36. When Gaal saw the soldiers, he said to Zebul, “Look, there are people coming down from the mountains.” But Zebul said, “You are only seeing the shadows of the mountains. The shadows just look like people.”
37. But again Gaal said, “Look, there are some people coming down from that place over there by Land’s Navel. And there! I saw someone’s head over by Magician’s Tree.”
38. Zebul said to Gaal, “Why aren’t you bragging now? You said, ‘Who is Abimelech? Why should we obey him?’ You made fun of these men. Now go out and fight them.”
39. So Gaal led the leaders of Shechem out to fight Abimelech.
40. Abimelech and his men chased Gaal and his men. Gaal’s men ran back toward the gate of the city of Shechem, but many were killed before they could get back to the gate.
41. Then Abimelech returned to the city of Arumah. Zebul forced Gaal and his brothers to leave the city of Shechem.
42. The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields to work. Abimelech found out about it.
43. So Abimelech separated his men into three groups. He wanted to attack the people of Shechem by surprise. So he hid his men in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he jumped up and attacked them.
44. Abimelech and his group ran to a place near the gate to Shechem. The other two groups ran out to the people in the fields and killed them.
45. Abimelech and his men fought against the city of Shechem all that day. They captured the city of Shechem and killed its people. Then Abimelech tore down the city and threw salt over the ruins.
46. There were some people who lived at the Tower of Shechem. When they heard what had happened to Shechem, they gathered together in the safest room of the temple of the god El Berith.
47. Abimelech heard that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem had gathered together.
48. So Abimelech and all his men went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took an ax and cut off some branches and carried them on his shoulders. Then Abimelech said to the men with him, “Hurry! Do the same thing that I have done.”
49. So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled the branches against the safest room of the temple of the god El Berith. Then they set the branches on fire and burned the people in the room. About 1000 men and women living near the Tower of Shechem died.
50. Then Abimelech and his men went to the city of Thebez and captured that city.
51. But inside the city there was a strong tower, so all the leaders and other men and women of that city ran to the tower. When the people were inside the tower, they locked the door behind them. Then they climbed up to the roof of the tower.
52. Abimelech and his men came to the tower to attack it. Abimelech went up to the door of the tower to burn it.
53. But, while Abimelech was standing at the door of the tower, a woman on the roof dropped a grinding stone on his head. The grinding stone crushed his skull.
54. Abimelech quickly said to the servant who carried his weapons, “Take out your sword and kill me. I want you to kill me so that people will not say, ‘A woman killed Abimelech.’” So the servant stabbed Abimelech with his sword, and he died.
55. The Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, so they all went back home.