¹ Abiit autem Abimelech filius Jerobaal in Sichem ad fratres matris suæ, et locutus est ad eos, et ad omnem cognationem domus patris matris suæ, dicens :

² Loquimini ad omnes viros Sichem : Quid vobis est melius, ut dominentur vestri septuaginta viri omnes filii Jerobaal, an ut dominetur unus vir ? simulque considerate quod os vestrum et caro vestra sum.

³ Locutique sunt fratres matris ejus de eo ad omnes viros Sichem universos sermones istos, et inclinaverunt cor eorum post Abimelech, dicentes : Frater noster est.

⁴ Dederuntque illi septuaginta pondo argenti de fano Baalberit. Qui conduxit sibi ex eo viros inopes et vagos, secutique sunt eum.

⁵ Et venit in domum patris sui in Ephra, et occidit fratres suos filios Jerobaal septuaginta viros, super lapidem unum : remansitque Joatham filius Jerobaal minimus, et absconditus est.

⁶ Congregati sunt autem omnes viri Sichem, et universæ familiæ urbis Mello : abieruntque et constituerunt regem Abimelech, juxta quercum quæ stabat in Sichem.

⁷ Quod cum nuntiatum esset Joatham, ivit, et stetit in vertice montis Garizim : elevataque voce, clamavit, et dixit : Audite me, viri Sichem ; ita audiat vos Deus.

⁸ Ierunt ligna, ut ungerent super se regem : dixeruntque olivæ : Impera nobis.

⁹ Quæ respondit : Numquid possum deserere pinguedinem meam, qua et dii utuntur et homines, et venire ut inter ligna promovear ?

¹⁰ Dixeruntque ligna ad arborem ficum : Veni, et super nos regnum accipe.

¹¹ Quæ respondit eis : Numquid possum deserere dulcedinem meam, fructusque suavissimos, et ire ut inter cetera ligna promovear ?

¹² Locutaque sunt ligna ad vitem : Veni, et impera nobis.

¹³ Quæ respondit eis : Numquid possum deserere vinum meum, quod lætificat Deum et homines, et inter ligna cetera promoveri ?

¹⁴ Dixeruntque omnia ligna ad rhamnum : Veni, et impera super nos.

¹⁵ Quæ respondit eis : Si vere me regem vobis constituitis, venite, et sub umbra mea requiescite : si autem non vultis, egrediatur ignis de rhamno, et devoret cedros Libani.

¹⁶ Nunc igitur, si recte et absque peccato constituistis super vos regem Abimelech, et bene egistis cum Jerobaal, et cum domo ejus, et reddidistis vicem beneficiis ejus, qui pugnavit pro vobis,

¹⁷ et animam suam dedit periculis, ut erueret vos de manu Madian,

¹⁸ qui nunc surrexistis contra domum patris mei, et interfecistis filios ejus septuaginta viros super unum lapidem, et constituistis regem Abimelech filium ancillæ ejus super habitatores Sichem, eo quod frater vester sit :

¹⁹ si ergo recte et absque vitio egistis cum Jerobaal, et domo ejus, hodie lætamini in Abimelech, et ille lætetur in vobis.

²⁰ Sin autem perverse : egrediatur ignis ex eo, et consumat habitatores Sichem, et oppidum Mello : egrediaturque ignis de viris Sichem, et de oppido Mello, et devoret Abimelech.

²¹ Quæ cum dixisset, fugit, et abiit in Bera : habitavitque ibi ob metum Abimelech fratris sui.

²² Regnavit itaque Abimelech super Israël tribus annis.

²³ Misitque Dominus spiritum pessimum inter Abimelech et habitatores Sichem : qui cœperunt eum detestari,

²⁴ et scelus interfectionis septuaginta filiorum Jerobaal, et effusionem sanguinis eorum conferre in Abimelech fratrem suum, et in ceteros Sichimorum principes, qui eum adjuverant.

²⁵ Posueruntque insidias adversus eum in summitate montium : et dum illius præstolabantur adventum, exercebant latrocinia, agentes prædas de prætereuntibus : nuntiatumque est Abimelech.

²⁶ Venit autem Gaal filius Obed cum fratribus suis, et transivit in Sichimam. Ad cujus adventum erecti habitatores Sichem,

²⁷ egressi sunt in agros, vastantes vineas, uvasque calcantes : et factis cantantium choris, ingressi sunt fanum dei sui, et inter epulas et pocula maledicebant Abimelech,

²⁸ clamante Gaal filio Obed : Quis est Abimelech, et quæ est Sichem, ut serviamus ei ? numquid non est filius Jerobaal, et constituit principem Zebul servum suum super viros Emor patris Sichem ? cur ergo serviemus ei ?

²⁹ utinam daret aliquis populum istum sub manu mea, ut auferrem de medio Abimelech. Dictumque est Abimelech : Congrega exercitus multitudinem, et veni.

³⁰ Zebul enim princeps civitatis, auditis sermonibus Gaal filii Obed, iratus est valde,

³¹ et misit clam ad Abimelech nuntios, dicens : Ecce Gaal filius Obed venit in Sichimam cum fratribus suis, et oppugnat adversum te civitatem.

