Judges 9:47-49

New Catholic Bible

⁴⁷ Abimelech was told that all the men from the tower of Shechem were gathered together, ⁴⁸ so Abimelech and all the people who were with him climbed up Mount Zalmon. Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a branch from a tree, and he carried it on his shoulder. He said to the people who were with him, “Hurry up and do what I just did.” ⁴⁹ So each of the men cut a branch like he had and they followed Abimelech. They laid them next to the stronghold, and they set fire to them so that all of the men in the tower of Shechem died, a thousand men and women.