AAbimelech the sonne of Ierubaal, wente
vnto Sich&ebar; to his mothers brethren, ∧
spake vnto them, ∧ to all the kynred of
his mothers fathers house, and sayde: I
praye you speake in the eares of all the men
at Sichem: What is better for you, that thre
score and ten men all children of Ierubaal
shulde be lordes ouer you, or that one man
shulde be lorde ouer you? Remembre also
that I am youre bone and youre flesh.
Then spake his mothers brethr&ebar; all these
wordes for him, in þe; eares of all þe; men at
Sichem. And their hert enclyned to Abimelech,
for they thoughte: He is oure brother:
and gaue him thre score and ten syluerlinges
out of þe; house of Baal Berith. B And &wt;
them Abimelech hyred men that were vagabundes
and of light condicions, which folowed
him. And he came to his fathers house
vnto Aphra, and slew his brethren the children
of Ierubaal, note euen thre score men and t&ebar;
vpon one stone. But Iotham the yongest
sonne of Ierubaal remayned ouer, for he
was hydd. And all the men of Sichem, and
all the house of Millo gathered them selues
together, and wente and made Abimelech
kynge by the Oke that stondeth at Sichem.
-- --
B Whan this was tolde Iotham, he wente,
and stode vpon the toppe of mount Grisim,
and lifte vp his voyce, cried, and sayde: Heare
me ye men of Sichem, that God maye heare
you also note The trees wente to anointe a kinde
ouer them, and sayde vnto the Olyue tre:
Be thou oure kynge. But the Olyue tre answered
them: Shall I go and leaue my fatnesse
(which both God and men commende
in me) and go to be puft vp aboue the trees?
Then sayde the trees vnto the fygge tre: Come
thou and be kynge ouer vs. But the fygge
tre sayde vnto th&ebar;: Shal I leaue my swetnes
and my good frute, and go to be puft vp
aboue the trees? Then sayde the trees vnto
the vyne: Come thou and be oure kinge. But
the vyne sayde vnto them: Shal I leaue my
swete wyne, which reioyseth God and men,
and go to be puft vp aboue the trees? Th&ebar;
sayde all the trees vnto the thorne bu&esset;she:
Come thou, and be kynge ouer vs. And the
thorne bu&esset;she sayde vnto the trees: Yf it be
true, þt; ye anoynte me to be kynge ouer you,
th&ebar; come, and put youre trust vnder my shadowe.
Yf no, then go fyre out of the thorne
bu&esset;she, ∧ c&obar;sume þe; Ceder trees of Liban&obar;.
C Yf ye haue done right now and iustly, þt;
ye haue made Abimelech to be kynge: and yf
ye haue done well vnto Ierubaal and to his
house, and haue done vnto him as he deserued
vnto you. Which (euen my father) foughte
for youre sakes, and ioperde his lyfe, to delyuer
out of the Madianites h&abar;de, eu&ebar; you,
which are rysen vp this daye agaynst my fathers
house, ∧ haue slaine his childr&ebar;, thre score
personnes ∧ ten vpon one stone, and haue
made you a kynge (euen Abimelech the sonne
of his handmaide) ouer the men at Sichem,
for so moch as he is youre brother.
Yf ye haue done right now and iustly vnto
Ierubaal and his house this daye, then
reioyse ouer Abimelech, and let him reioyse
ouer you. Yf no, then go fyre out from Abimelech,
and c&obar;sume the men of Sichem and
the house of Millo: And fyre go out also fr&obar;
the men of Sichem, and from the house of
Millo, and consume Abimelech. And Ioth&abar;
(whan he had spoken this out) fled, and gat
him out of the waye, and wente vnto Ber,
and dwelt there because of his brother Abimelech.
D Now whan Abimelech had reigned thre
yeare ouer Israel, note God sent an euell mynde
betwene Abimelech and the men of Sichen
(for the men of Sichem despysed Abimelech,
and rehearsed the wronge done to
the sonnes of Ierubaal, and their bloude,
and layed it vpon Abimelech their brother
which slewe them, and vpon the men of Sichem
that strengthed his hande therto, that
he mighte slaye his brethren.
And the men of Sichem set an hynder
watch vpon the toppes of the mountaynes,
and spoyled all them that walked nye them
by the waye, and it was tolde Abimelech.
But there came Gaal the sonne of Ebed
and his brethren, and entred into Sichem,
and the men of Sichem put their trust in
him, and w&ebar;te out in to the felde, and gathered
their vynyardes, and pressed them, and
made a daunse, and wente in to their gods
house, and ate and dranke, and cursed Abimelech.
E And Gaal þe; sonne of Ebed sayde: Who
is Abimelech? and what is Sichem, that we
shulde serue him? Is he not the sonne of Ierubaal,
and hath set Sebul his serua&ubar;t ouer
the men of note Hemor the father of Sichem?
