Gideon’s God-sized Army

1Then 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. 2YHWH said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, or Israel would boast against me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ 3Now 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.

4YHWH said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Those whom I tell you, ‘This one should go with you,’ he must go with you. And whoever I tell you, ‘This one should not go with you,’ he must not go.” 5So he brought down the people to the water, and YHWH said to Gideon, “You are to separate those who lap of the water with his tongue, like a dog laps. Do likewise with everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.” 6The number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men. All the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water. 7YHWH said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped, I will deliver y’all and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, each to his own place.”

8So the people took food in their hand, and their trumpets; 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. 9That same night, YHWH said to him, “Arise, go down into the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp, 11and listen to what they say. 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.

12The 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.

13When Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow. He said, “Listen, I dreamed a dream: 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.”

14His 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.”

15When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worshiped. Then he returned into the camp of Israel and said, “Y’all get up! For YHWH has delivered the army of Midian into y’all’s hand!”

16He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers.

17He said to them, “Y’all watch me and do what I do. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do what I do! 18When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then y’all blow your trumpets from all around the camp. Then y’all say, ‘For YHWH and for Gideon!’”

19So 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 trumpets and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. 20The three companies blew the trumpets, broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands with which to blow; and they shouted, “The sword of YHWH and of Gideon!” 21They each stood in their place around the camp, and all the army ran, crying out they fled. 22They blew the three hundred trumpets, and YHWH set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth Shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. 23The men of Israel were gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian. 24Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Y’all come down against Midian and capture 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. 25They 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.