The Israelites had moved back because they were depending on the surprise attack they had set up near Gibeah. ³⁷The men in hiding rushed into Gibeah, spread out, and killed everyone in the city with their swords. ³⁸Now the Israelites had set up a signal with the men in hiding. The men in the surprise attack were to send up a cloud of smoke from the city. ³⁹Then the army of Israel turned around in the battle.

The Benjaminites had killed about thirty Israelites. They were saying, “We are winning, as in the first battle!” ⁴⁰But then a cloud of smoke began to rise from the city. The Benjaminites turned around and saw that the whole city was going up in smoke. ⁴¹Then the Israelites turned and began to fight. The Benjaminites were terrified because they knew that disaster was coming to them. ⁴²So the Benjaminites ran away from the Israelites toward the desert, but they could not escape the battle. And the Israelites who came out of the cities killed them. ⁴³They surrounded the Benjaminites and chased them and caught them in the area east of Gibeah. ⁴⁴So 18,000 brave Benjaminite fighters were killed. ⁴⁵The Benjaminites ran toward the desert to the rock of Rimmon, but the Israelites killed 5,000 Benjaminites along the roads. They chased them as far as Gidom and killed 2,000 more Benjaminites there.

⁴⁶On that day 25,000 Benjaminites were killed, all of whom had fought bravely with swords. ⁴⁷But 600 Benjaminites ran to the rock of Rimmon in the desert, where they stayed for four months. ⁴⁸Then the Israelites went back to the land of Benjamin and killed the people in every city and also the animals and everything they could find. And they burned every city they found.

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