< Judges 7 >

1 The next morning, Gideon and his men got up early and went as far as Harod Spring. The army of Midian was camped north of them, in the valley near Moreh Hill.
And he rose early Jerub-Baal that [is] Gideon and all the people which [was] with him and they encamped at En Harod and [the] camp of Midian it was of him from [the] north from [the] hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 Yahweh said to Gideon, “You have too many soldiers with you. If I allow all of you to fight the army of Midian, [if your army defeats them], they will boast to me that they defeated their enemies by themselves, [without my help].
And he said Yahweh to Gideon [is too] numerous the people which [is] with you than to give I Midian in hand their lest it should glorify itself over me Israel saying hand my it has delivered me.
3 So tell the men, ‘Whoever among you is timid or afraid may leave us and go home.’” So [after Gideon told that to them], 22,000 of them went home. Only 10,000 men were left there.
And therefore proclaim please in [the] ears of the people saying who? [is] fearful and trembling let him go back and he may go from [the] mountain of Gilead and it returned of the people twenty and two thousand and ten thousand they remained.
4 But Yahweh told Gideon, “There are still too many men! Take them down to the spring, and there I will choose from among them, which ones will go with you and which ones will not go.”.
And he said Yahweh to Gideon still the people [is] numerous bring down them to the water so I may test it for you there and it will be [the one] whom I will say to you this [one] - he will go with you he he will go with you and every [one] whom I will say to you this [one] not he will go with you he not he will go.
5 When Gideon took the men down to the spring, Yahweh told him, “When they drink, put into one group the ones who scoop the water into their hands, and then lap it up like dogs do. Put into another group the ones who kneel down [and bend over] and drink with their mouths in the water.”
And he brought down the people to the water. And he said Yahweh to Gideon every [one] who he will lap up with tongue his some of the water just as it laps up the dog you will set him alone and every [one] who he will bow down on knees his to drink.
6 So when they drank, only 300 men drank from their hands. All the others drank with their mouths down in the water.
And it was [the] number of those [who] lapped with hand their to mouth their three hundred man and all [the] remainder of the people they bowed down on knees their to drink water.
7 Then Yahweh told Gideon, “The 300 men who lapped the water from their hands will be your army! I will enable them to defeat the Midian army. Let all the others go home!”
And he said Yahweh to Gideon by three hundred the man who lapped I will deliver you and I will give Midian in hand your and all the people let them go each to own place his.
8 So Gideon’s 300 men collected the food and rams’ horns from all the other men, and then he sent them home. The men of Midian were camping in the valley below Gideon.
And they took provision[s] the people in hand their and trumpets their and every man of Israel he sent away each to tents his and on three hundred the man he kept hold and [the] camp of Midian it was to him from under in the valley.
9 That night, Yahweh said to Gideon, “Get up and go down to their camp, [and you will hear something that will convince you that] I will enable your men to defeat them.
And it was in the night that and he said to him Yahweh arise go down in the camp for I have given it in hand your.
10 But if you are afraid to attack them by yourself, take your servant Purah with you.
And if [are] afraid you to go down go down you and Purah servant your to the camp.
11 Go down and listen to what some of the Midian soldiers are saying. Then you will be very encouraged, and you will be ready to attack their camp.” So Gideon took Purah with him, and they went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
And you will hear what? will they speak and after they will be strong hands your and you will go down in the camp and he went down he and Purah servant his to [the] edge of those arrayed for battle who [were] in the camp.
12 The armies of the people of Midian and Amalek and from the east had set up their tents and looked like a swarm of locusts. It seemed that their camels were as impossible to count as the grains of sand on the seashore.
And Midian and Amalek and all [the] people of [the] east [were] lying in the valley like locust[s] for multitude and [belonged] to camels their not number like the sand that [is] on [the] shore of the sea for multitude.
13 Gideon crept closer and heard one man telling a friend about a dream. He said, “I just had a dream, and in the dream I saw a round loaf of barley bread tumble down into our Midian camp. It struck a tent so hard that the tent turned upside down and collapsed!”
And he came Gideon and there! a man [was] recounting to neighbor his a dream and he said here! a dream I have dreamed and there! (a round loaf of *Qk) bread of barley [was] tumbling in [the] camp of Midian and it came to the tent and it struck it and it fell and it overturned it upwards and it fell the tent.
