Judges 20:36-46

New American Standard Bible

³⁶ So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were ^[a]defeated. ^(A)When the men of Israel gave ^[b]ground to Benjamin because they relied on the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah, ^37 (B)the 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. ³⁸ Now the agreed sign between the men of Israel and the men in ambush was ^(C)that they would make a great cloud of smoke rise from the city. ³⁹ Then the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to strike and kill about thirty men of Israel, ^(D)for they said, “Undoubtedly they are ^[c]defeated before us, as in the first battle.” ⁴⁰ But when the cloud began to rise from the city in a column of smoke, Benjamin looked ^(E)behind them; and behold, the entire city was going up in smoke to heaven. ⁴¹ Then the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were terrified; for they saw that ^(F)disaster was ^[d]close to them. ⁴² Therefore, they turned their backs before the men of Israel to flee in the ^(G)direction of the wilderness, but the battle overtook them while those who attacked from the cities were annihilating them in the midst of them. ^43 (H)They surrounded Benjamin, pursued them without rest, and trampled them down opposite Gibeah toward the ^[e]east. ⁴⁴ So eighteen thousand men of Benjamin fell; all of these were valiant men. ^45 [f]The rest turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of ^(I)Rimmon, but they ^[g]caught five thousand of them on the roads and overtook them ^[h]at Gidom, and ^[i]killed two thousand of them. ⁴⁶ So all those of Benjamin who fell that day were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword; all of these were valiant men.