44
Avimelekh and his group rushed forward and occupied the entrance to the city gate, while the other two groups attacked all those in the field and killed them.
45
Avimelekh fought against the city all that day; captured it, killed its people, destroyed its buildings and sowed its land with salt.
46
When all the men in the fortress at Sh'khem heard about this, they took refuge in the stronghold of the temple of El-B'rit.
47
Avimelekh was told that all the men from the Sh'khem fortress had gathered together;
48
so he led all his men up to Mount Tzalmon, where he took an axe in his hand, cut a branch off a tree, and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to those with him, "Quick! Do just what you saw me do!"
49
They all did likewise, each man cutting off his branch; and they followed Avimelekh. They put the branches up against the stronghold, set them on fire, and burned down the stronghold; so that all the people from the Sh'khem fortress died, about a thousand men and women.
50
Then Avimelekh went to Tevetz, set up camp against Tevetz and captured it.
51
But there was a fortified tower inside the city; and all the men and women took refuge in it, everyone in the city. They shut themselves inside and went up onto the roof of the tower.
52
However, when Avimelekh approached the tower, attacked it, and then came up close to the tower's door in order to burn it down,
53
a woman dropped an upper millstone on Avimelekh's head, cracking his skull.
54
He quickly called out to the young man holding his armor, "Draw your sword, and finish me off, so that people won't say a woman killed me." So his attendant ran him through, and he died.