²² After Abimelech had ruled over Israel for three years, ²³ God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem. So the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech— ²⁴ in order that the violence done to Jerubbaal’s 70 sons might come due, so their blood might be laid on their brother Abimelech who slew them, and on the lords of Shechem who strengthened his hands to slay his brothers.

²⁵ So the lords of Shechem set up ambushers on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed anyone who passed by them along that road. So it was reported to Abimelech. ²⁶ Now Gaal son of Ebed had come with his relatives and moved to Shechem, and the lords of Shechem put their trust in him. ²⁷ When they went out into the field, they gathered grapes of their vineyards, trod them and had a party. Then they went into the house of their god, ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech.

²⁸ Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn’t he the son of Jerubbaal? Isn’t Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem—but why should we serve him? ²⁹ Now, if this people were under my hand, then I would get rid of Abimelech.” So he said to Abimelech, “Muster your army and come out!”

³⁰ When Zebul the governor of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, his anger burned. ³¹ So he sent messengers to Abimelech in deceit saying, “Watch out, Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives have moved to Shechem, and look, they are inciting the city against you. ³² So now, arise by night, you and the people who are with you, and lie in wait in the field. ³³ So it will be in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, you will rise early and advance on the city; and behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, then you should do to them whatever your hand finds.”

³⁴ So Abimelech and all the people who were with him rose up by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four columns. ³⁵ Now Gaal son of Ebed went out and stood at the entrance of the city gate. Then Abimelech and the people who were with him emerged from the ambush. ³⁶ When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!”

But Zebul said to him, “You’re seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.”

³⁷ Then Gaal spoke up again and said, “Look, people are coming down from the middle of the land, and one column is coming by the road of the Diviner’s Oak.”

³⁸ Then Zebul said to him, “Where is your mouth now? With it you said, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Isn’t this the people that you have trashed? Now go out and fight him!” ³⁹ So Gaal went out ahead of the lords of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. ⁴⁰ But Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate. ⁴¹ While Abimelech stayed in Arumah, Zebul drove Gaal and his relatives out so that they could not stay in Shechem.

⁴² Now it came to pass the next day that the people went out into the field, and it was reported to Abimelech. ⁴³ So he took his people, divided them into three columns, and lay in ambush in the field. When he looked and saw the people were coming out of the city, he pounced on them and struck them down. ⁴⁴ Then Abimelech and the column that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the city gate, and the other two columns rushed on all who were in the open field and struck them down. ⁴⁵ So Abimelech fought against the city all that day, captured the city and killed the people that were in it. Then he razed the city and sowed it with salt.

⁴⁶ Now when all the lords of Shechem’s Tower heard about it, they went into the vault of the temple of El-berith. ⁴⁷ When Abimelech was told that all the lords of Shechem’s Tower had gathered there, ⁴⁸ he and all the people with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Then Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees and lifted it up and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you’ve seen me do, hurry and do likewise.” ⁴⁹ So all the people likewise each cut down his branch and followed Abimelech. He laid them against the vault and set the vault on fire over them. So all the people of Shechem’s Tower also died—about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰ Then Abimelech went to Thebez, camped against Thebez and captured it. ⁵¹ But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the city leaders fled there and shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower. ⁵² So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the door of the tower to burn it with fire. ⁵³ But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. ⁵⁴ Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor-bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman slew him.’” So his young man thrust him through, and he died. ⁵⁵ So when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they each departed to his place. ⁵⁶ Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech—what he had done to his father by slaying his 70 brothers. ⁵⁷ Also all the wickedness of the men of Shechem God requited on their heads. Thus on them came the curse of Jotam son of Jerubbaal.

