Judges 20:32-48 ▼

32 And the Benjamites said, They are defeated before us, as at first. But the children of Israel said, Let us flee, and draw them away from the city to the highways.

33 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their places, and put themselves in array at Baal-tamar; and those Israelites in ambush came forth out of their places from the cave which is in Gibeah.

34 And there came toward Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard fought; but they did not know that disaster was near them.

35 And the LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty-five thousand, one hundred men; all of those who drew the sword.

36 So the Benjamites saw that they were defeated; and the children of Israel gave ground to the Benjamites, because they trusted in the ambushes that they had set against Gibeah.

37 And the men who were in ambush quietly made an attack against Gibeah; then the men in ambush moved forward and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.

38 Now there was an appointed signal between the men of Israel and the men in ambush, which was that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the city.

39 And when the men of Israel retreated in the battle, the Benjamites killed of the men of Israel about thirty men; for they said. Surely they are defeated before us, as in the first battle.

40 But when the smoke began to rise out of the city like a pillar, the Benjamites looked behind them, and. behold, the flames of the city ascended up to heaven.

41 And when the men of Israel turned against them, the Benjamites were terrified; for they saw that disaster was upon them.

42 Therefore they fled before the men of Israel on their way to the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and those who came out of the city first were trapped in the midst of them.

43 Thus they pursued the Benjamites and drove them away, and smote them with ease, to the east beyond Gibeah.

44 And there fell of the Benjamites eighteen thousand men; all these were men of valor.

45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon; and five thousand of them fell in the highway; all men that drew the sword; and they pursued hard after them as far as Gibeon, and slew two thousand men of them.

46 So all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men that drew the sword; all these were men of valor.

47 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months.

48 And the men of Israel turned again upon the Benjamites, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and consumed them out of the cities, both men and beasts and all that they found; also they set on fire all the cities which they found.