Avimelech son of Gideon

(28) Thus Midian submitted to the Israelites and did not raise its head again; and the land was tranquil for forty years in Gideon’s time. (29) So Jerubbaal son of Joash retired to his own house. (30) Gideon had seventy sons of his own issue, for he had many wives. (31) A son was also born to him by his concubine in Shechem, and he named him Abimelech. (32) Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age, and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (33) After Gideon died, the Israelites again went astray after the Baalim, and they adopted Baal-berith as a god. (34) The Israelites gave no thought to the LORD their God, who saved them from all the enemies around them. (35) Nor did they show loyalty to the house of Jerubbaal-Gideon in return for all the good that he had done for Israel.

(1) Abimelech son of Jerubbaal went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem and spoke to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family. He said, (2) “Put this question to all the citizens of Shechem: Which is better for you, to be ruled by seventy men—by all the sons of Jerubbaal—or to be ruled by one man? And remember, I am your own flesh and blood.” (3) His mother’s brothers said all this in his behalf to all the citizens of Shechem, and they were won over to Abimelech; for they thought, “He is our kinsman.” (4) They gave him seventy shekels from the temple of Baal-berith; and with this Abimelech hired some worthless and reckless fellows, and they followed him.

(5) Then he went to his father’s house in Ophrah and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men on one stone. Only Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, survived, because he went into hiding. (6) All the citizens of Shechem and all Beth-millo convened, and they proclaimed Abimelech king at the terebinth of the pillar at Shechem.

(7) When Jotham was informed, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and called out to them in a loud voice. “Citizens of Shechem!” he cried, “listen to me, that God may listen to you. (8) “Once the trees went to anoint a king over themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ (9) But the olive tree replied, ‘Have I, through whom God and men are honored, stopped yielding my rich oil, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ (10) So the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’ (11) But the fig tree replied, ‘Have I stopped yielding my sweetness, my delicious fruit, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ (12) So the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’ (13) But the vine replied, ‘Have I stopped yielding my new wine, which gladdens God and men, that I should go and wave above the trees?’ (14) Then all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘You come and reign over us.’ (15) And the thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you are acting honorably in anointing me king over you, come and take shelter in my shade; but if not, may fire issue from the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’

(16) “Now then, if you acted honorably and loyally in making Abimelech king, if you have done right by Jerubbaal and his house and have requited him according to his deserts— (17) considering that my father fought for you and saved you from the Midianites at the risk of his life, (18) and now you have turned on my father’s household, killed his sons, seventy men on one stone, and set up Abimelech, the son of his handmaid, as king over the citizens of Shechem just because he is your kinsman— (19) if, I say, you have this day acted honorably and loyally toward Jerubbaal and his house, have joy in Abimelech and may he likewise have joy in you. (20) But if not, may fire issue from Abimelech and consume the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire issue from the citizens of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech!”

(21) With that, Jotham fled. He ran to Beer and stayed there, because of his brother Abimelech. (22) Abimelech held sway over Israel for three years. (23) Then God sent a spirit of discord between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem broke faith with Abimelech— (24) to the end that the crime committed against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged, and their blood recoil upon their brother Abimelech, who had slain them, and upon the citizens of Shechem, who had abetted him in the slaying of his brothers. (25) The citizens of Shechem planted ambuscades against him on the hilltops; and they robbed whoever passed by them on the road. Word of this reached Abimelech.

(26) Then Gaal son of Ebed and his companions came passing through Shechem, and the citizens of Shechem gave him their confidence. (27) They went out into the fields, gathered and trod out the vintage of their vineyards, and made a festival. They entered the temple of their god, and as they ate and drank they reviled Abimelech. (28) Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech and who are [we] Shechemites, that we should serve him? This same son of Jerubbaal and his lieutenant Zebul once served the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem; so why should we serve him? (29) Oh, if only this people were under my command, I would get rid of Abimelech! One would challenge Abimelech, ‘Fill up your ranks and come out here!’”

