Judges 7

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) got up very early, as did al the people who were with him; he pitched camp at En-Harod; the camp of Midian was north of his, under the Hill of Moreh in the val ey.	1 Early the next morning Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) encamped by Enharod with all his soldiers. The camp of Midian was in the valley north of Gibeath-hammoreh.
2 Yahweh then said to Gideon, 'There are too many people with you for me to put Midian into their power;Israel might claim the credit for themselves at my expense: they might say, "My own hand has rescued me."	2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many soldiers with you for me to deliver Midian into their power, lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, 'My own power brought me the victory.'
3 So now make this proclamation to the people, "Anyone trembling with fear is to go back and watch fromMount Gilboa." ' Twenty-two thousand of the people went back, and ten thousand remained.	3 Now proclaim to all the soldiers, 'If anyone is afraid or fearful, let him leave.'" When Gideon put them to this test on the mountain, twenty-two thousand of the soldiers left, but ten thousand remained.
4 Yahweh said to Gideon, 'There are stil too many people. Take them down to the waterside and I shalsort them out for you there. If I say of someone, "He is to go with you," that man is to go with you. And if I say of anyone, "He is not to go with you," that man is not to go.'	4 The LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many soldiers. Lead them down to the water and I will test them for you there. If I tell you that a certain man is to go with you, he must go with you. But no one is to go if I tell you he must not."
5 So Gideon took the people down to the waterside, and Yahweh said to him, 'Al those who lap the waterwith their tongues, as a dog laps, put these on one side. And al those who kneel down to drink, put these on theother side.'	5 When Gideon led the soldiers down to the water, the LORD said to him, "You shall set to one side everyone who laps up the water as a dog does with its tongue; to the other, everyone who kneels down to drink."
6 The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouth was three hundred; al the rest of thepeople had knelt to drink.	6 Those who lapped up the water raised to their mouths by hand numbered three hundred, but all the rest of the soldiers knelt down to drink the water.
7 Yahweh then said to Gideon, 'With the three hundred who lapped the water, I shal rescue you and putMidian into your power. Let the people as a whole disperse to their homes.'	7 The LORD said to Gideon, "By means of the three hundred who lapped up the water I will save you and will deliver Midian into your power. So let all the other soldiers go home."
8 So they took the people's provisions and their horns, and then Gideon sent al the Israelites back to theirtents, keeping only the three hundred. The camp of Midian was below his in the val ey.	8 Their horns, and such supplies as the soldiers had with them, were taken up, and Gideon ordered the rest of the Israelites to their tents, but kept the three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9 Now it happened, that same night, that Yahweh said to him, 'Get up and go down to the camp. I amputting it into your power.	9 That night the LORD said to Gideon, "Go, descend on the camp, for I have delivered it up to you.
10 If, however, you are nervous about going down, go down to the camp with your servant Purah;	10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your aide Purah.
11 listen to what they are saying, and that wil encourage you to go down to the camp.' So, with hisservant Purah, he went down to the edge of the outposts of the camp.	11 When you hear what they are saying, you will have the courage to descend on the camp." So he went down with his aide Purah to the outposts of the camp.
12 Midian, Amalek and al the sons of the East were deployed in the val ey as thick as locusts; theircamels were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore.	12 The Midianites, Amalekites, and all the Kedemites lay in the valley, as numerous as locusts. Nor could their camels be counted, for these were as many as the sands on the seashore.
13 Gideon got there just as a man was tel ing his comrade a dream; he was saying, 'This was the dream Ihad: a cake made of barley bread came rolling into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent, struck against it andturned it upside down.'	13 When Gideon arrived, one man was telling another about a dream. "I had a dream," he said, "that a round loaf of barley bread was rolling into the camp of Midian. It came to our tent and struck it, and as it fell it turned the tent upside down."
14 His comrade replied, 'This can only be the sword of Gideon son of Joash the Israelite. God has putMidian and the whole camp into his power.'	14 "This can only be the sword of the Israelite Gideon, son of Joash," the other replied. "God has delivered Midian and all the camp into his power."
15 When Gideon heard the dream thus told and interpreted, he bowed in reverence; he then went back tothe camp of Israel and said, 'On your feet, for Yahweh has put the camp of Midian into your power!'	15 When Gideon heard the description and explanation of the dream, he prostrated himself. Then returning to the camp of Israel, he said, "Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your power."
16 Gideon then divided his three hundred men into three groups. To each he gave a horn and an emptypitcher, with a torch inside each pitcher.	16 He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and provided them all with horns and with empty jars and torches inside the jars.
17 He said to them, 'Watch me, and do as I do. When I reach the edge of the camp, whatever I do, youmust do also.	17 "Watch me and follow my lead," he told them. "I shall go to the edge of the camp, and as I do, you must do also.
18 I shal blow my horn, and so wil all those who are with me; you too will then blow your horns al roundthe camp and shout, "For Yahweh and for Gideon!"	18 When I and those with me blow horns, you too must blow horns all around the camp and cry out, 'For the LORD and for Gideon!'"
19 Gideon and his hundred companions reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middlewatch, when the new sentries had just been posted; they blew their horns and smashed the pitchers in theirhands.	19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the posting of the guards. They blew the horns and broke the jars they were holding.
20 The three groups blew their horns and smashed their pitchers; with their left hands they grasped thetorches, with their right hands the horns for blowing them; and they shouted, 'The sword for Yahweh and forGideon!'	20 All three companies blew horns and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hands, and in their right the horns they were blowing, and cried out, "A sword for the LORD and Gideon!"
21 And they stood stil , spaced out round the camp. The whole camp was thrown into confusion and theMidianites fled, shouting.	21 They all remained standing in place around the camp, while the whole camp fell to running and shouting and fleeing.
22 While the three hundred blew their horns, Yahweh made each man turn his sword against his comradethroughout the entire camp. They al fled as far as Beth-ha-Shittah in the direction of Zarethan, as far as thebank of Abel-Meholah opposite Tabbath.	22 But the three hundred men kept blowing the horns, and throughout the camp the LORD set the sword of one against another. The army fled as far as Beth-shittah in the direction of Zarethan, near the border of Abel-meholah at Tabbath.
23 The men of Israel mustered from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh, and pursued Midian.	23 The Israelites were called to arms from Naphtali, from Asher, and from all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian.
24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the highlands of Ephraim to say, 'Come down to meet Midian,seize the water-points ahead of them as far as Beth-Barah and the Jordan.' Al the men of Ephraim musteredand seized the water-points as far as Beth-Barah and the Jordan.	24 Gideon also sent messengers throughout the mountain region of Ephraim to say, "Go down to confront Midian, and seize the water courses against them as far as Beth-barah, as well as the Jordan." So all the Ephraimites were called to arms, and they seized the water courses as far as Beth-barah, and the Jordan as well.
25 They captured the two Midianite chieftains, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at Oreb's Rock and Zeebat Zeeb's Winepress. They pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on theother side of the Jordan.	25 They captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, killing Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian and carried the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.