Wherfore shulde we serue him? Wolde God
the people were vnder my h&abar;de, þt; I mighte
put downe Abimelech.
And it was tolde Abimelech: Increace
thine hooste, and departe. For Sebul the chefe
ruler of the cite, whan he herde the wordes
of Gaal þe; sonne of Ebed, he was wrothfully
displeased, and sente message secretly to
Abimelech, and caused to saye vnto him:
Beholde, Gaal the sonne of Ebed and his
brethren are come to Sichem, and make the
cite to be agaynst the.
Arise therfore by nyght, thou and thy people
that is with the, and laye wayte for th&ebar;
in the felde: and tomorow whan the Sonne
aryseth, get the vp soone, and fall vpon the
cite: and yf he and the people that is with
him come out vnto the, th&ebar; deale with him,
as thyne hande fyndeth.
F Abimelech stode vp by night, and all the
people that was with him, and layed wayte
for Sichem with foure companies of men
of warre. And Gaal the sonne of Ebed w&ebar;
out and stode at the dore of the gate of the
cite. But Abimelech gat him vp out of the
hinder watch, and the people that was with
him. Now whan Gaal sawe the people, he
sayde vnto Sebul: Beholde, there commeth
a people downe from the toppe of þe; mount.
Sebul saide vnto him: Thou seist þe; shadowe
of the mountaines as though they were m&ebar;.
Gaal spake yet more and sayde: Beholde,
there commeth a people downe from þe; myddes
of the londe, ∧ one bonde of men c&obar;meth
by the waye to þe; witch Oke. Th&ebar; sayde Sebul:
Where is now þi; mouth þt; sayde: Who
-- --
is Abimelech, that we shulde serue him? Is
not this þe; people, whom thou hast refused?
Go forth now, and fighte with him.
[unresolved image link]
Gaal wente forth before the citesyns of
Sichem, and foughte with Abimelech. But
Abimelech chaced him, so that he fled, and
there fell many slayne euen vnto the gate of
the cite. And Abimelech abode at Aruma.
But Sebul droue awaye Gaal and his brethren,
so that they must not remayne at Sichem.
Vpon the morowe wente the people
forth into þe; felde. Wh&abar; this was tolde Abimelech,
he toke the people, and parted them
into thre b&obar;des of men, and wayted for th&ebar;
in the felde. Now whan he sawe þt; the people
w&ebar;te out of the cite, he rose agaynst th&ebar;,
and smote them.
G Abimelech and þe; company of men that
was with him, fell vpon them, and stepte vnto
the dore of the porte: but the other two
companies fell vpon all them that were in
the felde, and slewe them. Th&ebar; foughte Abimelech
agaynst the cite all þe; same daye, and
wanne it, and slewe the people that was there
in, and brake downe þe; cite, and sowed salt
theron.
Whan all the men of the tower of Sichem
herde this, they wente in to a stronge holde
of þe; house of their God Berith. But
whan Abimelech herde, that all the men of
the tower of Sichem had gathered th&ebar; selues
together, he wente vp vnto mount Zelmon,
and all the people that was with him,
and toke an axe in his h&abar;de, and hewed downe
a braunch of a tre, and toke it vp, ∧ layed
it vpon his shulder, and sayde vnto all the
people that was with him: note As ye haue sene
me do, make ye haist, and do euen so as I.
Then all the people hewed downe euery one
a bra&ubar;ch, and folowed Abimelech: and they
layed them to the holde, and set fyre vpon
them agaynst them and the holde: and all
the men of the tower of Sichem dyed thorow
the smoke and fyre, vpon a thousande
men and wemen.
H As for Abimelech, he w&ebar;te vnto Thebetz,
and layed sege vnto it, and wanne it. But in
the myddes of the cite, there was a stronge
tower, vnto the which all the men and wemen,
and all the citesyns of the cite fled, and
shutt it after them, and clymmed vp to the
toppe of the tower. Then came Abimelech
vnto the tower, and soughte agaynst it, and
came nye vnto the dore of the tower, that he
might burne it with fyre. noteBut a woman
cast a pece of a mylstone vpon Abimelechs
heade, and brake his brane panne. Then Abimelech
in all the haist, called the seruaunt
that bare his wapen, and sayde vnto him:
Drawe out thy swerde, note and kyll me, that it
be not sayde of me: A woman hath slayne
him. Then his seruaunt thrust him thorow,
and he dyed. Whan the Israelites which were
with him, sawe, þt; Abimelech was deed,
they gatt them awaye euery one vnto his
awne place.
Thus God recompenced Abimelech the
euell that he had done vnto his father, wh&abar;
he slewe his threscore and ten brethren: likewyse
all the euell of the men of Sichem, dyd
God rewarde them vpon their heade: and so
the note curse of Iotham þe; sonne of Ierubaal
came vpon them.
