¹⁸ So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them.

⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure, ^(A)sealing the stone and setting the guard.

The Destruction of Israel

9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and He said:

²² Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me from the cave.”

⁴⁶ Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the ^[a]stronghold of the temple ^(A)of the god Berith. ⁴⁷ And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. ⁴⁸ Then Abimelech went up to Mount ^(B)Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder; then he said to the people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste and do as I have done.” ⁴⁹ So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed Abimelech, put them against the ^[b]stronghold, and set the stronghold on fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.