29 Then Israel set an ambushh around Gibeah. 30 They went up against the Benjamites on the third day and took up positions against Gibeah as they had done before. 31 The Benjamites came out to meet them and were drawn awayi from the city. They began to inflict casualties on the Israelites as before, so that about thirty men fell in the open field and on the roads—the one leading to Bethelj and the other to Gibeah. 32 While the Benjamites were saying, “We are defeating them as before,”k the Israelites were saying, “Let’s retreat and draw them away from the city to the roads.”

33 All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its placel on the westc of Gibeah.d 34 Then ten thousand of Israel’s able young men made a frontal attack on Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that the Benjamites did not realizem how near disaster was.n 35 The Lord defeated Benjamino before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords. 36 Then the Benjamites saw that they were beaten.

Now the men of Israel had given wayp before Benjamin, because they relied on the ambushq they had set near Gibeah. 37 Those who had been in ambush made a sudden dash into Gibeah, spread out and put the whole city to the sword.r 38 The Israelites had arranged with the ambush that they should send up a great cloud of smokes from the city,t