42 The men of Benjamin headed down the road towards the desert, trying to escape from the Israelites. But the Israelites stayed just behind them, keeping up their attack. Men even came out of the nearby towns to help kill the men of Benjamin,
43 who were having to fight on all sides. The Israelite soldiers never let up their attack. They chased and killed the warriors of Benjamin as far as a place directly east of Gibeah,
44 until eighteen thousand of these warriors lay dead.
45 Some other warriors of Benjamin turned and ran down the road towards Rimmon Rock in the desert. The Israelites killed five thousand of them on the road, then chased the rest until they had killed two thousand more.
46 Twenty-five thousand soldiers of Benjamin died that day, all of them experienced warriors.
47 Only six hundred of them finally made it into the desert to Rimmon Rock, where they stayed for four months.
48 The Israelites turned back and went to every town in Benjamin's territory, killing all the people and animals, and setting the towns on fire.