And Abraham said of Sara his wife, that she was his sister. Then Abimelech, king of Gerar, sent and fetched Sara away.

And God came to Abimelech by night in a dream and said to him, "See, thou art but a dead man for the woman's sake which thou hast taken away, for she is a man's wife."

But Abimelech had not yet come nigh her, and therefore said, "LORD, wilt thou slay righteous people?

Then Abimelech rose up betimes in the morning and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears, and the men were sore afraid.

And Abimelech called Abraham and said unto him, "What hast thou done unto us, and what have I offended thee, that thou shouldest bring on me and on my kingdom so great a sin? Thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done."

And Abimelech said moreover unto Abraham, "What sawest thou that moved thee to do this thing?"

Then took Abimelech sheep and oxen, menservants and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and delivered him Sara his wife again.

And Abimelech said, "Behold, the land lieth before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee best."

And so Abraham prayed unto God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidens, so that they bare.

For the LORD had closed to all the matrices of the house of Abimelech, because of Sara, Abraham's wife.

And it chanced, the same season, that Abimelech and Phicol his chief captain spake unto Abraham saying, "God is with thee in all that thou doest.

And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had taken away.

And Abimelech answered, "I wist not who did it: Also thou toldest me not, neither heard I of it, but this day."

And Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them unto Abimelech. And they made both of them a bond together.

And Abimelech said unto Abraham, "What mean these seven lambs which thou hast set by themselves?"

Thus made they a bond together at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol his chief Captain rose up and turned again unto the land of the Philistines.

And there fell a dearth in the land, passing the first dearth that fell in the days of Abraham. Wherefore Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines, unto Gerar.

And it happened after he had been there long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw Isaac sporting with Rebekah his wife.

And Abimelech sent for Isaac and said, "See, she is of a surety thy wife, and why saidest thou that she was thy sister?" And Isaac said unto him, "I thought that I might peradventure have died for her sake."

Then said Abimelech, "Why hast thou done this unto us? One of the people might lightly have lain by thy wife and so shouldest thou have brought sin upon us."

Then Abimelech charged all his people saying, "He that toucheth this man or his wife, shall surely die for it."

Then said Abimelech unto Isaac, "Get thee from me, for thou art mightier than we a great deal."

Then came Abimelech to him from Gerar; and Ahuzzath his friend, and Phicol his chief captain.

And his concubine that dwelt in Shechem bare him a son also, whose name he called Abimelech.

For Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them and with all his mother's father's kindred, saying,

And his mother's brethren rehearsed of him in the audience of all the citizens of Shechem, all these words, and moved their hearts to follow Abimelech, in that they said how he was their brother.

And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, with which Abimelech hired vain and light persons which went with him.

And all the citizens of Shechem gathered together with all the house of Mello, and went and made Abimelech king at a certain oak that was by Shechem.

And even so, now: if ye have done truly and uncorruptly to make 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,

and ye are risen up against my father's house this day. And have slain his children, even seventy persons upon one stone and have made Abimelech - the son of his maidservant - king over the citizens of Shechem, because he is your brother.

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

But, if ye have not dealt truly, then I pray God a fire may come out of Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and the house of Mello. And that there come a fire out of the citizens of Shechem, and out of the house of Mello and consume Abimelech."

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

When Abimelech had reigned three years,

God sent a hate between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. And the citizens of Shechem railed upon Abimelech,

and wished that the wickedness done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come on him, and laid the blood of them unto Abimelech their brother which slew them, and unto the other citizens of Shechem which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

And the citizens of Shechem set men to lay await for him in the top of the mountains, which men robbed all that came along the way by them. And it was told Abimelech.

And they went out into the fields and gathered in their grapes and trod them and made merry: and went into the house of their God, and did eat and drink and cursed Abimelech.

And Gaal the son of Ebed said, "What is Abimelech, and what is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and Zebul is his officer? Serve such as come of Hamor the father of Shechem. For what reason is it that we should serve him?

Would God this people were under my hand, then I would take Abimelech out of the way." And one said unto Abimelech, "Make thine host greater and go out."

and sent messengers unto Abimelech privily saying, "Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem: and behold they set the city against thee.

And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night. And they laid await to the city in four companies.

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 folk that were with him, from lying await.

Then said Zebul unto him, "Where is now thy mouth that said, 'What fellow is Abimelech, that we should serve him?' These are the people that thou so despisest. Go out now a fellowship and fight with them."

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

And Abimelech chased him that he fled before him and many were overthrown and slain, even until they came unto the entering of the gate.

And then Abimelech went and dwelt at Arumah. And then Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, and would not suffer them to dwell in Shechem.

And on the morrow the people went out into the field. And it was told Abimelech.

And Abimelech, and the companies that were with him, ran 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.

And then Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and took it, and slew the people that were therein, and destroyed the city and sowed salt in the place.

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

And all the people cut down also every man a bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them into the hold, and set the hold a fire upon them: so that all the men of the tower of Shechem were slain, upon a thousand persons what of men and women together.

Then went Abimelech to Thebez and besieged it and took it.

Then came Abimelech unto the tower and fought against it, and went hard unto the entering of the gate, to set it on fire.

Then Abimelech called hastily unto the young man that bare his harness, and said unto him, "Draw thy sword and slay me, that men say not of me, 'A woman slew him.'" And his lad thrust him through and he died.

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

And thus all the wickedness of Abimelech which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren,

After Abimelech there arose, to defend Israel, one Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, which dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.

Who smote Abimelech son of Jerubbosheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from off the walls, that he died in Thebes? Why then went ye nigh the walls?" Then say thou, 'Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

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

{Of David, when he changed his speech before Abimelech; which drove him away, and he departed} I will always give thanks unto the LORD; his praise shall ever be in my mouth.

{To the Chanter, an exhortation of David when Doeg the Edomite came to Saul, and showed him, saying: David is come to the house of Abimelech} Thy boastest thou thyself, thou tyrant, that thou canst do mischief, whereas the goodness of God endureth yet daily?