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.
Therfor Jerobaal, which also Gedeon, roos bi nyyt, and al the puple with hym, and cam to the welle which is clepid Arad. Sotheli the tentis of Madian weren in the valey, at the north coost of the hiy hil.
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 the Lord seide to Gedeon, Myche puple is with thee, and Madian schal not be bitakun in to the hondis `ther of, lest Israel haue glorie ayens me, and seie, Y am delyuerid bi my strengthis.
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.
Speke thou to the puple, and preche thou, while alle men heren, He that is ferdful `in herte, and dredeful `with outforth, turne ayen. And thei yeden awei fro the hil of Galaad, and two and twenti thousynde of men turniden ayen fro the puple; and oneli ten thousynde dwelliden.
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 the Lord seide to Gedeon, Yet the puple is myche; lede thou hem to the watris, and there Y schal preue hem, and he go, of whom Y schal seye, that he go; turne he ayen, whom Y schal forbede to 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 whanne the puple hadde go doun to watris, the Lord seide to Gedeon, Thou schalt departe hem bi hem silf, that lapen watris with hond and tunge, as doggis ben wont to lape; sotheli thei, that drynken with knees bowid, schulen be in the tothir part.
6 So when they drank, only 300 men drank from their hands. All the others drank with their mouths down in the water.
And so the noumbre of hem, that lapiden watris bi hond castynge to the mouth, was thre hundrid men; forsothe al the tothir multitude drank knelynge.
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 the Lord seide to Gedeon, In thre hundrid men, that lapiden watris, Y schal delyuere you, and Y schal bitake Madian in thin hond; but al the tothir multitude turne ayen in to her place.
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 so whanne thei hadden take meetis and trumpis for the noumbre, he comaundide al the tothir multitude to go to her tabernaclis; and he, with thre hundrid men, yaf hym silf to batel. Sothely the tentis of Madian weren bynethe in the valey.
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.
In the same nyyt the Lord seyde to hym, Ryse thou, and go doun in to `the castels of Madian, for Y haue bitake hem in thin hond;
10 But if you are afraid to attack them by yourself, take your servant Purah with you.
sotheli if thou dredist to go aloon, Phara, thi child, go doun with thee.
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 whanne thou schalt here what thei speken, thanne thin hondis schulen be coumfortid, and thou schalt do down sikerere to the tentis of enemyes. Therfor he yede doun, and Phara, his child, in to the part of tentis, where the watchis of armed men weren.
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.
Forsothe Madian, and Amalech, and alle the puplis of the eest layen spred in the valey, as the multitude of locustis; sotheli the camelis weren vnnoumbrable, as grauel that liggith in the `brenke of the see.
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 whanne Gedeon hadde come, a man tolde a dreem to his neiybore, and telde bi this maner that, that he hadde seyn, I siy a dreem, and it semyde to me, that as `o loof of barly bakun vndur the aischis was walewid, and cam doun in to the tentis of Madian; and whanne it hadde come to a tabernacle, it smoot and distriede `that tabernacle, and made euene outirly to the erthe.
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.”
That man answeride, to whom he spak, This is noon other thing, no but the swerd of Gedeon, `sone of Joas, a man of Israel; for the Lord hath bitake Madian and alle `tentis therof in to the hondis of Gedeon.
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 whanne Gedeon had herd the dreem, and `the interpretyng therof, he worschypide the Lord, and turnede ayen to the tentis of Israel, and seide, Ryse ye; for the Lord hath bitake in to oure hondis the tentis of Madian.
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 departide thre hundrid men in to thre partis, and he yaf trumpis in her hondis, and voyde pottis, and laumpis in the myddis of the pottis.
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 seide to hem, Do ye this thing which ye seen me do; Y schal entre in to a part of the tentis, and sue ye that, that Y 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!’”
Whanne the trumpe in myn hond schal sowne, sowne ye also `bi the cumpas of tentis, and crye ye togidere, To the Lord and to Gedeon.
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 Gedeon entride, and thre hundrid men that weren with hym, `in to a part of the tentis, whanne the watchis of mydnyyt bigunnen; and whanne the keperis weren reysid, thei bigunnen to sowne with trumpis, and to bete togidere the pottis among hem silf.
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 whanne thei sowneden in thre places bi cumpas, and hadden broke the pottis, thei helden laumpis in the left hondis, and sownynge trumpis in the riyt hondis; and thei crieden, The swerd of the Lord and of Gedeon; and stoden alle in her place,
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.
`bi the cumpas of the tentis of enemyes. And so alle `the tentis weren troblid; and thei crieden, and yelliden, and fledden;
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 neuertheles the thre hundrid men contynueden, sownynge with trumpis. And the Lord sente swerd in alle the castels, and thei killiden hem silf bi deeth ech other;
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 thei fledden `til to Bethsecha, and bi the side, fro Elmonla in to Thebbath. Sotheli men of Israel crieden togidere, of Neptalym, and of Aser, and of alle Manasses, and pursueden Madian; and the Lord yaf victorie to the puple of Israel in that day.
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 Gedeon sente messangeris in to al the hil of Effraym, and seide, Come ye doun ayens the comyng of Madian, and ocupie ye the watris `til to Bethbera and Jordan. And al Effraym criede, and bifore ocupide the watris and Jordan `til to Bethbera.
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 Effraym killide twei men of Madian, Oreb and Zeb; he killide Oreb in the ston of Oreb, forsothe `he killide Zeb in the pressour of Zeb; and `thei pursueden Madian, and baren the heedis of Oreb and of Zeb to Gedeon, ouer the flodis of Jordan.
