruction.

And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also
went his way.

III

THE CROWNING OF ABIMELECH

And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. And
Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many
wives. And his concubine that was in Sechem, she also bare him a son,
and he called his name Abimelech. And Gideon the son of Joash died in a
good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in
Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of
Israel turned again, and went a whoring after the Baalim, and made
Baal-berith their god. And the children of Israel remembered not the
LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their
enemies on every side: neither shewed they kindness to the house of
Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had
shewed unto Israel.

And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's
brethren, and spake with them, and with all the family of the house of
his mother's father, saying, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the
men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all the sons of
Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that
one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of
Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech;
for they said, He is our brother. And they gave him threescore and ten
pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech
hired vain and light fellows, which followed him. And he went unto his
father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal,
being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: but Jotham the
youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the
house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the
pillar that was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham, he went and
stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried,
and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may
hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over
them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. But the
olive tree said un