THE BOOK OF
JUDGES
Judges 7 ©
Gideon camps himself against the Midianites with his men of war, v. 1. Which upon God’s command by proclamation and a sign, he must diminish to the number of but three hundred, which he alone keeps to him, 2. He spies out the camp of the Midianites, and, being strengthened by the narration and interpretation of a strange and wonderful dream, divides his army into three companies: who all with one accord blow with trumpets, and break the pitchers (wherein the lamps were) in pieces, 15. Whereby the Midianites are terrified, and put to flight, yea destroy one another, 21. The next adjoining Israelites are sent for to pursue after the enemy that fled, and to stop their passage over the Jordan, 23. Two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb, are taken prisoners, and slain, 25.
THEN Jerubbaal, 1who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well 2of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of 3Moreh, in the 4valley.
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 vaunta themselves against me, saying, Mine own 5hand hath saved me.
Now therefore gob to, 6proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 7Whosoevercis fearful and 8afraid, let him return and 9depart early 10from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will 11try 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.
So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth 12of 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.
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.
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 13all the other people go every man unto his place.
14So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and 15he sent 16all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was 17beneath him in the valley.
¶And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the 18host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
But if thou fear 19to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine 20hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the 21armed men that were in the host.
Andd the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east 22lay along in the valley like 23grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were 24without number, as the sand by the 25sea side for multitude.
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 26cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and 27overturned it, that the tent lay along.
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.
¶And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the 28interpretation thereof, that he 29worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
And he divided the three hundred men into three 30companies, and he put a trumpet in 31every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
And he said unto them, Look 32on me, and do 33likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.
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, 34The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
¶So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the 35middle watch;e36and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and 37brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
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.
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
And the three hundred blew the trumpets, andf the LORD 38set 39every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to 40Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the 41border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath.
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.
¶And Gideon sent messengers throughout all 42mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto 43Beth-barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah 44and Jordan.
Andg they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock 45Oreb, and Zeeb they slew 46at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon 47on the other side Jordan.