-
Then
Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that
were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside
the well of Harod: so that the host of the
Midianites were on the north side of them, by the
hill of Moreh, in the valley.
02 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that
are with thee are too many for me to give the
Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt
themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath
saved me.
03 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of
the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and
afraid, let him return and depart early from
mount Gilead. And there returned of the people
twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten
thousand.
04 And the Lord 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.
05 So he brought down the people unto the water:
and the Lord 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.
06 And the number of them that lapped, putting
their hand to their mouth, were three hundred
men: but all the rest of the people bowed down
upon their knees to drink water.
07 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three
hundred men that lapped will I save you, and
deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let
all the other people go every man unto his place.
08 So the people took victuals in their hand, and
their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of
Israel every man unto his tent, and retained
those three hundred men: and the host of Midian
was beneath him in the valley.
09 And it came to pass the same night, that the
Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the
host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with
Phurah thy servant down to the host:
11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and
afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go
down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah
his servant unto the outside of the armed men
that were in the host.
12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all
the children of the east lay along in the valley
like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels
were without number, as the sand by the sea side
for multitude.
13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a
man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said,
Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of
barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and
came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and
overturned it, that the tent lay along.
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14 And his fellow answered and said, This is
nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of
Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath
God 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 returned into the host of
Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath
delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
16 And he divided the three hundred men into
three companies, and he put a trumpet in every
man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within
the pitchers.
17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do
likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside
of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall
ye do.
18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are
with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every
side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the
Lord, and of Gideon.
19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with
him, came unto the outside of the camp in the
beginning of the middle watch; and they had but
newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets,
and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and
brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their
left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands
to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the
Lord, and of Gideon.
21 And they stood every man in his place round
about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried,
and fled.
22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and
the Lord set every man's sword against his
fellow, even throughout all the host: and the
host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the
border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves
together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and
out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the
Midianites.
24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all
mount Ephraim, saying, come down against the
Midianites, and take before them the waters unto
Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim
gathered themselves together, and took the waters
unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
25 And they took two princes of the Midianites,
Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock
Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of
Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads
of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side
Jordan.
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