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Abimelech’s uncles spoke to all the leaders of Shechem. They asked them that question. All the leaders decided to follow Abimelech. They said, “He is our brother.” So the leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech about one and three-fourths pounds of silver. The silver was from the temple of the god Baal-of-the-Agreement. Abimelech used the silver to hire some worthless, reckless men. They followed Abimelech wherever he went. Abimelech went to Ophrah, the hometown of his father. There Abimelech murdered his 70 brothers. They were the sons of Abimelech’s father, Gideon. He killed them all on one stone. But Gideon’s youngest son, Jotham, hid from Abimelech and escaped.

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When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelek, for they said, “He is related to us.” They gave him seventy shekels[a] of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith,(A) and Abimelek used it to hire reckless scoundrels,(B) who became his followers. He went to his father’s home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers,(C) the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham,(D) the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 9:4 That is, about 1 3/4 pounds or about 800 grams