y might capture even when the latter were
in possession of the king's safe conduct. This was not only an insult to
their lord, but a serious blow to his treasury: the merchants who found
themselves no longer protected by his guarantee employed elsewhere the
sums which would have come into his hands. The king concealed his anger,
however; he was not inclined to adopt premature measures, for the place
was a strong one, and defeat would seriously weaken his prestige. The
people of Shechem, on their part, did not risk an open rupture for fear
of the consequences. Gaal, son of Ebed,* a soldier of fortune and of
Israelitish blood, arrived upon the scene, attended by his followers: he
managed to gain the confidence of the people of Shechem, who celebrated
under his protection the feast of the Vintage.

* The name Ebed ("slave," "servant") is assumed to have been
substituted in the Massorotic text for the original name
Jobaal, because of the element Baal in the latter word,
which was regarded as that of the strange god, and would
thus have the sacrilegious meaning "Jahveh is Baal." The term
of contempt, Ebed, was, according to this view, thus used to
replace it.

On this occasion their merrymaking was disturbed by the presence among
them of the officer charged with collecting the tithes, and Gaal did not
lose the opportunity of stimulating their ire by his ironical speeches:
"Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is
not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve ye the men of
Hamor the father of Shechem: but why should we serve him? And would to
God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And
he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out." Zebul promptly
gave information of this to his master, and invited him to come by night
and lie in ambush in the vicinity of the town, "that in the morning,
as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city:
and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against
thee, thou mayest do to them as thou shalt find occasion." It turned out
as he foresaw; the inhabitants of Shechem went out in order to take part
in the gathering in of the vintage, while Gaal posted his men at the
entering in of the gate of the city. As he looked towards the hills he
thought he saw an unusual movement among the trees, and, turning round,
said to Zebul, who was close by, "Behold