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The Book of Judges 7

7 Then Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, arose early, and all of the people who were with him, and they encamped beside the spring of Harod. Now the camp of Midian was northward from him, toward the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2 And Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for my giving Midian into their hand, lest Israel glorify itself over me, saying, ‘My hand has saved me.’ 3 So now please proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, may he turn back and depart from Mount Gilead.’ ” And from the people 22,000 turned back, but 10,000 were left.

4 Then Yahweh said to Gideon, “Still the people are too many. Bring them down to the water, and I will refine it for you there. And it will be, of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you, but all of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water, and Yahweh said to Gideon, “Anyone who laps with his tongue from the water just as a dog laps, you shall set him apart, and anyone who kneels upon his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of the ones lapping with their hand to their mouth was 300 men, and all of the rest of the people knelt upon their knees to drink the water. 7 Then Yahweh said to Gideon, “With the 300 men, the ones lapping, I will save you, and I will give Midian into your hand. But all the people may go, a man to his place.” 8 So the people took provision into their hand and their shofars, but every man of Israel he sent away, a man to his tents, but he held onto the 300 men. Now the camp of Midian was to him from below, in the valley.

9 And it happened during that night that Yahweh said to him, “Arise! Go down into the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you fear to go down, go down, you and Purah your servant, to the camp, 11 and you shall hear what they are speaking, and afterward, your hands will be strong and you shall go down against the camp.” So he went down, he and Purah his servant, to the edge of the armed ones who were in the camp. 12 Now Midian and Amalek and all of the sons of the east were lying in the valley like the locust in multitude. And to their camels there was not a number, like the sand that is along the edge of the sea in multitude. 13 And Gideon came, and behold, a man was recounting a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a loaf of bread of barley was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it and it fell, for it overturned it upwards, and the tent fell.” 14 And his comrade answered and said, “This is nothing except if it is the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, the man of Israel. God has given into his hand Midian and all of the camp.”

15 And it happened, when Gideon heard the recounting of the dream and its interpretation, that he bowed down. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for Yahweh has given the camp of Midian into your hand!” 16 Then he divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put shofars in the hand of all of them, and empty jars, and torches inside of the jars. 17 And he said to them, “You shall look at me, and thus you shall do. And behold, as I am arriving at the edge of the camp, then it shall be, just as I do, thus shall you do. 18 And I will blow on the shofar, I and all who are with me, and you shall blow on the shofars, also you, around all of the camp. And you shall say, ‘For Yahweh and for Gideon!’ ”

19 So Gideon and the 100 men who were with him came to the edge of the camp, at the start of the middle watch. Stationing, they had just stationed the guards, and they blew on the shofars and shattered the jars that were in their hand. 20 Then the three companies blew on the shofars and broke the jars. And they held the torches in their left hand and the shofars in their right hand to blow. And they called out, “A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon.” 21 And they stood, a man in his place, around the camp, and all of the camp ran and cried out and fled. 22 And they blew the 300 shofars, and Yahweh set the sword of a man against his comrade and against all of the camp. And the camp fled unto Beth Shittah, toward Zererah, unto the edge of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. 23 Then a man of Israel from Naphtali and from Asher and from all of Manasseh was summoned, and they pursued after Midian.

24 And Gideon sent messengers through all of the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to meet Midian and capture before them the waters unto Beth Barah and the Jordan.” So every man of Ephraim was summoned, and they captured the waters unto Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured the two commanders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they chased after Midian, and they brought the head of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, from across the Jordan.

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