GIDEON. 131

out to meet him, but soon was glad to betake himself to
flight. The next day Abimelech attacked the city,
which he took and utterly destroyed, with all the people
in it, except those who ‘took refuge in a strong tower
near the town, which was an idol temple, the house of
the god Beerith. Abimelech then went to a wood,
followed by his men; with an axe he cut down a bough
from a tree, telling his followers to do the same. They
obeyed, and all carried their branches and set them round
the tower in which the people had taken refuge. Fire
was applied, soon the idol temple was in flames, and all *
the people. whom it contained perished miserably. So
were the Shechemites punished.

Marianne. But how was Abimelech punished? They
did not deserve it more than he did, I am sure.

Grandfather. Abimelech was first used as an instru-
ment to cut off the wicked men of Shechem, then he
was himself cut off. After having taken Shechem, he
marched against Thebez, a small city not far from the one
he had destroyed. He soon got possession of the town,
but all the people secured themselves in a strong tower
which was within the place. Abimelech was working
about it, trying to set it on fire, when, looking up, he saw
a woman aim a stone at him. He saw it, but he could
not avoid the death that was appointed him to die.
The stone fell on his head and broke his skull. When
he knew that this world and all that it contained were
fast departing from him, one might have expected that
serious thoughts would have occupied his mind. But no,