40. He chased Gaal from the field of battle. Many men were wounded as they ran away. Abimelech chased them all the way to the entrance of the city gate.
41. He stayed in Arumah. Zebul drove Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem.
42. The next day the people of Shechem went out to work in the fields. Abimelech was told about it.
43. So he gathered his men together. He separated them into three companies. Then he hid them in the fields and told them to wait. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he got up to attack them.
44. Abimelech and the men who were with him ran forward. They placed themselves at the entrance of the city gate. Then the other two companies rushed over to the people who were in the fields. There they struck them down.
45. Abimelech kept up his attack against the city all day long. He didn't stop until he had captured it. Then he killed its people. He destroyed the city. He scattered salt on it to make sure that nothing would be able to grow there.
46. The citizens who were in the tower of Shechem heard about what was happening. So they went to the safest place in the temple of the god El-Berith.