¶ Then Ierobaal otherwise called Gedeon rose early and all the people that were with him, and pitched beside the well of Harad, so that the host of the Madianites were in a valley on the north side of the hill Hamoreh.
And the LORD said unto Gedeon, the people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Madianites into their hands, lest Israel make her vaunt to my dishonour and say, our own hand hath saved us.
Now therefore make a proclamation in the Ears of the people and say: if any man dread or be afraid, let him return and get him soon from mount Gilead. And there departed and returned of the people twenty two thousand, and there abode ten thousand.
And the LORD said unto Gedeon: the people are yet too many, bring them down unto the water, and I will try them unto thee there. And of whom I say unto thee, this shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee. And whosoever I say unto thee, this shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
And when he had brought down the people unto the water, the LORD said unto Gedeon: As many as lap the water with their tongues, as dogs do, them put by themselves, and so do them that kneel down upon their knees to drink.
And the number of them that put their hands to their mouths and lapped, were three hundredth men. And all the remnant of the people knelt down upon their knees to drink water.
And the LORD said unto Gedeon, with the three hundredth men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Madianites into thine hand. And all the other people shall go every man unto his own home.
And they took vitailles with them for the folk, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel, every man unto his tent, and kept the three hundredth with him. And the host of Madian was beneath him in a valley.
¶ And the same night the LORD said unto him, up and go down unto the host, for I have delivered it into thine hand.
But if thou fear to go down, then go thou down unto the host, and Pharah thy lad,
and hearken what they say, and so shall thine hands be strong, and then thou shalt go down unto the host. Then he went down with Pharah his lad, even hard unto the men of arms that were in the host.
And the Madianites, the Amalekites, and all they of the East, lay along in the valley, like unto grasshoppers in multitude, and their camels were without number, even as the sand by the sea side in multitude.
And when Gedeon was come: behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow and said: Behold I dreamed a dream and me thought that a broiled loaf of barley bread tumbled into the host of Madian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
And his fellow answered and said, this is nothing else save the sword of Gedeon the son of Ioas a man of Israel, into whose hand the Lorde hath delivered Madian and all the host.
When Gedeon heard the telling of the dream and the interpretation of the same, he bowed himself to the earth and returned unto the host of Israel, and said: up for the LORD hath delivered into your hands the host of the Madianites.
¶ And he divided the three hundredth men into three companies, and gave every man a trumpet in his hand, with an empty pitcher and lamps therein,
and said unto them look on me and do likewise: and behold, when I come to the side of the host, even as I do, so do you.
And when I blow with a trumpet and all that are with me, blow ye with trumpets also on every side the host and say, here be the LORD and Gedeon.
And so Gedeon and the three hundredth men that were with him, came unto the side of the host in the beginning of the middle watch, and raised up the watch men. And they blew with their trumpets and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
And all three companies blew with trumpets and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right, to blow with all. And they cried the sword of the LORD and of Gedeon.
And they stood still, every man in his place round about the host. And all the host ran and cried and fled.
And as the three hundredth blew with trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword upon his neighbour, thorowout all the host. And the host fled until they came to Bethsitah, to Zererath, and to the edge of Abelmeholah beside Tabath.
¶ And the men of Israel gathered together of the tribe of Naphthalim, of Aser, and of all Manasses, and followed after the Madianites.
For Gedeon had sent messengers thorowout all mount Ephraim saying: come down against the Madianites and take from them the waters both of Bethbarath and also of Iordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and came down and took the waters, both of Bethbarath and also of Iordan.
And they took two captains of the Madianites, Oreb and Zeb, and slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeb at the press Zeb and followed after Madian. And brought the heads of Oreb and Zeb to Gedeon on the other side Iordan.
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Praise the Everlasting Lord for His Faithful Word.