(30) When Zebul, the governor of the city, heard the words of Gaal son of Ebed, he was furious. (31) He sent messages to Abimelech at Tormah to say, “Gaal son of Ebed and his companions have come to Shechem and they are inciting the city against you. (32) Therefore, set out at night with the forces you have with you and conceal yourself in the fields. (33) Early next morning, as the sun rises, advance on the city. He and his men will thereupon come out against you, and you will do to him whatever you find possible.”

(34) Abimelech and all the men with him set out at night and disposed themselves against Shechem in four hiding places. (35) When Gaal son of Ebed came out and stood at the entrance to the city gate, Abimelech and the army with him emerged from concealment. (36) Gaal saw the army and said to Zebul, “That’s an army marching down from the hilltops!” But Zebul said to him, “The shadows of the hills look to you like men.” (37) Gaal spoke up again, “Look, an army is marching down from Tabbur-erez, and another column is coming from the direction of Elon-meonenim.” (38) “Well,” replied Zebul, “where is your boast, ‘Who is Abimelech that we should serve him’? There is the army you sneered at; now go out and fight it!”

(39) So Gaal went out at the head of the citizens of Shechem and gave battle to Abimelech. (40) But he had to flee before him, and Abimelech pursued him, and many fell slain, all the way to the entrance of the gate. (41) Then Abimelech stayed in Arumah, while Zebul expelled Gaal and his companions and kept them out of Shechem.

(42) The next day, when people went out into the fields, Abimelech was informed. (43) Taking the army, he divided it into three columns and lay in ambush in the fields; and when he saw the people coming out of the city, he pounced upon them and struck them down. (44) While Abimelech and the column that followed him dashed ahead and took up a position at the entrance of the city gate, the other two columns rushed upon all that were in the open and struck them down. (45) Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and massacred the people in it; he razed the town and sowed it with salt.

(46) When all the citizens of the Tower of Shechem learned of this, they went into the tunnel of the temple of El-berith. (47) When Abimelech was informed that all the citizens of the Tower of Shechem had gathered [there], (48) Abimelech and all the troops he had with him went up on Mount Zalmon. Taking an ax in his hand, Abimelech lopped off a tree limb and lifted it onto his shoulder. Then he said to the troops that accompanied him, “What you saw me do—quick, do the same!” (49) So each of the troops also lopped off a bough; then they marched behind Abimelech and laid them against the tunnel, and set fire to the tunnel over their heads. Thus all the people of the Tower of Shechem also perished, about a thousand men and women.

(50) Abimelech proceeded to Thebez; he encamped at Thebez and occupied it. (51) Within the town was a fortified tower; and all the citizens of the town, men and women, took refuge there. They shut themselves in, and went up on the roof of the tower. (52) Abimelech pressed forward to the tower and attacked it. He approached the door of the tower to set it on fire. (53) But a woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and cracked his skull. (54) He immediately cried out to his attendant, his arms-bearer, “Draw your dagger and finish me off, that they may not say of me, ‘A woman killed him!’” So his attendant stabbed him, and he died. (55) When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, everyone went home. (56) Thus God repaid Abimelech for the evil he had done to his father by slaying his seventy brothers; (57) and God likewise repaid the men of Shechem for all their wickedness. And so the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal was fulfilled upon them.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: A different example of a robber is a case like that of the men of Shechem, as it is stated: “And the men of Shechem set ambushers for him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them” (Judges 9:25).

To appoint a king from Israel: That we were commanded to appoint upon ourselves a king from Israel, so that he can gather us all together and administer us according to his desire. And about this is it stated (Deuteronomy 17:15), "Surely place upon yourself a king, etc." And in Sifrei Devarim 157, "'Surely place upon yourself a king' is a positive commandment."

I have written from the roots of the commandment in the Order of Mishpatim on the negative commandment of the chieftain (Sefer HaChinukh 71). And there I wrote at length about the benefit that is found for a people in there being one person upon them as the head and as the officer; as the order of the people will not be preserved without this. And behold, you see in the books of the Prophets that it comes as a curse when many people are the head in one place - and as it is written (see the book of Judges 9).

