Judges 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 Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for
me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against
me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever 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 Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down
unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of
whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and
of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not
go.
5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and Jehovah said unto Gideon,
Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt
thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth 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 Jehovah said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save
you, and deliver the Midianites into thy hand; and let all the people go every
man unto his place.
8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all
the men of Israel every man unto 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 Jehovah said unto him, Arise, get
thee down into the camp; for I have delivered it into thy hand.
10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to the camp:
11 and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thy hands be
strengthened to go down into the camp. Then went he down with Purah his servant
unto 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 unto his
fellow; and he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream; and, lo, a cake of barley bread
tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came unto 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 hath 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 worshipped; and he returned into the camp of
Israel, and said, Arise; for Jehovah hath 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 unto 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 ye do.
18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the
trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, For Jehovah and for
Gideon.
19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto 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 Jehovah 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 Jehovah 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 winepress of Zeeb, and pursued
Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.