31. When the Benjaminites came out to meet them, they were drawn away from the city. They began to strike down some of the troops just like the last time, about thirty Israelites along the main roads, one of which goes up to Bethel and one to Gibeah, as well as in the open fields.
32. The Benjaminites thought, They’re being wiped out before us like the first time. But the Israelites had planned, We’ll retreat and draw them away from the city toward the main roads.
33. The Israelites moved from their position and reformed their battle lines at Baal-tamar. Then the Israelites who had been set in ambush charged out from their positions west of Gibeah.
34. Ten thousand specially chosen men from all the Israelites came against Gibeah. The fighting was fierce, and the Benjaminites didn’t realize that disaster was almost on them.
35. The Lord wiped out the Benjaminites before Israel. The Israelites slaughtered twenty-five thousand one hundred Benjaminite men that day, all of them armed with swords.
36. Then the Benjaminites saw that they had been defeated.The Israelites had given ground to the Benjaminites because they relied on the ambush that they had set around Gibeah.
37. Indeed, those in the ambush had dashed swiftly into Gibeah and killed all the people in the city with their swords.
38. The plan between the main force of the Israelites and those in the ambush was that when they sent up a big cloud of smoke from the city,
39. the Israelites would turn around in battle. The Benjaminites had begun to defeat some of the Israelites and had killed about thirty men, thinking, They are definitely going to be wiped out before us, as in the first battle!
40. But then the column of smoke began to rise from the city. When the Benjaminites looked back, there was the entire city going up in smoke to the sky.
41. The main force of the Israelites turned around, and the Benjaminites lost heart, because they recognized that disaster had fallen on them.
42. They turned back before the Israelites in the direction of the desert, but the fighting caught up with them, and those from the towns were slaughtering them there.