From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings and Wars 1:3) that we do not a priori set up a king in Israel except by the word of a court of seventy elders and by the word of a prophet - like Yehoshua, as Moshe, our teacher, and his court appointed him; and like Shaul and David, as Shmuel HaRamati and his court appointed them. And [also] that which they said (in Sifrei Devarim 157), that we do not set up a woman to the monarchy, as it is stated, "a king" - and not a queen. And when they would set up a king, they would anoint him with anointing oil (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings and Wars 1:7). And once he has been appointed, he acquires the monarchy for himself and for his sons, as it is written (Deuteronomy 17:20), "in order that he will have length of days upon his monarchy; he and his sons, among Israel." If he [only] left over a minor son, we preserve the monarchy for him until he grows up, as Yehoyada did for Yoash. And anyone who is precedent for the inheritance is precedent for the inheritance of the monarchy. And the big son precedes the small son. And it is not just the monarchy, but all positions of authority - in actuality or as an honorary title from the honorary titles - and all appointments in Israel are an inheritance for a man, such that his son acquires it after him, and his son's son, and his son's son's son forever. And this is when he fills the place of his fathers with the fear of Heaven. But if there is no fear of Heaven in him - even though he has great wisdom - there is no need to say that we do not appoint him to an appointment of the appointments in Israel, but it is [even] fitting to hate him and distance him. And about them, David stated (Psalms 5:6), "[You] have hated all doers of iniquity."

And this commandment is practiced when Israel is on their land - and like they, may their memory be blessed, said (Sanhedrin 20b), "Israel was commanded three commandments in their entering into the land: to appoint a king over themselves, to build the Choice House and to cut off the seed of Amalek." And do not ruminate about my words, my son, to say, "And how can my father count this as one of the commandments practiced by [all] the generations? And is it not that since King David was anointed, that this commandment was withdrawn from Israel; since it is not upon them to appoint another king, as David and his seed are the elevated ones over them 'until Shilo comes,' that the king be from his seed forever - may it be speedily and in our days?" As the content of this commandment is not only to appoint a new king; but rather from its content is all that we have have mentioned - to anoint a new king if there is a cause that necessitates it - but also to set up the monarchy in the hand of the inheritor, to put his fear upon us, to behave [towards] him in everything according to the Torah and according to the well-known commandment. And this is truthfully practiced forever.

Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at the terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land. The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will assign this land to your offspring.” And he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.

Jacob arrived safe in the city of Shechem which is in the land of Canaan—having come thus from Paddan-aram—and he encamped before the city. The parcel of land where he pitched his tent he purchased from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for a hundred kesitahs. He set up an altar there, and called it El-elohe-yisrael.

They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword, took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went away.

Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my men are few in number, so that if they unite against me and attack me, I and my house will be destroyed.”

Come, let us go up to Bethel, and I will build an altar there to the God who answered me when I was in distress and who has been with me wherever I have gone.” They gave to Jacob all the alien gods that they had, and the rings that were in their ears, and Jacob buried them under the terebinth that was near Shechem.

ome, I will send you to them.” He answered, “I am ready.” 14And he said to him, “Go and see how your brothers are and how the flocks are faring, and bring me back word.” So he sent him from the valley of Hebron. When he reached Shechem, 15a man came upon him wandering in the fields. The man asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16He answered, “I am looking for my brothers. Could you tell me where they are pasturing?” 17The man said, “They have gone from here, for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothan.” So Joseph followed his brothers and found them at Dothan. 18They saw him from afar, and before he came close to them they conspired to kill him.

Israel served the LORD during the lifetime of Joshua and the lifetime of the elders who lived on after Joshua, and who had experienced all the deeds that the LORD had wrought for Israel. The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem, in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought for a hundred kesitahs from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, and which had become a heritage of the Josephites.

Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to acclaim him as king.

Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and resided there; he moved out from there and fortified Penuel.

They gave them the cities of refuge: Shechem with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with its pasturelands,