e town of Thebes,
which he surrounded and besieged with his army.

9:51. And there was in the midst of the city a high tower, to which both
the men and the women were fled together, and all the princes of the
city, and having shut and strongly barred the gate, they stood upon the
battlements of the tower to defend themselves.

9:52. And Abimelech, coming near the tower, fought stoutly: and,
approaching to the gate, endeavoured to set fire to it:

9:53. And behold, a certain woman casting a piece of a millstone from
above, dashed it against the head of Abimelech, and broke his skull.

9:54. And he called hastily to his armourbearer, and said to him: Draw
thy sword, and kill me: lest it should be said that I was slain by a
woman. He did as he was commanded, and slew him.

9:55. And when he was dead all the men of Israel that were with him,
returned to their homes.

9:56. And God repaid the evil that Abimelech had done against his
father, killing his seventy brethren.

9:57. The Sichemites also were rewarded for what they had done, and the
curse of Joatham, the son of Jerobaal, came upon them.

Judges Chapter 10

Thola ruleth Israel twenty-three years; and Jair twenty-two. The people
fall again into idolatry, and are afflicted again by the Philistines and
Ammonites. They cry to God for help, who upon their repentance hath
compassion on them.

10:1. After Abimelech, there arose a ruler in Israel, Thola, son of
Phua, the uncle of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, who dwelt in Samir of
mount Ephraim:

Uncle of Abimelech... i. e., half brother to Gedeon, as being born of
the same mother, but by a different father, and of a different tribe.

10:2. And he judged Israel three and twenty years, and he died, and was
buried in Samir.

10:3. To him succeeded Jair, the Galaadite, who judged Israel for two
and twenty years,

10:4. Having thirty sons, that rode on thirty ass colts, and were
princes of thirty cities, which from his name were called Havoth Jair,
that is, the towns of Jair, until this present day, in the land of
Galaad.

Havoth Jair... This name was now confirmed to these towns, which they
had formerly received from another Jair. Num. 32.41.

10:5. And Jair died, and was buried in the place which is called Camon.

10:6. But the children of Israel, adding new sins to their old ones, did
evil in the sight of the Lord, and served idols, Baalim and Astaroth,
and the gods of Syria, and of Sidon, and of Moab,