Judges 20:30-44

³⁰And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at the other times.

³¹And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city, and began to smite of the people, slaying as at the former times, in the highways, of which one leads to Bethel and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.

³²And the children of Benjamin said, They are smitten down before us, as at the first. And the children of Israel said, Let us flee, that we may draw them from the city to the highways.

³³And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-Tamar; and the ambush of Israel rushed forth out of their place, out of the meadows of Geba.

³⁴And there came from opposite Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was severe; but they knew not that disaster was coming upon them.

³⁵And Jehovah smote Benjamin before Israel; and the children of Israel destroyed of the Benjaminites that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men: all these drew the sword.

³⁶And the children of Benjamin saw that they were smitten. — And the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin, because they trusted to the ambush that they had set against Gibeah.

³⁷And the ambush hasted, and fell upon Gibeah; and the ambush drew along, and smote the whole city with the edge of the sword.

³⁸Now there was an appointed sign between the men of Israel and the ambush, that they should make a thick column of smoke rise up out of the city.

³⁹And when the men of Israel turned back in the battle, Benjamin began to smite, slaying of the men of Israel about thirty men; for they said, Surely they are quite routed before us as in the first battle.

⁴⁰And when the burning began to rise up out of the city as a pillar of smoke, Benjamin looked behind, and behold, the whole city ascended in smoke to the heavens.

⁴¹Then the men of Israel turned back, and the men of Benjamin were amazed, for they saw that disaster was come upon them.

⁴²And they turned before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness; but the battle overtook them; and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in their midst.

⁴³They encompassed the Benjaminites, chased them, trode them down at the resting-place over against Gibeah toward the sun-rising.

⁴⁴And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thousand men: all these, men of valour.