Judges Chapter 7
1 Jerubbaal he is Gideon and all the people that were with him, rose early and pitched beside the well of Harod, so that the army of the Midianites was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites to you lest Israel boast against me saying, My own hand has saved me.
3 Now, therefore, speak in the hearing⁺ of the people saying, Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and go away early from Mount Gilead. And 22,000 of the people returned. There remained 10,000.
4 The Lord said to Gideon, The people are still too many. Bring them down to the water, and I will separate them for you there. Of whomever I say to you, This one shall go with you, the same shall go with you. Of whomever I say to you, This one shall not go with you, the same shall not go.
5 He brought the people down to the water. The Lord said to Gideon, Everyone who laps the water with his tongue like a dog laps, you shall set him apart, also everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.
6 The number of them who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men. But all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 The Lord said to Gideon, I will save you by the 300 men who lapped, and will deliver the Midianites to you. Let all the other people go, each to his place.
8 The people took provisions in their hand, and their ram's horns. He sent all the rest of Israel away, each to his tent, and kept the 300 men. The army of Midian was below him in the valley.
9 On that night, the Lord said to him, Arise. Go down to the army, for I have delivered it to you.
10 But if you fear to go down, go with Phurah your servant down to the army.
11 You will hear what they say. Afterward your hands will be strengthened to go down to the army. Then he went down with Phurah his servant to the edge of the ranks in the army.
12 The Midianites and the Amalekites, and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude, and their camels without number, like the sand by the seaside for multitude.
13 When Gideon had come, behold, a man told a dream to his fellow and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream and a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian and came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned it so that the tent lay along.
14 His fellow said, This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel. For God has delivered Midian and all the army into his hand.
15 When Gideon heard this dream and the meaning of it, he worshiped and returned to the army of Israel and said, Arise. For the Lord has delivered the host of Midian to you.
16 He divided the 300 men into three companies. He put a ram's horn in every man's hand, with empty pitchers and torches inside the pitchers.
17 He said to them, Look at me and do likewise. And when I come to the edge of the camp, do as I do.
18 When I blow with a ram's horn, I and all who are with me, then blow the ram's horns on every side of the camp and shout, For the Lord and for Gideon.
19 So Gideon and the 100 men with him came to the edge of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch. They had but newly set the watch. They blew the ram's horns and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.
20 The three companies blew the ram's horns and broke the pitchers and held the torches in their left hands and the ram's horns in their right hands to blow. They shouted, A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.
21 They stood, each man in his place, all around the camp. Then all the army ran and cried out and fled.
22 The 300 blew the ram's horns. The Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the army. The army fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, to the border of Abelmeholah, to Tabbath.
23 The men of Israel were called out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and ran after the Midianites.
24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take the waters to Bethbarah and Jordan before them. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered. They captured the waters to Bethbarah and Jordan.
25 Then they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.