Judges 20:36-39

20:36 Then the Benjaminites saw they were defeated.

The Israelites retreated before ¹  Benjamin, because they had confidence in the men they had hid in ambush outside Gibeah. 20:37 The men hiding in ambush made a mad dash ²  to Gibeah. They ³  attacked ⁴  and put the sword to the entire city. 20:38 The Israelites and the men hiding in ambush had arranged a signal. When the men hiding in ambush ⁵  sent up a smoke signal from the city, 20:39 the Israelites counterattacked. ⁶  Benjamin had begun to strike down the Israelites; ⁷  they struck down ⁸  about thirty men. They said, “There’s no doubt about it! They are totally defeated as in the earlier battle.”

[20:36]  ¹ tn Heb “gave place to.”

[20:37]  ² tn Heb “hurried and put off [their hiding place].”

[20:37]  ³ tn Heb “the men hiding in ambush.”

[20:37]  ⁴ tn Or “deployed.” The verb normally means “to lead” or “to draw.”

[20:38]  ⁵ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the men hiding in ambush) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:39]  ⁶ tn Heb “turned in the battle.”

[20:39]  ⁷ tn Heb “And Benjamin began to strike down wounded ones among the men of Israel.”

[20:39]  ⁸ tn The words “they struck down” are supplied in the translation for clarification.