Judges 20:36–48

³⁶So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were ¹defeated. ^aWhen the men of Israel gave ²ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah,

^37athe men in ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah; the men in ambush also deployed and struck all the city with the edge of the sword.

³⁸Now the appointed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was ^athat they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city.

³⁹Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike ¹and kill about thirty men of Israel, ^afor they said, “Surely they are ²defeated before us, as in the first battle.”

⁴⁰But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked ^abehind them; and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke to heaven.

⁴¹Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that ^1adisaster was ²close to them.

⁴²Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel ^atoward the direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of them.

^43aThey surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest and trod them down opposite Gibeah toward the ¹east.

⁴⁴Thus 18,000 men of Benjamin fell; all these were valiant warriors.

⁴⁵¹The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of ^aRimmon, but they ²caught 5,000 of them on the highways and overtook them ³at Gidom and ⁴killed 2,000 of them.

⁴⁶So all of Benjamin who fell that day were 25,000 men who draw the sword; all these were valiant warriors.

⁴⁷But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon four months.

⁴⁸The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city with the cattle and all that they found; they also set on fire all the cities which they found.