Judges 20:29-43

Judges 20:29-43

[29] And Israel  set  liers in wait  round about  Gibeah.  [30] And the children  of Israel  went up  against the children  of Benjamin  on the third  day,  and put themselves in array  against Gibeah,  as at other times.  [31] And the children  of Benjamin  went out  against  the people,  and were drawn away  from the city;  and they began  to smite  of the people,  and kill,  as at other times,  in the highways,  of which one  goeth up  and the other  to Gibeah  in the field,  about thirty  men  of Israel.  [32] And the children  of Benjamin  said,  They are smitten down  before  us, as at the first.  But the children  of Israel  said,  Let us flee,  and draw  them from the city  unto the highways.  [33] And all the men  of Israel  rose up  out of their place,  and put themselves in array  at Baaltamar:  and the liers in wait  of Israel  came forth  out of their places,  even out of the meadows  [34] And there came  against  Gibeah  ten  thousand  men  out of all Israel,  and the battle  was sore:  but they knew  not that evil  was near  them. [35] And the LORD  smote  Benjamin  before  Israel:  and the children  of Israel  destroyed  that day  twenty  and five  thousand  and an hundred  men:  all these drew  the sword.  [36] So the children  of Benjamin  saw  that they were smitten:  for the men  of Israel  gave  place  because they trusted  unto the liers in wait  which they had set  beside Gibeah.  [37] And the liers in wait  hasted,  and rushed  upon Gibeah;  and the liers in wait  drew themselves along,  and smote  all the city  with the edge  of the sword.  [38] Now there was an appointed sign  between the men  of Israel  and  the liers in wait,  that they should make a great  flame  with smoke  rise up  out of the city.  [39] And when the men  of Israel  retired  in the battle,  Benjamin  began  to smite  and kill  of the men  of Israel  about thirty  persons:  for they said,  Surely  before  us, as in the first  battle.  [40] But when the flame  began  to arise up  out of the city  with a pillar  of smoke,  looked  behind  them, and, behold, the flame  of the city  ascended up  to heaven.  [41] And when the men  of Israel  turned again,  the men  of Benjamin  were amazed:  for they saw  that evil  was come  [42] Therefore they turned  their backs before  the men  of Israel  unto the way  of the wilderness;  but the battle  overtook  them; and them which came out of the cities  they destroyed  in the midst  [43] Thus they inclosed  and chased  them, and trode them down  with ease  over against  Gibeah  toward the sunrising.