him. And they went
out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes,
and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and
drink, and cursed Abimelech. And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is
Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the
son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of Hamor the
father of Shechem; but why should we serve him? And would to God this
people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to
Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. And when Zebul the ruler
of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was
kindled. And he sent messengers unto Abimelech craftily, saying, Behold,
Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren are come to Shechem; and, behold,
they constrain the city to take part against thee. Now therefore, up by
night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the
field: and it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up,
thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and
the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do
to them as thou shalt find occasion.

And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night,
and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. And Gaal the son
of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and
Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from the
ambushment. And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold,
there come people down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said
unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.
And Gaal spake again and said, See, there come people down by the middle
of the land, and one company cometh by the way of the oak of Meonenim.
Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, that thou saidst, Who
is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou
hast despised? go out now, I pray, and fight with them. And Gaal went
out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. And Abimelech
chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even
unto the entering of the gate. And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul
drave out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the
field; and they told Abimelech. And he took the people, and divided the