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 LORDsaid unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israelvaunt 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 mountGilead. And there returned of the peopletwenty and twothousand; and there remainedtenthousand.
4
And the LORDsaid 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 LORDsaid unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a doglappeth, 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 threehundredmen: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drinkwater.
7
And the LORDsaid unto Gideon, By the threehundredmen that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other peoplego every man unto his place.
8
So the peopletookvictuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sentall the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those threehundredmen: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
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 eastlay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seaside 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 barleybreadtumbled 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 fellowanswered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath GoddeliveredMidian, and all the host.
15
And it was so, when Gideonheard 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.
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 hundredmen that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middlewatch; and they had butnewlyset the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
20
And the threecompaniesblew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their lefthands, and the trumpets in their righthands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
22
And the threehundredblew the trumpets, and the LORDset every man'ssword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the hostfled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
24
And Gideonsentmessengers throughout all mountEphraim,saying, Come downagainst 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 tooktwoprinces of the Midianites,Oreb and Zeeb; and they slewOreb upon the rockOreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursuedMidian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other sideJordan.