¹⁵ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan^(A) is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.^(B)”

³² So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal^[a](A) that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

Abimelek

9 Abimelek^(A) son of Jerub-Baal^(B) went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother’s clan, ² “Ask all the citizens of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal’s sons rule over you, or just one man?’ Remember, I am your flesh and blood.^(C)”

⁶ Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo^(A) gathered beside the great tree^(B) at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelek king.

²² After Abimelek had governed Israel three years,