Judges 7
1 And so Jerubbaal, who is also Gideon, rising in the night, and all the people with him, went to the fountain which is called Harod. Now the camp of Midian was in the valley, to the northern region of the high hill.
Then Jerubbaal, the same, is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and encamped by the fountain of Harod, —and, the camp of Midian, was on the north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the vale.
2 And the Lord said to Gideon: “The people with you are many, but Midian shall not be delivered into their hands, for then Israel might glory against me, and say, ‘I was freed by my own power.’
And Yahweh said unto Gideon, Too many, are the people that are with thee, for me to deliver the Midianites into their hand, —lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand, hath saved me.
3 Speak to the people, and proclaim in the hearing of all, ‘Whoever has dread or fear, let him return.’ And twenty-two thousand of the men from the people withdrew from Mount Gilead and returned, and only ten thousand remained.
Now, therefore, proclaim, I pray thee, in the ears of the people, saying, Whoso feareth and trembleth—let him turn and go back from Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty-two thousand, and, ten thousand, remained.
4 And the Lord said to Gideon: “The people are still too many. Lead them to the waters, and there I will test them. And those about whom I tell you that he may go with you, let him go; he whom I shall forbid to go, let him return.”
Then said Yahweh unto Gideon—Yet, are the people too many, take them down unto the waters, that I may prove them for thee, there, —and it shall be, that, he of whom I say unto thee, This one, shall go with thee, the same, shall go with thee, and, every one of whom I say unto thee, This one, shall not go with thee, the same, shall not go.
5 And when the people had descended to the waters, the Lord said to Gideon: “Whoever will lap the water with the tongue, as dogs usually lap, you shall separate them by themselves. Then those who will drink by bending their knees shall be on the other side.”
So he took down the people unto the waters, —and Yahweh said unto Gideon—Every one that lappeth with his tongue of the water, as a dog lappeth, thou shalt set him by himself, likewise, every one that boweth down upon his knees, to drink.
6 And so the number of those who had lapped the water, by bringing it with the hand to the mouth, was three hundred men. And all the remainder of the multitude drank by bending the knee.
And so it was, that, the number of them that lapped with their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men, —but, all the rest of the people, bowed down on their knees, to drink water.
7 And the Lord said to Gideon: “By the three hundred men who lapped the water, I will free you, and I will deliver Midian into your hand. But let all the remainder of the multitude return to their place.”
Then said Yahweh unto Gideon—By the three hundred men that lapped, will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thy hand; and let, all [the rest of] the people, go every man to his own place.
8 And so, taking food and trumpets in accord with their number, he instructed all the rest of the multitude to go back to their tents. And with the three hundred men, he gave himself to the conflict. Now the camp of Midian was below, in the valley.
So the people took provisions in their hand, and their horns, but, every man of Israel besides, sent he away every man to his home, whereas, the three hundred men, he retained. Now, the camp of Midian, was beneath him in the vale.
9 In the same night, the Lord said to him: “Rise up, and descend into the camp. For I have delivered them into your hand.
And it came to pass, on that night, that Yahweh said unto him, Arise! go down against the camp, —for I have delivered it into thy hand.
10 But if you dread to go alone, let your servant Purah descend with you.
Or, if, thou, art afraid to go down, go down—thou and Purah thy young man, unto the camp;
11 And when you will hear what they are saying, then your hands will be strengthened, and you will descend more confidently to the camp of the enemy.” Therefore, he descended with his servant Purah into a portion of the camp, where there was a watch of armed men.
so shalt thou hear what they shall say, —and, afterward, shall thy hands grow strong, and thou shalt go down against the camp. Then went he down, he and Purah his young man, unto the outmost part of the armed men that were in the camp.
12 But Midian, and Amalek, and all the eastern peoples lay spread out in the valley, like a multitude of locusts. Their camels, too, were innumerable, like the sand that lies on the shore of the sea.
Now, the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east, were lying along in the vale, like locusts for multitude, —their camels also, were without number, as the sand that is by the sea side, for multitude.
