Abram traveled through the land until he came to the sacred tree of Moreh, the holy place at Shechem. (At that time the Canaanites were still living in the land.)

On his return from Mesopotamia Jacob arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan and set up his camp in a field near the city.

He bought that part of the field from the descendants of Hamor father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver.

So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that they had and also the earrings that they were wearing. He buried them beneath the oak tree near Shechem.

Gideon's son Abimelech went to the town of Shechem, where all his mother's relatives lived, and told them

His mother's relatives talked to the men of Shechem about this for him, and the men of Shechem decided to follow Abimelech because he was their relative.

Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the people of northern Israel had gathered to make him king.

so he called all Israel, the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of the people, and said, "I am very old now.

and chose capable men from among all the Israelites. He appointed them as leaders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.

They served as judges for the people on a permanent basis, bringing the difficult cases to Moses but deciding the smaller disputes themselves.

I am your God, the one who rescues you from all your troubles and difficulties, but today you have rejected me and have asked me to give you a king. Very well, then, gather yourselves before the LORD by tribes and by clans.' "

And so I sent for you at once, and you have been good enough to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God, waiting to hear anything that the Lord has instructed you to say."