24. And the Bnei Yisroel came near against the Bnei Binyamin the second day.
25. And Binyamin went forth against them from Giv'ah the second day, and cut down to the ground of the Bnei Yisroel another eighteen thousand men; all these were armed with the cherev.
26. Then kol Bnei Yisroel, and kol haAm, went up, and came unto Beit-El, and wept, and sat there before Hashem, and did a tzom that day until erev, and offered olot and shelamim before Hashem.
27. And the Bnei Yisroel inquired of Hashem, (for the Aron Brit HaElohim was there in those days,
28. And Pinchas ben Eleazar ben Aharon stood ministering before it in those yamim,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the Bnei Binyamin achi, or shall I cease? And Hashem said, Go up; for makhar (tomorrow) I will deliver them into thine yad.
29. And Yisroel set an ambush in wait round about Giv'ah.
30. And the Bnei Yisroel went up against the Bnei Binyamin on the Yom HaShelishi, and put themselves in array against Giv'ah, as before.
31. And the Bnei Binyamin went out against HaAm, and were drawn away from the Ir; and they began to inflict casualties on HaAm, as at other times, in the sadeh and on the roads, of which one road goeth up to Beit-El, and the other road to Giv'ah, killing about sheloshim ish b'Yisroel.
32. And the Bnei Binyamin said, They are defeated before us, as at the first. But the Bnei Yisroel said, Let us retreat, and draw them from the Ir unto the roads.
33. And Kol Ish Yisroel rose up out of their place, and put themselves in array at Baal-Tamar; meanwhile the ones of Yisroel waiting in ambush came forth out of their places, at Ma'areh Geva.
34. And there came a frontal assault against Giv'ah by ten thousand ish bachur out of kol Yisroel, and the milchamah was fierce; but they [the Bnei Binyamin] had no da'as that for them ra'ah (evil, disaster) was near.
35. And Hashem defeated Binyamin before Yisroel; and the Bnei Yisroel struck down from Binyamin that day twenty and five thousand and a hundred ish, all these armed with cherev.
36. So the Bnei Binyamin saw that they were defeated; for the Ish Yisroel gave place before Binyamin, because they relied on the ones ambushing which they had positioned against Giv'ah.
37. And the ones ambushing hasted, and rushed upon Giv'ah; and the ones ambushing drew themselves along, and struck kol HaIr with the edge of the cherev.
38. Now there was a mo'ed (appointed agreement) between the Ish Yisroel and the ones ambushing, that they should make a great flame with smoke rise up out of the Ir.
39. And when the Ish Yisroel turned in the milchamah, Binyamin began to inflict casualties on the Ish Yisroel about sheloshim ish; for they said, Surely they are defeated before us, as in the milchamah harishonah.
40. But when the smoke cloud began to arise up out of the Ir with an ammud ashan (pillar of smoke), Binyamin looked behind them, and, hinei, the whole Ir ascended up in smoke to Shomayim.
41. And when the Ish Yisroel turned again, the Ish Binyamin were terrified; for they saw that ra'ah was come upon them.
42. Therefore they turned their backs before the Ish Yisroel unto the derech hamidbar; but the milchamah overtook them; and them which came out of the towns [of Binyamin] the ones [the Bnei Yisroel] cutting down him [Binyamin] in the midst of it.