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

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

The Destruction of Israel

9 I saw the Lord standing beside^[a] the altar, and he said:

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

⁴⁶ When all the lords of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the temple of El-berith.^{(A) 47} Abimelech was told that all the lords of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together. ⁴⁸ So Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the troops who were with him. Abimelech took an ax in his hand, cut down a bundle of brushwood, and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. Then he said to the troops with him, “What you have seen me do, do quickly, as I have done.”^{(B) 49} So every one of the troops cut down a bundle and following Abimelech put it against the stronghold, and they set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people of the Tower of Shechem also died, about a thousand men and women.