Judges 9:46-57 ▼

46 Then all the lords of the tower of Shechem heard of it, and they entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith.

47 And it was told to Abimelech that all the lords of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.

48 So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a branch from the trees and lifted it and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do likewise.”

49 And all the people also cut down each one his branch and followed Abimelech and put them on the inner chamber and set the inner chamber on fire over those inside, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem also died, about one thousand men and women.

50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he 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 lords of the city fled there and shut themselves in; and they went up on the roof of the tower.

52 So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire.

53 But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, and she smashed his skull.

54 Then he called quickly to the young man, his armor bearer, and said to him, “Draw your sword and put me to death, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” So the young man pierced him through, and he died.

55 Then the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, so each went away to his home.

56 Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers.

57 God also returned all the evil of the men of Shechem on their own heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.