1 a To practise with his kinfolkes for the atteining of the kingdome.
1 ! Abimelech vsurpeth the kingdome and putteth his brethern to death.
2 b Of your kinred by my mothers side.
4 / Or, idle felowes and vacabonds.
5 c Thus tyrants to establishe their vsurped power spare not the innoncent blood, {1King. 10,7, 2 Chro. 21,4}.
6 d Which was as the towne house or commun hal which he calleth the towre of Shechem, {vers. 49}.
7 ! Jotham proposeth a parable.
8 e By this parable he declareth that those that are not ambitious are moste worthy of honour, and that the ambitous abuse their honour bothe to their owne destruction and others.
14 / Or, thisel, or, breere
15 f Abimelech shal destroye the nobles of Shechem.
17 / Ebr. he cast his life farre from him.
19 g That he is your King, and you his subjectes.
23 h Because the people consented with the King in sheding innocent blood: therefore God destroyeth bothe the one & the other.
23 ! Hatred betwene Abimelech & the Shechemites.
26 ! Gaal conspireth against him, and is ouercome.
27 i Before they were afrayd of Abimelechs power, & durst not go out of the citie.
29 k Braggingly as thogh he had bene present, or to his captaine Zebul.
33 ! Abimelech is wounded to death by a woman.
33 / Ebr. what thine hand can finde.
36 l Thou art afrayd of a shadowe.
43 n Which were of his companie.
45 o That it shulde be vnfruteful and neuer serue to anie vse.
46 p That is, of Baal-berith, as {Chap. 8,33}.
49 q Meaning, that all were destroyed, aswel thei in the towre as the other.
54 r Thus God by suche miserable death taketh vengeance on tyrants euen in this life.
57 s For making a tyrant their King.