14 His friend said, “Your dream can mean only one thing. It means that God will enable Gideon, the man of Israel, to defeat all of the armies that are here with us men from Midian.”
And he answered neighbor his and he said not this [is] except [the] sword of Gideon [the] son of Joash a man of Israel he has given God in hand his Midian and all the army.
15 When Gideon heard the [man tell about his] dream and the meaning of that dream, he thanked God. Then he [and Purah] returned to the Israeli camp, and he shouted to the men, “Get up! Because God is enabling you to defeat the men from Midian!”
And it was when heard Gideon [the] recounting of the dream and interpretation its and he bowed down and he returned to [the] camp of Israel and he said arise for he has given Yahweh in hand your [the] camp of Midian.
16 He divided his men into three groups. He gave each man a ram’s horn and an empty clay jar. He also gave each of them a torch [that they lit].
And he divided three hundred the man three companies and he put trumpets in [the] hand of all of them and jars empty and torches in [the] midst of the jars.
17 Then he said to them, “Watch me. When we come close to the enemy camp, [spread out to surround the camp]. Then do exactly what I do.
And he said to them from me you will see and thus you will do and here! I [will be] coming in [the] edge of the camp and it will be just as I will do so you will do!
18 As soon as I and the men with me blow our ram’s horns, you men in the other two groups surrounding the camp blow your horns and shout, ‘[We are doing this] for Yahweh and for Gideon!’”
And I will give a blast on the trumpet I and all who [are] with me and you will give a blast on the trumpets also you all around all the camp and you will say for Yahweh and for Gideon.
19 A while before midnight, just after a new group of Israeli guards took the places of the previous group, Gideon and the 100 men with him arrived at the edge of the Midian camp. Suddenly they all blew their horns, and broke their jars.
And he went Gideon and one hundred man who [were] with him in [the] edge of the camp [the] beginning of the watch middle just as certainly they had stationed the watchmen and they gave a blast on the trumpets and they smashed the jars which [were] in hand their.
20 Then the men in all three groups blew their horns and smashed their jars. They held the torches high with their left hands, and held up the horns with their right hands and alternatively blew them and shouted, “[We have] swords [to fight] for Yahweh and for Gideon!”
And they gave a blast [the] three the companies on the trumpets and they broke the jars and they took hold in [the] hand of left their on the torches and in [the] hand of right their the trumpets to give a blast and they called out a sword for Yahweh and for Gideon.
21 Each of Gideon’s men stood in his position around the enemy camp. As they watched, all the Midian men started running around and shouting in a panic.
And they stood everyone in place his round about the camp and it ran all the army and they shouted in distress (and they fled. *QK)
22 While the 300 Israeli men kept blowing their horns, Yahweh caused their enemies to start fighting each other with their swords/daggers. Some of them killed each other. The rest fled. Some fled south to Beth-Shittah. Some fled to Zerarah [village], near Tabbath.
And they gave a blast [the] three hundred the trumpets and he set Yahweh [the] sword of each on neighbor his and on all the army and it fled the army to Beth Shittah towards Zererah to [the] border of Abel Meholah at Tabbath.
23 Then Gideon sent messages to the soldiers in the areas where the descendants of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh lived, to tell them to come and pursue the army of Midian.
And it was summoned [the] man of Israel from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh and they pursued after Midian.
24 He also sent messengers throughout the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived, saying, “Come down to attack the army of Midian. Come down to the Jordan River, to the place where people can wade across, to prevent enemy troops from crossing it! Station men as far south as Beth-Barah.” So the men of Ephraim did what Gideon told them to do.
And messengers he sent Gideon in all [the] hill country of Ephraim saying come down to meet Midian and capture to them the waters to Beth Barah and the Jordan and he was summoned every man of Ephraim and they captured the waters to Beth Barah and the Jordan.
25 They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two generals of the Midian army. They killed Oreb at [the big rock which is now called] the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at [the place where people crush grapes that is now called] the winepress of Zeeb. Afterwards, the Israelis cut off the heads of Oreb and Zeeb and brought them to Gideon, while he was near the Jordan River.
And they captured [the] two [the] commanders of Midian Oreb and Zeeb and they killed Oreb at [the] rock of Oreb and Zeeb they killed at [the] winepress of Zeeb and they pursued Midian and [the] head of Oreb and Zeeb they brought to Gideon from [the] other side of the Jordan.

< Judges 7 >