7 Early next day, Jerubbaal—that is, Gideon—and all the troops with him encamped above En-harod,a while the camp of Midian was in the plain to the north of him, at Gibeath-moreh.b 2The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many troops with you for Me to deliver Midian into their hands; Israel might claim for themselves the glory due to Me, thinking, ‘Our own hand has brought us victory.’ 3Therefore, announce to the men, ‘Let anybody who is timid and fearful turn back, c-as a bird flies from Mount Gilead.’ ”-c Thereupon, 22,000 of the troops turned back and 10,000 remained.
4“There are still too many troops,” the LORD said to Gideon. “Take them down to the water and I will siftd them for you there. Anyone of whom I tell you, ‘This one is to go with you,’ that one shall go with you; and anyone of whom I tell you, ‘This one is not to go with you,’ that one shall not go.” 5So he took the troops down to the water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, “Set apart all those who e-lap up the water with their tongues like dogs-e from all those who get down on their knees to drink.” 6Now those who “lapped” the water into their mouths by hand numbered three hundred; all the rest of the troops got down on their knees to drink. 7Then the LORD said to Gideon, “I will deliver you and I will put Midian into your hands through the three hundred ‘lappers’; let the rest of the troops go home.” 8c-So [the lappers] took the provisions and horns that the other men had with them,-c and he sent the rest of the men of Israel back to their homes, retaining only the three hundred men.
The Midianite camp was below him, in the plain. 9That night the LORD said to him, “Come, attackf the camp, for I have delivered it into your hands. 10And if you are afraid to attack, first go down to the camp with your attendant Purah 11and listen to what they say; after that you will have the courage to attack the camp.” So he went down with his attendant Purah to the outposts of the warriors who were in the camp.—12Now Midian, Amalek, and all the Kedemites were spread over the plain, as thick as locusts; and their camels were countless, as numerous as the sands on the seashore.—13Gideon came there just as one man was narrating a dream to another. “Listen,” he was saying, “I had this dream: There was a commotionc—a loaf of barley bread was whirling through the Midianite camp. It came to a tent and struck it, and it fell; it turned it upside down, and the tent collapsed.” 14To this the other responded, “That can only mean the sword of the Israelite Gideon son of Joash. God is delivering Midian and the entire camp into his hands.”g
15When Gideon heard the dream told and interpreted, he bowed low. Returning to the camp of Israel, he shouted, “Come on! The LORD has delivered the Midianite camp into your hands!” 16He divided the three hundred men into three columns and equipped every man with a ram’s horn and an empty jar, with a torch in each jar. 17“Watch me,” he said, “and do the same. When I get to the outposts of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18When I and all those with me blow our horns, you too, all around the camp, will blow your horns and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’ ”
19Gideon and the hundred men with him arrived at the outposts of the camp, at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the sentries were posted. h-They sounded the horns and smashed the jars that they had with them,-h 20and the three columns blew their horns and broke their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns for blowing in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” 21They remained standing where they were, surrounding the camp; but the entire camp ran about yelling, and took to flight. 22For when the three hundred horns were sounded, the LORD turned every man’s sword against his fellow, throughout the camp, and the entire host fled as far as Bethshittah and on to Zererah—as far as the outskirts of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
23And now the men of Israel from Naphtali and Asher and from all of Manasseh rallied for the pursuit of the Midianites. 24Gideon also sent messengers all through the hill country of Ephraim with this order: i“Go down ahead of the Midianites and seize their access to the water all along the Jordan down to Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim rallied and seized the waterside down to Beth-barah by the Jordan. 25They pursued the Midianites and captured Midian’s two generals, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the Rock of Oreb and they killed Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb from the other side of the Jordan to Gideon.
8 And the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why did you do that to us— not calling us when you went to fight the Midianites?” And they rebuked him severely. 2But he answered them, “After all, what have I accomplished compared to you? Why, Ephraim’s gleanings are better than Abiezer’s vintage! 3God has delivered the Midianite generals Oreb and Zeeb into your hands, and what was I able to do compared to you?” And when he spoke in this fashion, their anger against him abated.
4Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed it. The three hundred men with him were famished, but still in pursuit. 5He said to the people of Succoth, “Please give some loaves of bread to the men who are following me, for they are famished, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6But the officials of Succoth replied, a-“Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands,-a that we should give bread to your troops?” 7“I swear,” declared Gideon, “when the LORD delivers Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I’ll threshb your bodies upon desert thorns and briers!” 8From there he went up to Penuel and made the same request of them; but the people of Penuel gave him the same reply as the people of Succoth. 9So he also threatened the people of Penuel: “When I come back safe, I’ll tear down this tower!”
10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor with their army of about 15,000; these were all that remained of the entire host of the Kedemites, for the slain numbered 120,000 fighting men.c 11Gideon marched up the road of the tent dwellers, up to east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and routed the camp, which was off guard. 12Zebah and Zalmunna took to flight, with Gideond in pursuit. He captured Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, and threw the whole army into panic.
13On his way back from the battle at the Ascent of Heres, Gideon son of Joash 14captured a boy from among the people of Succoth and interrogated him. The latter drew up for him a list of the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven in number. 15Then he came to the people of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you mocked me, saying, a-‘Are Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hands,-a that we should give your famished men bread?”’ 16And he took the elders of the city and, [bringing] desert thorns and briers, he punishede the people of Succoth with them. 17As for Penuel, he tore down its tower and killed the townspeople.
18Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “Those men you killed at Tabor, f-what were they like?”-f “They looked just like you,” they replied, “like sons of a king.” 19“They were my brothers,” he declared, “the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had spared them, I would not kill you.” 20And he commanded his oldest son Jether, “Go kill them!” But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was timid, being still a boy. 21Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, you slay us; for strength comes with manhood.” So Gideon went over and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.
22Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son, and your grandson as well; for you have saved us from the Midianites.” 23But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you myself, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD alone shall rule over you.” 24And Gideon said to them, “I have a request to make of you: Each of you give me the earring he received as booty.” (Theyg had golden earrings, for they were Ishmaelites.) 25“Certainly!” they replied. And they spread out a cloth, and everyone threw onto it the carring he had received as booty. 26The weight of the golden earrings that he had requested came to 1,700 shekels of
