Judg 7
1
Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early,
and encamped beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side
of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2
And YHWH said to Gideon, The people that are with you are too many for me to give
the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine
own hand has saved me.
3
Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever is fearful and trembling,
let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty
and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
4
And YHWH said to Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down to the water,
and I will try them for you there: and it shall be, that of whom I say to you, This
shall go with you, the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, This
shall not go with you, the same shall not go.
5
So he brought down the people to the water: and YHWH said to Gideon, Every one that
laps of the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, him shall you set by himself; likewise
every one that bows down upon his knees to drink.
6
And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred
men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7
And YHWH said to Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and
deliver the Midianites into your hand; and let all the people go every man to his
place.
8
So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the
men of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp
of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9
And it came to pass the same night, that YHWH said to him, Arise, get you down into
the camp; for I have delivered it into your hand.
10
But if you fear to go down, go you with Purah your servant down to the camp:
11
and you shall hear what they say; and afterward shall your hands be strengthened to
go down into the camp. Then went he down with Purah his servant to the outermost part
of the armed men that were in the camp.
12
And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in
the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the
sand which is upon the sea-shore for multitude.
13
And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow; and
he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into
the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and smote it so that it fell, and turned
it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.
14
And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the
son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God has delivered Midian, and all the
host.
15
And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation
thereof, that he worshiped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, Arise;
for YHWH has delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
16
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands
of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers.
17
And he said to them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the
outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall you do.
18
When I blow the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow you the trumpets also
on every side of all the camp, and say, For YHWH and for Gideon.
19
So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came to the outermost part of the
camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch:
and they blew the trumpets, and brake in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.
20
And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the torches
in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands wherewith to blow; and
they cried, The sword of YHWH and of Gideon.
21
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran;
and they shouted, and put [them] to flight.
22
And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and YHWH set every man`s sword against his
fellow, and against all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward
Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
23
And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and
out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian.
24
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, Come
down against Midian, and take before them the waters, as far as Beth-barah, even the
Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far
as Beth-barah, even the Jordan.
25
And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the
rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the wine press of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and
they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.