³² Surge itaque nocte cum populo qui tecum est, et latita in agro :

³³ et primo mane, oriente sole, irrue super civitatem. Illo autem egrediente adversum te cum populo suo, fac ei quod potueris.

³⁴ Surrexit itaque Abimelech cum omni exercitu suo nocte, et tetendit insidias juxta Sichimam in quatuor locis.

³⁵ Egressusque est Gaal filius Obed, et stetit in introitu portæ civitatis. Surrexit autem Abimelech, et omnis exercitus cum eo de insidiarum loco.

³⁶ Cumque vidisset populum Gaal, dixit ad Zebul : Ecce de montibus multitudo descendit. Cui ille respondit : Umbras montium vides quasi capita hominum, et hoc errore deciperis.

³⁷ Rursumque Gaal ait : Ecce populus de umbilico terræ descendit, et unus cuneus venit per viam quæ respicit quercum.

³⁸ Cui dixit Zebul : Ubi est nunc os tuum, quo loquebaris : Quis est Abimelech ut serviamus ei ? nonne hic populus est, quem despiciebas ? egredere, et pugna contra eum.

³⁹ Abiit ergo Gaal, spectante Sichimorum populo, et pugnavit contra Abimelech,

⁴⁰ qui persecutus est eum fugientem, et in urbem compulit : cecideruntque ex parte ejus plurimi, usque ad portam civitatis.

⁴¹ Et Abimelech sedit in Ruma : Zebul autem, Gaal, et socios ejus expulit de urbe, nec in ea passus est commorari.

⁴² Sequenti ergo die, egressus est populus in campum. Quod cum nuntiatum esset Abimelech,

⁴³ tulit exercitum suum, et divisit in tres turmas, tendens insidias in agris. Vidensque quod egrederetur populus de civitate, surrexit, et irruit in eos

⁴⁴ cum cuneo suo, oppugnans, et obsidens civitatem : duæ autem turmæ palantes per campum adversarios persequebantur.

⁴⁵ Porro Abimelech omni die illo oppugnabat urbem : quam cepit, interfectis habitatoribus ejus, ipsaque destructa, ita ut sal in ea dispergeret.

⁴⁶ Quod cum audissent qui habitabant in turre Sichimorum, ingressi sunt fanum dei sui Berith, ubi fœdus cum eo pepigerant, et ex eo locus nomen acceperat, qui erat munitus valde.

⁴⁷ Abimelech quoque audiens viros turris Sichimorum pariter conglobatos,

⁴⁸ ascendit in montem Selmon cum omni populo suo : et arrepta securi, præcidit arboris ramum, impositumque ferens humero, dixit ad socios : Quod me videtis facere, cito facite.

⁴⁹ Igitur certatim ramos de arboribus præcidentes, sequebantur ducem. Qui circumdantes præsidium, succenderunt : atque ita factum est ut fumo et igne mille homines necarentur, viri pariter et mulieres, habitatorum turris Sichem.

⁵⁰ Abimelech autem inde proficiscens venit ad oppidum Thebes, quod circumdans obsidebat exercitu.

⁵¹ Erat autem turris excelsa in media civitate, ad quam confugerant simul viri ac mulieres, et omnes principes civitatis, clausa firmissime janua, et super turris tectum stantes per propugnacula.

⁵² Accedensque Abimelech juxta turrim, pugnabat fortiter : et appropinquans ostio, ignem supponere nitebatur :

⁵³ et ecce una mulier fragmen molæ desuper jaciens, illisit capiti Abimelech, et confregit cerebrum ejus.

⁵⁴ Qui vocavit cito armigerum suum, et ait ad eum : Evagina gladium tuum, et percute me, ne forte dicatur quod a femina interfectus sim. Qui jussa perficiens, interfecit eum.

⁵⁵ Illoque mortuo, omnes qui cum eo erant de Israël, reversi sunt in sedes suas :

⁵⁶ et reddidit Deus malum, quod fecerat Abimelech contra patrem suum, interfectis septuaginta fratribus suis.

⁵⁷ Sichimitis quoque quod operati erant, retributum est, et venit super eos maledictio Joatham filii Jerobaal.

¹ And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

² Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

³ And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

⁴ And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

⁵ And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.

⁶ And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

⁷ And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may Hearken unto you.

⁸ The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.

⁹ But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

¹⁰ And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.

¹¹ But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

¹² Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.

¹³ And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

¹⁴ Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.

¹⁵ And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.

¹⁶ Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;

¹⁷ (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:

¹⁸ And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)

¹⁹ If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:

²⁰ But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

²¹ And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

²² When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,

²³ Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

²⁴ That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

²⁵ And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

²⁶ And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

²⁷ And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.

²⁸ And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?

²⁹ 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.

³⁰ And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.

³¹ And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.

³² Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:

³³ And it shall be, 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, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.

³⁴ And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

³⁵ And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.

³⁶ And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.

³⁷ And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.

³⁸ Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

³⁹ And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.

⁴⁰ And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.

⁴¹ And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

⁴² And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.

⁴³ And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.

⁴⁴ And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.

⁴⁵ And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

⁴⁶ And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.

⁴⁷ And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

⁴⁸ And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.

⁴⁹ And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

⁵⁰ Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.

⁵¹ But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.

⁵² And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

⁵³ And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.

⁵⁴ Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.

⁵⁵ And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.

⁵⁶ Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:

⁵⁷ And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.