Judges 9:45-49

Abimelech’s Conspiracy

⁴⁵Abimelech fought against the city that whole day, and he captured the city and killed the people who were in it; then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.

⁴⁶When all the leaders of the tower of Shechem heard about it, they entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith. ⁴⁷And it was reported to Abimelech that all the leaders of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. ⁴⁸So 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 put it on his shoulder. Then he said to the people who were with him, “What you saw me do, hurry and do likewise.” ⁴⁹So all the people also cut down, each one, his branch and followed Abimelech, and put them on top of the inner chamber and set the inner chamber on fire over those inside, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.