1 Gideon and all his men got up early and camped beside Harod Spring. The Midianite camp was in the valley to the north of them by Moreh Hill.
2 Jehovah said to Gideon: »The men you have are too many for me to give them victory over the Midianites. They might think that they had won by themselves and not give me credit.
3 »Announce to the people: Anyone who is afraid should go back home. We will stay here at Mount Gilead. Twenty-two thousand went back, but ten thousand stayed.«
4 Jehovah said to Gideon: »You still have too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will separate them for you. If I tell you a man should go with you, he will go. If I tell you a man should not go with you, he will not go.«
5 Gideon took the men to the water. Jehovah told him: »Separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue like a dog, from everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.«
6 There were three hundred men who scooped up water in their hands and lapped it. The others got down on their knees to drink.
7 Jehovah said: »I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Use the three hundred men who lapped the water. Tell everyone else to go home.«
8 Gideon sent the Israelites home, except the three hundred. They kept all the supplies and trumpets. The Midianite camp was below them in the valley.
9 That night Jehovah commanded Gideon: »Get up and attack the camp. I give you victory over it!
10 »If you are afraid to attack, go to the camp with your servant Purah.
11 »You will hear what they are saying, and then you will have the courage to attack.« Gideon and his servant Purah went to the edge of the enemy camp.
12 The Midianites, the Amalekites, and the desert tribesmen were spread out in the valley like a swarm of locusts. They had so many camels they could not be counted. They were as plentiful as there are grains of sand on the seashore.
13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling a friend about a dream. He was saying: »I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into our camp and hit a tent. The tent collapsed and lay flat on the ground.«
14 His friend responded: »This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash. For God delivered Midian and its army to this man of Israel.«
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel, and called out: »Arise! Jehovah has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.«
16 He divided the three hundred men into three companies. He put a trumpet in every mans hand, with empty jars, and lamps within the jars.
17 He said to them: »Look at me, and do as I do. When I come to the outside of the camp do the same as I do.
18 »When I blow the trumpet, all who are with me should blow the trumpets. Blow the trumpets on every side of the camp and say: The sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon!«
19 Gideon and the hundred men, who were with him, came to the outside of the camp. It was the beginning of the middle watch and they had just posted the new watch. They blew the trumpets, and broke the jars that were in their hands.
20 The three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the jars, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands. Then they cried: »The sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon!«
21 Every man stood in his place around the camp. The army ran, and cried, and fled.
22 The three hundred blew the trumpets. Jehovah set every mans sword against his companions. They turned on each other throughout all the army. The army fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, to Tabbath.
23 The men of Israel gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.
24 Gideon sent messengers through all the hill country of Ephraim to say: »Come down and fight the Midianites! Hold the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah, to keep the Midianites from crossing them.« The men of Ephraim were called together, and they held the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah.
25 They captured the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at Oreb Rock, and Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. They continued to pursue the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now east of the Jordan.