The Koine Bible

And Abimelech son of Jerobaal went to Shechem to his mother’s brothers and spoke to them and to all the kindred of his mother’s father’s house, saying:

Speak now in the ears of all the men of Shechem: what is good for you, for seventy men, all the sons of Jeroboal, to rule over you, or for one man to rule over you? And remember that I am your bone and your flesh.

And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words about him in the ears of all the men of Shechem, and their heart inclined after Abimelech, for they said, He is our brother.

And they gave him seventy of silver from the house of Baal-berith, and Abimelech hired for himself empty and cowardly men, and they went after him

And he entered into the house of his father in Ephratha and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerobaal, seventy men on one stone, and Jotham, the youngest son of Jerobaal, was left because he hid himself.

And all the men of Shechem gathered together and all the house of Bethmaalon, and they went and made Abimelech king near the oak of the pillar of the revolt that was in Shechem.

And it was reported to Jotham, and he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim and lifted up his voice and wept and said to them, Hear me, men of Shechem, and God will hear you.

The trees went forth, going forth, to anoint a king over themselves, and they said to the olive tree, Reign over us.

And the olive said to them, Having not abandoned my fatness, by which men will glorify God, shall I go to be shaken over the trees?

And the trees said to the fig tree, Come, reign over us.

And the fig tree said to them, Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruits and go to be shaken over the trees?

And the trees said to the vine, Come, you, reign over us.

And the vine said to them, Shall I leave my wine, which gladdens God and men, and go to be shaken over the trees?

And all the trees said to the bramble, Come, you, reign over us.

And the bramble said to the trees, If in truth you are anointing me to reign over you, come, take refuge in my shade; and if not, let fire come out from me and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

And now, if you have acted in truth and integrity and have made Abimelech king, and if you have done kindness with Jerubbaal and with his house, and if you have done to him according to the recompense of his hand,

as my father fought for you and cast out his life from before and delivered you from the hand of Midian

and you have risen up against my father’s house today and killed his sons, seventy men, on one stone, and made Abimelech, son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother

and if in truth and in integrity you have acted with Jerubbaal and with his house on this day, rejoice in Abimelech, and let him himself also rejoice over you

But if fire does not come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and the house of Bethmaallon, and fire comes out from the men of Shechem and from the house of Bethmaallon and consumes Abimelech

And Jotham fled and ran away and went as far as Beer and dwelt there from before Abimelech his brother

And Abimelech ruled over Israel three years

And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and between the men of Shechem, and the men of Shechem acted faithlessly in the house of Abimelech.

to bring upon the wrongdoing of the seventy sons of Jerubbaal, and their blood, to put upon Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and upon the men of Shechem, because they strengthened his hands to kill his brothers

And the men of Shechem set men lying in wait against him on the tops of the mountains, and they were seizing all who passed by them on the way, and it was reported to King Abimelech.

And Gaal son of Ebed came, and his brothers, and they passed through in Shechem, and the men of Shechem hoped in him.

And they went out into the field and gathered their vineyards and trod them and made ellulim and brought into the house of their god and ate and drank and cursed Abimelech

And Gaal son of Jobel said, Who is Abimelech, and who is the son of Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and Zebul his overseer, his slave, with the men of Hamor, father of Shechem? And why is it that we should serve him, we?

And who would give this people into my hand, and I would remove Abimelech, and I would say to him, Increase your strength, and come out.

And Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal son of Jobel, and he was angry in his anger.

and he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, Behold, Gaal son of Jobel and his brothers are coming to Shechem, and behold, they are surrounding the city against you

And now, rise up by night, you and the people with you, and lie in ambush in the field.

And it shall be in the morning, as soon as the sun rises, you shall rise early and stretch out against the city; and behold, he and the people with him are going out toward you, and you shall do to him whatever your hand may find to do.

And Abimelech rose up, and all the people with him, by night, and they lay in ambush against Shechem with four companies

And Gaal son of Jebal went out and stood by the door of the gate of the city, and Abimelech and the people with him rose up from the ambush.

And Gaal son of Jobel saw the people and said to Zebul, Behold, a people is coming down from the tops of the mountains. And Zebul said to him, You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as men.

And Gaal continued still to speak and said, Behold, people coming down by the sea from the side of the navel of the land, and another company is coming by way of Elonmaonemim

And Zebul said to him, Where now is your mouth, as you spoke, saying, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? Is not this the people whom you despised? Come out now, then, and set yourself in battle array against him.

And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem and drew up for battle against Abimelech

And Abimelech pursued him, and he fled from before him, and many wounded fell as far as the gate door.

And Abimelech entered in Arumah, and Zebul cast out Gaal and his brothers, so that they should not dwell in Shechem.

And it came to pass on the next day, and the people went out into the field, and he reported it to Abimelech.

And he took the people and divided them into three bands, and lay in ambush in the field; and he saw, and behold, the people came out from the city, and he rose up against them and struck them.

And Abimelech and the chiefs with him stretched out and stood by the entrance of the gate of the city, and the two companies stretched out against all those in the field and struck them.

And Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he captured the city, and he killed the people who were in it, and he demolished the city, and sowed it with salt.

And all the men of the tower of Shechem heard, and they came to the assembly of Baithberith.

And it was reported to Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem had gathered together.

And Abimelech went up to Mount Hermon, and all the people with him, and Abimelech took the axes in his hand and cut a branch of wood and lifted it and laid it on his shoulders, and he said to the people with him, What you have seen me doing, quickly do as I.

And every man cut a branch, and they followed Abimelech and laid it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, and all the men of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.

And Abimelech went from Bethhelberith and encamped in Thebes and took it

And there was a strong tower in the midst of the city, and all the men and the women of the city fled there, and they shut them in from outside, and they went up onto the roof of the tower

And Abimelech came as far as the tower, and they drew up in battle array against him, and Abimelech approached as far as the door of the tower to burn it with fire

And one woman threw a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and she broke his skull.

And he cried out quickly to the young man carrying his weapons and said to him, Draw my sword and kill me, lest they say, A woman killed him; and his young man thrust him through, and he died.

And a man of Israel saw that Abimelech had died, and each man went to his place

And God turned back the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in killing his seventy brothers

And all the wickedness of the men of Shechem God turned back on their own head, and the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.