Judges Chapter 7
1 Then Jerubbaal (Gideon) and the people got up early and camped beside the Spring of Harod. Midian’s camp was in the valley north of them by the Hill of Moreh.
2 Yahveh told Gideon,
“You have too many for me to deliver the Midianites to you. I don’t want Israel to pride themselves in thinking they’ve delivered themselves. 3 Tell whoever is afraid and trembling to go home.”
Gideon tested them; 22,000 went back, 10,000 stayed.
4 Yahveh told Gideon,
“There are still too many. Take them down to the creek; I’ll test them. The one I tell you, will go with you. The others won’t.”
5 He took them down to the water. Yahveh told Gideon,
“The ones that lap water like a dog, put in a group. Those who kneel down to drink put in another group.”
6 300 put their hands to their mouths. The rest got on their knees to drink from the water. 7 Yahveh told Gideon, “I’ll deliver the Midianites to you with 300 men. Send the rest home.” 8 He took the people’s jars and rams’ horns and sent the rest home. Midian camped below them in the valley. Jud 7:1-8
9 That night Yahveh told him,
“Get up and go down against the camp. I’ll deliver it to you. 10 If you’re afraid, go down with your servant Purah. 11 You’ll hear what they’re saying and be confident about attacking the camp.”
He went down with Purah to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, Amalekites, and people from east of the Jordan lay along the valley like locusts. Their camels were without number, like sand on the shore. 13 When Gideon got there, a man was telling his friend about a dream,
“I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp. It knocked a tent over and flattened it.”
14 His friend answered, “That’s the sword of Gideon, a man of Israel. God is going to deliver Midian and the rest of the army to him.” Jud 7:9-14
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship and went back to camp. He said, “Get up! Yahveh is going to deliver Midian’s army to you.” 16 He divided the 300 men into three companies. He gave them all rams’ horns and empty jars with torches inside. 17 He told them,
“Do what I do when I get to the edge of the camp. 18 When I and the ones with me blow the rams’ horns, then blow your rams’ horns all around the camp, and raise the battle cry, ‘For Yahveh and Gideon!’”
19 Gideon and the 300 got to the edge of the camp when they’d just set the middle watch. 20 They blew the rams’ horns and broke the jars, holding the torches in their left hands and the rams’ horns in their right, and raised the battle cry, “A sword for Yahveh and Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in place all around the camp, and Midian’s whole army screamed and fled. 22 When the Israelites blew the 300 rams’ horns, Yahveh set every man’s sword against his fellow soldier throughout Midian’s army. The army fled all the way to Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah by Tabbath. 23 Gideon called out Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh to chase them. 24 He sent messengers all over the hill country of Ephraim, “Come down against the Midianites and seize control of the water, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” Ephraim came out and seized it. 25 They captured Oreb and Zeeb, Midian’s two rulers. In the chase they killed Oreb at the Rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. They brought their heads to Gideon beyond the Jordan. Jud 7:15-25