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Gideon Defeats the Midianites
7:1 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.
7:2 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.
7:3 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.
7:4 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.
7:5 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.
7:6 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.
7:7 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.
7:8 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.
7:9 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.
7:10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy
servant down to the host:
7:11 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.
7:12 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.
7:13 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.
7:14 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.
7:15 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.
7:16 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.
7:17 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.
7:18 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.
7:19 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.
7:20 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.
7:21 And they stood every man in his place round about the
camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
7:22 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 Bethshittah in Zererath,
and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
7:23 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.
7:24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount
Ephraim, saying, come down against 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.
7:25 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. |
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