Judges 20:36-45

Expanded Bible

³⁶ Then the ·Benjaminites [^Lsons/descendants of Benjamin] saw that they were defeated.

The Israelites had ·moved back [retreated] because they were depending on the ·surprise attack [ambush] they had set up near Gibeah [^Cverses 36b–45 now detail the account summarized in verses 29–36a)]. ³⁷ The men in ·hiding [ambush] rushed into Gibeah, spread out, and killed everyone in the city with ·their swords [^Lthe edge of the sword]. ³⁸ Now the Israelites had set up a signal with the men in hiding. The men in the ·surprise attack [ambush] were to send up a cloud of smoke from the city. ³⁹ Then the army of Israel ·turned around in the battle [counterattacked; ^Ca similar strategy was used against Ai; Josh. 8].

The Benjaminites had killed about thirty Israelites. They were saying, “·We are winning [They are defeated], as in the first battle!” ⁴⁰ But then a cloud of smoke began to rise from the city. The Benjaminites turned around and ·saw that [^Llook; ^Tbehold] the whole city was going up ·in smoke [^Linto the sky/heavens]. ⁴¹ Then the Israelites turned and began to fight. The Benjaminites were terrified because they knew that disaster was ·coming to them [close at hand; ^Ltouching against them]. ⁴² So the Benjaminites ran away from the Israelites toward the ·desert [wilderness], but ·they could not escape the battle [the battle pursued/overtook them]. And the Israelites who came out of the cities ·killed [struck; destroyed] them. ⁴³ They surrounded the Benjaminites and chased them and ·caught [overtook; stomped on] them in the area east of ·Gibeah [or Geba]. ⁴⁴ So 18,000 ·brave [valiant; capable] Benjaminite fighters were killed. ⁴⁵ The Benjaminites ·ran [fled; retreated] toward the ·desert [wilderness] to the rock of Rimmon, but the Israelites ·killed [cut down; ^Lgleaned] 5,000 Benjaminites along the roads. They chased them as far as Gidom and ·killed [struck down] 2,000 more Benjaminites there.