⁴⁸ So Abimelech went up to Mount ^(A)Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him; and Abimelech took ^[a]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 ^[b]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.