(KJV) Judges 7¹

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⥃Gideon’s Army of Three Hundred

[1] Then Jerubbaal², who [is] Gideon, and all the people that [were] with him, rose up³ early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh⁴, in the valley. [2] And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that [are] with thee [are] too many⁵ for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel⁶ vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own⁷ hand hath saved me. [3] Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever⁸ [is] fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead⁹. And there returned of the people twenty¹⁰ and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. [4] And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people¹¹ [are] yet [too] many; bring them down unto the water, and I will¹² 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. [5] So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth¹³ of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. [6] 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. [7] 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.¹⁴ [8] So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets¹⁵: 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 valley¹⁶.

⥃The Sword of Gideon

[9] And it came to pass the same¹⁷ night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise¹⁸, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered¹⁹ it into thine hand. [10] But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:²⁰ [11] And thou shalt²¹ hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands²² be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men²³ that [were] in the host. [12] And the Midianites²⁴ and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers²⁵ for multitude; and their camels [were] without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. [13] 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 cake²⁶ 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. [14] And his fellow²⁷ answered and said, This [is] nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: [for] into his hand²⁸ hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

⥃Gideon Defeats Midian

[15] [¶]And it was [so], when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof²⁹, that he worshipped³⁰, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise³¹; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. [16] And he divided the three hundred men [into] three companies³², and he put a trumpet³³ in every man’s hand, with empty³⁴ pitchers, and lamps³⁵ within the pitchers. [17] 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.³⁶ [18] When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that [are] with me, then blow ye³⁷ the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, [The sword³⁸] of the Lord, and of Gideon.

[19] [¶]So Gideon, and the hundred men that [were] with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning³⁹ of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew⁴⁰ the trumpets, and brake⁴¹ the pitchers that [were] in their hands. [20] And the three companies blew⁴² the trumpets, and brake⁴³ 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. [21] And they stood⁴⁴ every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host⁴⁵ ran, and cried, and fled. [22] And the three hundred blew⁴⁶ the trumpets, and the Lord⁴⁷ set every man’s sword again⁴⁸st his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth–shittah in Zererath⁴⁹, [and] to the border⁵⁰ of Abel–meholah⁵¹, unto Tabbath⁵². [23] 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.⁵³

[24] [¶]And Gideon sent⁵⁴ messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before⁵⁵ them the waters unto Beth–barah⁵⁶ and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth–barah and Jordan. [25] And they took two princes⁵⁷ of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock⁵⁸ Oreb⁵⁹, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought⁶⁰ the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side⁶¹ Jordan.

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