en_tn/2sa/19/03.md

like people who are ashamed sneak away when they run from battle

The author compares the way that the soldiers had to sneak back into the city to the way that soldiers sneak away when they are running away from battle. This emphasizes that they were made to feel ashamed. Alternate translation: "in the same way that people who had run away from battle would sneak away because they were ashamed" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile)

sneak

move without being seen by others