Gideon Eliminates Some of the Army According to the Lord’s Plan |
Judges 7:1-25 The Book of Judges [in Smaller Chunks] |
Then, Jerubbaal, who is Gideon & all the people with him rose up early & pitched [their tents] beside the Well of Harod, [so] the [army] of the Midianites were [camped] on the north side of them, by the Hill of Moreh, in the valley. |
The Lord said to Gideon, There are too many people with you, for Me to turn the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel [prides] themself against Me & says, [My] own hand has saved me. |
Therefore, now, go [tell] the people, [Whoever] is fearful & afraid [can] return & [leave] early from Mount Gilead & 22,000 returned & 10,000 remained. The Lord said to Gideon, There are [still] too many people. |
Bring them down to the water & I will [test] them for you there. It shall be that of [those] whom I say to you, [These] shall go with you, shall go with you. And [not the ones I tell you] should not go with you, shall not go with you. So, Gideon brought down the [remaining] people to the water. |
And the Lord said to Gideon, Everyone [who] laps the water with his tongue [like] a dog laps, shall be set [apart] by [themselves] & [do the same with] the ones who bow down upon their knees to drink. |
There were 300 men [who] lapped [the waters,] putting their hand to their mouth. And all the rest bowed down on their knees to drink water. The Lord [told] Gideon, I will save you [with] the 300 men [who] lapped [the water] & [will] deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his [home.] |
So, the people took [food] in their hands & their trumpets & [Gideon] sent all the rest of the [men] of Israel to [their tents.] [Gideon kept] those 300 men [who lapped with their tongues.] |
The [camp] of the Midianite’s [army] was [below] them in the valley. It [happened] that same night, the Lord said to [Gideon,] Arise [& go] down into [their army;] for I have delivered it into your hand. |
But if you are [afraid, take] Phurah, your servant, with you to the [army’s camp] & you shall hear what they say & afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go into the [army’s camp.] Then, [Gideon] went down with Phurah, to the [outer side] of the armed men [of the army.] |
The Midianites, Amalekites & all the children [people] of the east lay along the valley [like a] multitude of grasshoppers & their camels were without number, [like] the [sands on] the [seashore.] |
When Gideon was [close, he heard a man from camp tell another his] dream & [he] said, [In my dream] a cake of barley bread tumbled into the [army’s camp] of [the] Midian into a tent & [attacked] it & the tent fell over & lay [on its side.] |
The [other man] said, [this could only be by] the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel, for God has delivered the Midian & all the [army] into his hand. |
When Gideon heard [when the man told his dream] & [its] interpretation of it, he worshiped [the Lord God] & returned to the [army’s camp] of Israel & said, Arise, for the Lord has delivered the [army] of the Midian into your hand. |
[Gideon] divided the 300 men into 3 companies & put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers [with torches inside] the pitchers. Gideon [told] them, Look [at] me & do likewise & [see] when I come to the outside [of] the camp, you shall do [exactly] as I do. |
When I blow [the] trumpet, then you blow your trumpets on every side of the camp & say, The sword of the Lord & of Gideon. So Gideon & 100 men with him [went] outside the camp, [during the 1st part] of the middle watch, [with a new shift of men.] |
They blew their trumpets & broke the pitchers in their hands & the 3 companies broke [their] pitchers & held the [torches] in their left hands & had the trumpets in their right hands to blow [them.] |
They cried [out,] The sword of the Lord & of Gideon. Every man stood in his place [around the Midianite] camp & all the [army] ran, cried & fled. |
The 300 blew the trumpets & the Lord [put] every man’s sword against his [opponent,] even throughout all the [camp, as the Midianite army] fled to Beth Shittah in Zererath, to the border of Abel Meholah, [all the way] to Tabbath. |
The men of Israel gathered themselves together out of [the tribes of:] Naphtali, Asher & Manasseh & pursued after the Midianites. |
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all [of] Mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites & take [in front of] them the waters, [all the way] to Beth Barah & [the] Jordan [River] & [they did so.] |
They took 2 princes of the Midianites, Oreb & Zeeb & [killed] Oreb on the Rock [of] Oreb & [killed] Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. [They] pursued [the Midianites] & brought the heads of Oreb & Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of [the] Jordan [River.] |