^9:45Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled⁹⁵ the city and spread salt over it.⁹⁶

^9:46When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem⁹⁷ heard the news, they went to the stronghold⁹⁸ of the temple of El-Berith.⁹⁹^9:47Abimelech heard¹⁰⁰ that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were in one place.¹⁰¹^9:48He and all his men¹⁰² went up on Mount Zalmon. He¹⁰³ took an ax¹⁰⁴ in his hand and cut off a tree branch. He put it¹⁰⁵ on his shoulder and said to his men, “Quickly, do what you have just seen me do!”¹⁰⁶^9:49So each of his men also cut off a branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches¹⁰⁷ against the stronghold and set fire to it.¹⁰⁸ All the people¹⁰⁹ of the Tower of Shechem died—about a thousand men and women.

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Footnotes

95 Or “destroyed.”
96 Heb “sowed it with salt.” The spreading of salt over the city was probably a symbolic act designed to place the site under a curse, deprive it of fertility, and prevent any future habitation. The practice is referred to outside the Bible as well. For example, one of the curses in the Aramaic Sefire treaty states concerning Arpad: “May Hadad sow in them salt and weeds, and may it not be mentioned again!” See J. A. Fitzmyer, The Aramaic Inscriptions of Sefire (), , . Deut 29:23, Jer 17:6, and Zeph 2:9 associate salt flats or salty regions with infertility and divine judgment.
97 Perhaps the Tower of Shechem was a nearby town, distinct from Shechem proper, or a tower within the city.
98 Apparently this rare word refers here to the most inaccessible area of the temple, perhaps the inner sanctuary or an underground chamber. It appears only here and in 1 Sam 13:6, where it is paired with “cisterns” and refers to subterranean or cave-like hiding places.
99 The name El-Berith means “God of the Covenant.” It is probably a reference to the Canaanite high god El.
100 Heb “and it was told to Abimelech.”
101 Heb “were assembled.”
102 Heb “his people.”
103 Heb “Abimelech.” The proper name has been replaced with the pronoun (“he”) due to considerations of English style.
104 The Hebrew text has the plural here.
105 Heb “he lifted it and put [it].”
106 Heb “What you have seen me do, quickly do like me.”
107 The words “the branches” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
108 Heb “they kindled over them the stronghold with fire.”
109 Or “men,” but the word seems to have a more general sense here, as the conclusion to the sentence suggests.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed the people who were in it, and he razed the city and sowed it with salt.

When all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem heard of it, they entered the stronghold of the house of El-berith. Abimelech was told that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together. And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood and took it up and laid it on his shoulder. And he said to the men who were with him, “What you have seen me do, hurry and do as I have done.” So every one of the people cut down his 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 1,000 men and women.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

All that day Abimelek pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.

On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. When Abimelek heard that they had assembled there, he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, “Quick! Do what you have seen me do!” So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelek. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire with the people still inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

So Abimelech fought against the city that entire day, captured it, and killed the people who were in it. Then he tore down the city and sowed it with salt.

When all the citizens of the Tower of Shechem heard, they entered the inner chamber of the temple of El-berith. Then it was reported to Abimelech that all the citizens of the Tower of Shechem had gathered. So Abimelech and all the troops who were with him went up to Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took his ax in his hand and cut a branch from the trees. He picked up the branch, put it on his shoulder, and said to the troops who were with him, “Hurry and do what you have seen me do.” Each of the troops also cut his own branch and followed Abimelech. They put the branches against the inner chamber and set it on fire; about a thousand men and women died, including all the men of the Tower of Shechem.

NLTNew Living Translation

The battle went on all day before Abimelech finally captured the city. He killed the people, leveled the city, and scattered salt all over the ground.

When the leading citizens who lived in the tower of Shechem heard what had happened, they ran and hid in the temple of Baal-berith. Someone reported to Abimelech that the citizens had gathered in the temple, so he led his forces to Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and chopped some branches from a tree, then put them on his shoulder. “Quick, do as I have done!” he told his men. So each of them cut down some branches, following Abimelech’s example. They piled the branches against the walls of the temple and set them on fire. So all the people who had lived in the tower of Shechem died—about 1,000 men and women.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Abimelech fought against the city all that day, and he captured the city and killed the people that were in it; then he broke down the city and sowed it with salt.

When all the lords of the tower of Shechem heard, they went to the vault of the temple of El-Berith. It was told to Abimelech that all the lords of the tower of Shechem had gathered. So Abimelech went up Mount Zalmon, he and all his army that were with him, and Abimelech took the ax in his hand and cut down a bundle of brushwood, and he lifted it and put it on his shoulder. And he said to the army that was with him, “What you have seen me do, quickly do also.” So the whole army cut down each one branch for himself and followed Abimelech, and they put them against the vault and set the vault ablaze with fire on those inside, so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died, about a thousand men and women.

KJV 1900King James Version

And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt. And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith. And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done. And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.

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