Gideon’s Army of Three Hundred

1Then Ierubbaal (who is Gideon) rose vp early, and all the people that were with him, and pitched beside the well of Harod, so that the hoste of the Midianites was on the Northside of them in the valley by the hill of Moreh.

2And the Lord said vnto Gideon, The people that are with thee, are too many for me to giue the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel make their vaunt against me, and say, Mine hand hath saued mee. 3Now therefore proclaime in the audience of the people, and say, Who so is timerous or fearefull, let him returne, and depart earely from mount Gilead; there returned of the people which were at mount Gilead, two and twentie thousand: so ten thousand remayned.

4And the Lord said vnto Gideon, The people are yet too many: bring them downe vnto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and of whome I say vnto thee, This man shal goe with thee, the same shal go with thee: and of whomsoeuer I say vnto thee, This man shal not goe with thee, the same shal not go. 5So he brought downe the people vnto the water; the Lord sayd vnto Gideon, As many as lap the water with their tongues, as a dog lappeth, them put by themselues, and euery one that shal bow downe his knees to drinke, put apart. 6And the nomber of them that lapped by putting their handes to their mouthes, were three hundreth men: but all the remnant of the people kneeled downe vpo their knees to drinke water. 7Then the Lorde sayde vnto Gideon, By these three hundreth men that lapped, will I saue you, and deliuer the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go euery man vnto his place. 8So the people tooke vitailes with them, & their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel, euery man vnto his tent, and reteined the three hundreth men: and the hoste of Midian was beneath him in a valley.

The Sword of Gideon

9And the same night the Lord sayde vnto him, Arise, get thee downe vnto the hoste: for I haue deliuered it into thine hand. 10But if thou feare to go downe, then go thou, and Phurah thy seruant downe to the hoste, 11And thou shalt hearken what they say, and so shal thine handes be strong to go downe vnto the hoste. Then went he downe and Phurah his seruant vnto the outside of the souldiers that were in the hoste. 12And the Midianites, and the Amalekites and all they of the East, lay in the valley like grashoppers in multitude, and their camels were without nomber, as the sande which is by the sea side for multitude. 13And when Gideon was come, beholde, a man tolde a dreame vnto his neighbour, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dreame, & lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled from aboue into the hoste of Midian, & came vnto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and ouerturned it, that the tent fell downe. 14And his fellow answered, and sayde, This is nothing els saue the sworde of Gideon the sonne of Ioash a man of Israel: for into his hande hath God deliuered Midian and all the hoste.

Gideon Defeats Midian

15When Gideon heard the dreame tolde, and the interpretation of the same, he worshipped, and returned vnto the hoste of Israel, & said, Vp: for the Lord hath deliuered into your hande the hoste of Midian. 16And hee deuided the three hundreth men into three bandes, and gaue euery man a trumpet in his hande with emptie pitchers, and lampes within the pitchers. 17And he sayd vnto them, Looke on me, and do likewise, when I come to the side of the hoste: euen as I do, so do you. 18When I blowe with a trumpet and all that are with me, blowe ye with trumpets also on euery side of the hoste, and say, For the Lorde, and for Gideon.

19So Gideon and the hundreth men that were with him, came vnto the outside of the hoste, in the beginning of the middle watche, and they raised vp the watchmen, and they blew with their trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their handes. 20And the three companies blew with trumpets and brake the pitchers, and helde the lampes in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right. Handes to blowe withall: and they cryed, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. 21And they stoode, euery man in his place round about the hoste: and all the hoste ranne, and cryed, and fled. 22And the three hundreth blewe with trumpets, and the Lord set euery mans sworde vpon his neighbour, & vpon all the hoste: so the hoste fled to Beth-hashittah in Zererah, & to the border of Abel-meholah, vnto Tabbath. 23Then the men of Israel being gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, pursued after the Midianites.

24And Gideon sent messengers vnto all mount Ephraim, saying, Come downe against the Midianites, and take before them the waters vnto Beth-barah, and Iorden. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and tooke the waters vnto Beth-barah, and Iorden. 25And they tooke two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb, and slew Oreb vpon the rocke Oreb, and slewe Zeeb at the winepresse of Zeeb, and pursued the Midianites, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyonde Iorden.