A reading from the book of judges.

Now Abimelech, the son of Jeribaal, went to Shekham, to his mother's relatives,

and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family,

Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shikkim,

which is better for you, that all 70 of the sons of Jereba all rule over you, or that

one rule over you?

Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

And his mother's relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders

of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow

Abimelech, for they said, he is our brother. And they gave him seventy pieces of silver

out of the house of Ba'Al-Berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows

who followed him. And he went to his father's house at

Offra and killed his brothers, the sons of Jeribaal, 70 men on one stone. But Jotham, the youngest son

of Jeribaal, was left, for he hid himself.

And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth Millo, and they went and

made Abimelech king by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerazim and cried aloud and said to them,

Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.

The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, rain over us.

But the olive tree said to them,

Shall I leave my abundance by which gods and men are

honored, and go hold sway over the trees? And the trees said to the fig tree, you come and rain over

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