Abraham said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken. For she is a man's wife."

Now Abimelech had not come near her. He said, "Lord, will you kill even a righteous nation?

Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ear. The men were very scared.

Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said to him, "What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done."

Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you see, that you have done this thing?"

Abimelech took sheep and cattle, male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and restored Sarah, his wife, to him.

Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you."

Abraham prayed to God. God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his female servants, and they bore children.

For the LORD had closed up tight all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

It happened at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the captain of his army spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do.

Abraham complained to Abimelech because of a water well, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing. Neither did you tell me, neither did I hear of it, until today."

Abraham took sheep and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech. Those two made a covenant.

Abimelech said to Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves mean?"

So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Abimelech rose up with Phicol, the captain of his army, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar.

It happened, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was caressing Rebekah, his wife.

Abimelech called Isaac, and said, "Behold, surely she is your wife. Why did you say, 'She is my sister?'" Isaac said to him, "Because I said, 'Lest I die because of her.'"

Abimelech said, "What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us."

Abimelech commanded all the people, saying, "He who touches this man or his wife will surely be put to death."

Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go from us, for you are much mightier than we."

Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol the captain of his army.

His concubine who was in Shechem, she also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's brothers, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying,

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

They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal Berith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him.

And all the lords of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem.

"Now therefore, if you have dealt truly and righteously, in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands

and you are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, seventy persons, on one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the lords of Shechem, because he is your brother).

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

but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the lords of Shechem, and Beth-millo; and let fire come out from the lords of Shechem, and from Beth-millo, and devour Abimelech."

And Jotham escaped and fled and went to Beer and lived there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

Abimelech was prince over Israel three years.

And God sent a spirit of hostility between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem; and the lords of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:

that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and that their blood might be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers.

And the lords of Shechem set an ambush for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who came along that way by them. And it was told to Abimelech.

They went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod the grapes, and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.

Gaal the son of Ebed said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Isn't he the son of Jerubbaal, and Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem. But why should we serve him?

Would that this people were under my hand. Then would I remove Abimelech." He said to Abimelech, "Increase your army, and come out."

He sent messengers to Abimelech craftily, saying, "Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers are come to Shechem; and behold, they constrain the city to take part against you.

Abimelech rose up, and all the people who were with him, by night, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies.

Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people who were with him, from the ambush.

Then Zebul said to him, "Where is now your mouth, that you said, 'Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' Is not this the people that you have despised? Please go out now and fight with them."

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

Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and there fell many wounded, even to the entrance of the gate.

Abimelech lived at Arumah: and Zebul drove out Gaal and his brothers, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

It happened on the next day, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.

Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city: and the two companies rushed against all who were in the field, and struck them.

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

Ant it was told Abimelech that all the lords of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together.

Abimelech got him up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a branch from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the people who were with him, "What you have seen me do, do quickly, and do as I have done."

All the people likewise cut down his branch and followed Abimelech, and put them on the stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire on them; so that all the men of the Tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

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

Abimelech came to the tower, and fought against it, and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire.

A certain woman threw down an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and broke his skull.

When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place.

Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in killing his seventy brothers;

After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did a woman not cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' Then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was scribe;