Troubles in Gilead

10 After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to deliver Israel. He dwelt in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. ² He judged Israel for 23 years, then died and was buried in Shamir. ³ After him Jair the Gileadite arose, and judged Israel for 23 years. ⁴ He had 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys and had 30 towns in the land of Gilead, which are called Jair’s Villages to this day. ⁵ Then Jair died and was buried in Kamon. ⁶ Then Bnei-Yisrael again did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes. They worshipped the Baalim, the Ashtaroth, gods of Aram, gods of Zidon, gods of Moab, gods of the children of Ammon and gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Adonai and did not worship Him. ⁷ So Adonai’s anger burned against Israel, and He sold them over into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the children of Ammon. ⁸ They shattered and crushed Bnei-Yisrael that year—for 18 years all Bnei-Yisrael who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. ⁹ Then the children of Ammon also crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed.

¹⁰ Then Bnei-Yisrael cried out to Adonai saying, “We have sinned against You, for we have forsaken our God and have worshipped the Baalim.”

¹¹ So Adonai said to Bnei-Yisrael, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the children of Ammon, the Philistines, ¹² the Zidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites who oppressed you? When you cried out to Me, I delivered you from their hand. ¹³ Yet you have forsaken Me and worshipped other gods; therefore I will deliver you no more. ¹⁴ Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.”

¹⁵ Then Bnei-Yisrael said to Adonai, “We have sinned. Do to us whatever seems good to You, but please, deliver us this day.” ¹⁶ Then they removed the foreign gods from among them, and worshipped Adonai. So His soul could not bear the misery of Israel.

¹⁷ Then the children of Ammon were summoned and camped in Gilead. Bnei-Yisrael gathered together and camped in Mizpah. ¹⁸ The people of the princes of Gilead said one to another, “Whoever begins to fight against the children of Ammon will be chief over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Eyes Open in Emmaus

¹³ Now behold, two of them on that very day were traveling to a village named Emmaus, a distance of about seven miles^[a] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were speaking with one another about all the things that had been happening. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached and began traveling with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.

¹⁷ Then He said to them, “What are these things you are discussing with one another as you are walking along?”

They stood still, looking gloomy. ¹⁸ Then the one named Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ Yeshua said to them, “What kind of things?”

And they said to Him, “The things about Yeshua from Natzeret, who was a Prophet, powerful in deed and word before God and all the people— ²⁰ how the ruling kohanim and our leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they executed Him. ²¹ But we were hoping that He was the One about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

²² “But also some women among us amazed us. Early in the morning they were at the tomb. ²³ When they didn’t find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said He is alive! ²⁴ Some of those with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women said, but they did not see Him.”

²⁵ Yeshua said to them, “Oh foolish ones, so slow of heart to put your trust in all that the prophets spoke! ²⁶ Was it not necessary for Messiah to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” ²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.

²⁸ They approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther on. ²⁹ But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is already gone.” So He went in to stay with them.

³⁰ And it happened that when He was reclining at the table with them, He took the matzah,^[b] offered a bracha and, breaking it, gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from them.

Good News for the Disciples in Jerusalem

³² They said to one another, “Didn’t our heart burn within us while He was speaking with us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” ³³ And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and others with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they began telling about the events on the road and how He became recognized by them in the breaking of the matzah.

³⁶ While they were speaking of these things, Yeshua Himself stood in the midst of them and said, “Shalom Aleichem!” ³⁷ But they were startled and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost.

³⁸ Then He said to them, “Why are you so shaken? And why do doubts arise in your heart? ³⁹ Look at My hands and My feet—it is I Myself! Touch Me and see! For a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” ⁴⁰ And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

⁴¹ But while they were still in disbelief due to joy and wonder, He said to them, “Do you have anything to eat here?”

⁴² They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and He took it and ate it in their presence. ⁴⁴ Then He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you—everything written concerning Me in the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and He said to them, “So it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the removal of sins^[c] is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ^{[d] 48} You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Yeshua Ascends into Heaven

⁵⁰ Then Yeshua led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands^[e] and blessed them. ⁵¹ And while blessing them, He departed from them and was taken up into heaven. ⁵² After worshiping Him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. ⁵³ And they were continually in the Temple, praising God.

Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving

Psalm 100