13 And when Gideon had arrived, someone told his neighbor a dream. And he related what he had seen, in this way: “I saw a dream, and it seemed to me as if bread, baked under ashes from rolled barley, descended into the camp of Midian. And whenever it arrived at a tent, it struck it, and overturned it, and utterly leveled it to the ground.”
And Gideon came in, and lo! a man relating to his neighbour a dream, —and he said—Lo! a dream, have I dreamt, and lo! a round cake of barley bread tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came as far as the tent—and smote it that it fell, and turned it upside down, and the tent lay along.
14 He to whom he spoke, responded: “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel. For the Lord has delivered Midian into his hands, with their entire camp.”
Then responded his neighbour and said: —Nothing else, is this, than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel, —God hath delivered into his hand, both Midian and all the host.
15 And when Gideon had heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped. And he returned to the camp of Israel, and he said: “Rise up! For the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into our hands.”
And it was so, when Gideon heard the story of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he bowed himself down, —and returned unto the camp of Israel, and said—Arise! for Yahweh hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three parts. And he gave trumpets, and empty pitchers, and lamps for the middle of the pitchers, into their hands.
And he divided the three hundred men, into three companies, —and put horns into the hands of them all, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.
17 And he said to them: “What you will see me do, do the same. I will enter a portion of the camp, and what I do, you shall follow.
Then he said unto them, On me, shall ye look, and, in like manner, shall ye do, —and lo! when I am coming unto the outermost part of the camp, then shall it be, that, as I do, so, shall ye do.
18 When the trumpet in my hand blares out, you also shall sound the trumpets, on every side of the camp, and shout together to the Lord and to Gideon.”
When I shall blow with the horn, I and all who are with me, then shall, ye also, round about all the camp, blow with your horns, and shall say, For Yahweh and for Gideon!
19 And Gideon, and the three hundred men who were with him, entered a portion of the camp, at the beginning of the watch in the middle of the night. And when the guards were alerted, they began to sound the trumpets and to clap the pitchers against one another.
So Gideon came, and the hundred men that were with him, unto the outermost part of the camp, at the beginning of the middle watch, they had but, newly set, the watchers, —and they blew with the horns, and brake in pieces the pitchers, that were in their hand.
20 And when they had sounded their trumpets in three places around the camp, and had broken their water pitchers, they held the lamps in their left hands, and sounded the trumpets in their right hands. And they cried out, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”
Yea the three companies blew with the horns, and shivered the pitchers, and caught hold—with their left hands—of the torches, while, in their right hands, were the horns, to blow with, —and they cried, A sword for Yahweh, and for Gideon!
21 And each one was standing in his place throughout the camp of the enemies. And so the entire camp was in confusion; and they fled away, wailing and crying out.
And they stood still, every man in his place, round about the camp, —and all the host ran and shouted, and fled.
22 And the three hundred men nevertheless continued sounding the trumpets. And the Lord sent the sword into the entire camp, and they maimed and cut down one another,
When the three hundred blew the horns, Yahweh set the sword of every man, against his neighbour, and against all the host, —and the host fled, as far as the Place of Acacias, towards Zererath, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
23 fleeing as far as Bethshittah, and the base of Abelmeholah in Tabbath. But the men of Israel pursued Midian, shouting from Naphtali and Asher, and from all of Manasseh.
And the men of Israel were called together, out of Naphtali and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, —and pursued Midian.
24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all of Mount Ephraim, saying, “Descend to meet Midian, and occupy the waters ahead of them as far as Bethbarah and the Jordan.” And all of Ephraim cried out, and they occupied the waters ahead of them, from the Jordan even to Bethbarah.
And, messengers, did Gideon send through all the hill country of Ephraim, saying—Go down to meet Midian, and capture, before them, the waters, as far as Beth-barah, and the Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and captured the waters, as far as Beth-barah, and the Jordan.
25 And having apprehended two men of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, they put Oreb to death at the Rock of Oreb, and truly, Zeeb, at the Winepress of Zeeb. And they pursued Midian, carrying the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, across the waters of the Jordan.
And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and slew Oreb at Oreb’s Rock, and, Zeeb, they slew at Zeeb’s Winepress, and pursued Midian, —and, the heads of Oreb and Zeeb, brought they in unto Gideon at the ford of the Jordan.
