< Judges 7 >
1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose up early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. Midian’s camp was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
And Jerubba‘al (he [is] Gideon) rises early, and all the people who [are] with him, and they encamp by the well of Harod, and the camp of Midian has been on the south of him, on the height of Moreh, in the valley.
2 The LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel brag against me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
And YHWH says to Gideon, “The people who [are] with you [are] too many for My giving Midian into their hand, lest Israel beautify itself against Me, saying, My hand has given salvation to me;
3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
and now, please call in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever [is] afraid and trembling, let him turn back and go early from Mount Gilead”; and there return twenty-two thousand of the people, and ten thousand have been left.
4 The LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. It shall be, that those whom I tell you, ‘This shall go with you,’ shall go with you; and whoever I tell you, ‘This shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”
And YHWH says to Gideon, “The people [are] yet too many; bring them down to the water, and I refine him for you there; and it has been, he of whom I say to you, This goes with you—he goes with you; and any of whom I say to you, This does not go with you—he does not go.”
5 So he brought down the people to the water; and the LORD said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue, like a dog laps, you shall set him by himself; likewise everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.”
And he brings the people down to the water, and YHWH says to Gideon, “Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue as the dog laps—you set him apart; also everyone who bows on his knees to drink.”
6 The number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water.
And the number of those lapping with their hand to their mouth is three hundred men, and all the rest of the people have bowed down on their knees to drink water.
7 The LORD said to Gideon, “I will save you by the three hundred men who lapped, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, each to his own place.”
And YHWH says to Gideon, “I save you by the three hundred men who are lapping, and have given Midian into your hand, and all the people go, each to his place.”
8 So the people took food in their hand, and their shofars; and he sent all the rest of the men of Israel to their own tents, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
And the people take the provision in their hand, and their horns, and he has sent every man of Israel away, each to his tents; and he has kept hold on the three hundred men, and the camp of Midian has been by him at the lower part of the valley.
9 That same night, the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down into the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.
And it comes to pass, on that night, that YHWH says to him, “Rise, go down into the camp, for I have given it into your hand;
10 But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp.
and if you are afraid to go down—go down, you and your young man Phurah, to the camp,
11 You will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened to go down into the camp.” Then went he down with Purah his servant to the outermost part of the armed men who were in the camp.
and you have heard what they speak, and afterward your hands are strengthened, and you have gone down against the camp.” And he goes down, he and his young man Phurah, to the extremity of the fifties who [are] in the camp;
12 The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is on the seashore for multitude.
and Midian, and Amalek, and all the sons of the east are lying in the valley, as the locust for multitude, and of their camels there is no number, as sand which [is] on the seashore for multitude.
13 When Gideon had come, behold, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow. He said, “Behold, I dreamt a dream; and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”
And Gideon comes in, and behold, a man is recounting a dream to his companion, and says, “Behold, I have dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley-bread is turning itself over into the camp of Midian, and it comes to the tent, and strikes it, and it falls, and turns it upwards, and the tent has fallen.”
14 His fellow answered, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has delivered Midian into his hand, with all the army.”
And his companion answers and says, “This is nothing except the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.”
15 It was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshipped. Then he returned into the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the LORD has delivered the army of Midian into your hand!”
And it comes to pass, when Gideon hears the narration of the dream and its interpretation, that he bows himself, and turns back to the camp of Israel, and says, “Rise, for YHWH has given the camp of Midian into your hand.”
16 He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them shofars and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers.
And he divides the three hundred men [into] three detachments, and puts horns into the hand of all of them, and empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
17 He said to them, “Watch me, and do likewise. Behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so you shall do.
And he says to them, “Look at me, and thus do; and behold, I am coming into the extremity of the camp—and it has been—as I do so you do;
18 When I blow the shofar, I and all who are with me, then blow the shofars also on every side of all the camp, and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
and I have blown with a horn—I and all who [are] with me, and you have blown with horns, even you, around all the camp, and have said, For YHWH and for Gideon!”
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch. Then they blew the shofars and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.
And Gideon comes—and the hundred men who [are] with him—into the extremity of the camp, [at] the beginning of the middle watch (they had just posted watchmen), and they blow with horns—also dashing in pieces the pitchers which [are] in their hand;
20 The three companies blew the shofars, broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands and the shofars in their right hands with which to blow; and they shouted, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!”
and the three detachments blow with horns, and break the pitchers, and keep hold with their left hand on the lamps, and with their right hand on the horns to blow, and they cry, “The sword of YHWH and of Gideon!”
21 They each stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight.
And they each stand in his place, around the camp, and all the camp runs, and they shout, and flee;
22 They blew the three hundred shofars, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth Shittah towards Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
and the three hundred blow the horns, and YHWH sets the sword of each against his companion, even through all the camp; and the camp flees to Beth-Shittah, at Zererath, to the border of Abel-Meholah, by Tabbath.
23 The men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued Midian.
And the men of Israel are called from Naphtali, and from Asher, and from all Manasseh, and pursue after Midian.
24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against Midian and take the waters before them as far as Beth Barah, even the Jordan!” So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together and took the waters as far as Beth Barah, even the Jordan.
And Gideon has sent messengers into all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to meet Midian, and capture the waters from them as far as Beth-Barah, and the Jordan”; and every man of Ephraim is called, and they capture the waters as far as Beth-Barah, and the Jordan,
25 They took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at Oreb’s rock, and Zeeb they killed at Zeeb’s wine press, as they pursued Midian. Then they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.
and they capture two of the heads of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and slay Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they have slain Zeeb at the wine-vat of Zeeb, and they pursue into Midian; and they have brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.