44. Then Abimelech and the column that was with him rushed forward and stood at the entrance of the city gate, and the other two columns rushed on all who were in the open field and struck them down.
45. So Abimelech fought against the city all that day, captured the city and killed the people that were in it. Then he razed the city and sowed it with salt.
46. Now when all the lords of Shechem’s Tower heard about it, they went into the vault of the temple of El-berith.
47. When Abimelech was told that all the lords of Shechem’s Tower had gathered there,
48. he and all the people with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Then Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees and lifted it up and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you’ve seen me do, hurry and do likewise.”
49. So all the people likewise each cut down his branch and followed Abimelech. He laid them against the vault and set the vault on fire over them. So all the people of Shechem’s Tower also died—about a thousand men and women.
50. Then Abimelech went to Thebez, camped against Thebez and captured it.
51. But there was a strong tower in the center of the city, and all the men and women with all the city leaders fled there and shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower.
52. So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
53. But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull.
54. Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor-bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman slew him.’” So his young man thrust him through, and he died.
55. So when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they each departed to his place.
56. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech—what he had done to his father by slaying his 70 brothers.
57. Also all the wickedness of the men of Shechem God requited on their heads. Thus on them came the curse of Jotam son of Jerubbaal.