Judges 20:29–38

²⁹So Israel stationed men in ambush around Gibeah.^{* 30}Then the Israelites went up against the Benjaminites on the third day and set themselves in array against Gibeah as before. ³¹When the Benjaminites went out against the army, they were drawn away from the city. As before, they began to inflict casualties on the troops along the main roads, one of which goes up to Bethel and the other to Gibeah, as well as in the open country, killing about thirty men of Israel.^{* 32}The Benjaminites thought, “They are being routed before us, as previously.” But the Israelites said, “Let us retreat and draw them away from the city toward the roads.” ³³The main body of the Israelites drew back its battle line to Baal-tamar, while those Israelites who were in ambush rushed out of their place west^f of Geba.^{* 34}There came against Gibeah ten thousand picked men out of all Israel, and the battle was fierce. But the Benjaminites did not realize that disaster was close upon them.^*

³⁵The Lord defeated Benjamin before Israel, and the Israelites struck down twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin that day, all of them armed.

³⁶Then the Benjaminites saw that they were defeated.

The Israelites gave ground to Benjamin because they relied on the troops in ambush that they had stationed against Gibeah.^{* 37}The troops in ambush rushed quickly upon Gibeah. Then they put the whole city to the sword.^{* 38}Now the agreement between the main body of Israel and the men in ambush was that when they sent up a cloud of smoke out of the city^*