1: 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. |
|
2: 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. |
|
3:
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. |
|
4: 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. |
|
5: 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. |
|
6: 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. |
|
7: 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. |
|
8: 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. |
|
9: 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. |
|
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 Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of
Abel-meholah, 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 dianites, and take before them the
waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered
themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah 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. |