Chapter 7 Then Jeroboam, who was Gideon, and all the people that were with him,
rose up early and pitched beside the well of Herod, so that the host of the
Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Morah in the valley.
And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many
for me to give to the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves
against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
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 the people twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten
thousand.
And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many.
Bring them down into 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.
So he brought down the people unto the water.
And the Lord said unto Gideon, Everyone that lappeth of the water with
his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself.
Likewise everyone that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
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.
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.
So the people took vittles 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.
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.
But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Furah thy servant down to the host,
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 Furah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that
were in the host.
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 seaside for multitude.
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.
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.
And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the
interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned unto the host of
Israel, and said, Arise, for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of
Midian.
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.
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.
When I blow with the 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.
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 broke the pitchers that were in their hands.
And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke 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.
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp.
And all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
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 Bethshida in Zerarath, and to the border of Abelmehola
unto Tabath.
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.
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against
the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbara and Jordan.
Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters
unto Bethbara and Jordan.
And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeob.
And they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeob they slew at the winepress of
Zeob, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeob to Gideon on the
other side Jordan.