46. When the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard this, they entered the fortified temple of El-Berith.
47. Abimelek was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem had gathered together.
48. So Abimelek and all the people who were with him went up Mount Zalmon. He took an axe in his hand and cut off a tree branch, lifted it, and carried it on his shoulder. Then he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do the same.”
49. So everyone likewise cut off a branch and followed Abimelek. They placed them on the fortification and set the fortification on fire over them. So all the people of the Tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.
50. Then Abimelek went to Thebez and encamped against Thebez and captured it.
51. But there was a fortified tower within the city, so all of the men and women and the leaders of the city fled there. They shut themselves in and went up to the top of the tower.
52. Abimelek came to the tower and fought against it. But as he drew near to the tower entrance to burn it with fire,
53. a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on the head of Abimelek, and it crushed his skull.
54. Urgently he called to the young man who carried his gear and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that people may not say about me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So the young man pierced him through, and he died.
55. Then the men of Israel saw that Abimelek was dead, so everyone went home.
56. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelek, which he committed against his father by killing his seventy brothers.
57. God also repaid the evil deeds of the men of Shechem, and the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal came upon them.