1 Early the next morning, Gideon and his army got up and moved their camp to Fear Spring. The Midianite camp was to the north, in the valley at the foot of Moreh Hill.
2 The Lord said, “Gideon, your army is too big. I can't let you win with this many soldiers. The Israelites would think that they had won the battle all by themselves and that I didn't have anything to do with it. 3 So call your troops together and tell them that anyone who is really afraid can leave Mount Gilead and go home.”
Twenty-two thousand men returned home, leaving Gideon with only 10,000 soldiers.
4 “Gideon,” the Lord said, “you still have too many soldiers. Take them down to the spring and I'll test them. I'll tell you which ones can go along with you and which ones must go back home.”
5 When Gideon led his army down to the spring, the Lord told him, “Watch how each man gets a drink of water. Then divide them into two groups—those who lap the water like a dog and those who kneel down to drink.”
6 Three hundred men scooped up water in their hands and lapped it, and the rest knelt to get a drink. 7 The Lord said, “Gideon, your army will be made up of everyone who lapped the water from their hands. Send the others home. I'm going to rescue Israel by helping you and your army of 300 defeat the Midianites.”
8 Then Gideon gave these orders, “You 300 men stay here. The rest of you may go home, but leave your food and trumpets with us.”
Gideon's army camp was on top of a hill overlooking the Midianite camp in the valley.
9 That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them, 10 but if you're still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp. 11 When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you'll be brave enough to attack.”
Gideon and Purah worked their way to the edge of the enemy camp, where soldiers were on guard duty. 12 The camp was huge. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern nations covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. And it would be easier to count the grains of sand on a beach than to count their camels. 13 Gideon overheard one enemy guard telling another, “I had a dream about a flat loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into our camp. It hit the headquarters tent, and the tent flipped over and fell to the ground.”
14 The other soldier answered, “Your dream must have been about Gideon, the Israelite commander. It means God will let him and his army defeat the Midianite army and everyone else in our camp.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he bowed down to praise God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Let's go! The Lord is going to let us defeat the Midianite army.”
16 Gideon divided his little army into three groups of 100 men, and he gave each soldier a trumpet and a large clay jar with a burning torch inside. 17-18 Gideon said, “When we get to the enemy camp, spread out and surround it. Then wait for me to blow a signal on my trumpet. As soon as you hear it, blow your trumpets and shout, ‘Fight for the Lord! Fight for Gideon!’ ”
19 Gideon and his group reached the edge of the enemy camp a few hours after dark, just after the new guards had come on duty. Gideon and his soldiers blew their trumpets and smashed the clay jars that were hiding the torches. 20 The rest of Gideon's soldiers blew the trumpets they were holding in their right hands. Then they smashed the jars and held the burning torches in their left hands. Everyone shouted, “Fight with your swords for the Lord and for Gideon!”
21 The enemy soldiers started yelling and tried to run away. Gideon's troops stayed in their positions surrounding the camp 22 and blew their trumpets again. As they did, the Lord made the enemy soldiers pull out their swords and start fighting each other.
The enemy army tried to escape from the camp. They ran to Acacia Tree Town, toward Zeredah, and as far as the edge of the land that belonged to the town of Abel-Meholah near Tabbath.
23 Gideon sent word for more Israelite soldiers to come from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and both halves of Manasseh to help fight the Midianites. 24 He also sent messengers to tell all the men who lived in the hill country of Ephraim, “Come and help us fight the Midianites! Put guards at every spring, stream, and well, as far as Beth-Barah before the Midianites can get to them. And guard the Jordan River.”
Troops from Ephraim did exactly what Gideon had asked, 25 and they even helped chase the Midianites on the east side of the Jordan River. These troops captured Raven and Wolf, the two Midianite leaders. They killed Raven at a large rock that has come to be known as Raven Rock, and they killed Wolf near a wine-pit that has come to be called Wolf Wine-Pit.
The men of Ephraim brought the heads of the two Midianite leaders to Gideon.
1 Tad Jerubbaāls, tas ir Gideons, jozās agri no rīta, un līdz ar viņu devās ceļā visa karotāju saime, kas bija pie viņa. Viņi uzcēla savas teltis pie Haroda avota, tā ka Midiana nometne bija no viņa uz ziemeļiem ielejā aiz Mores pakalna.
2 Un tas Kungs sacīja Gideonam: „Tev ir pārāk daudz karotāju pie tevis, lai Es varētu nodot Midianu viņu rokā un lai Israēls nevarētu manā priekšā dižoties, sacīdams: „Es pats esmu sev ar savu roku sagādājis glābšanu!“
3 Bet tāpēc liec tagad saukt, visai tautai dzirdot, sacīdams: „Kas baidās un kam ir bailes, tas lai griežas atpakaļ un steidzas projām no Gileāda kalna!“ Un tā no tautas griezās atpakaļ divdesmit divi tūkstoši, bet palika desmit tūkstoši.
4 Bet tas Kungs sacīja Gideonam: „Aizvien vēl ļaužu ir par daudz; noved tos lejā pie ūdens, tur Es tev tos izlasīšu, un lai notiek tā: par kuru Es teikšu: „Šim būs iet ar tevi!“, tas tad lai arī iet ar tevi, bet ikviens, par kuru Es teikšu: „Šim nebūs iet ar tevi!“, tas lai arī neiet!“
5 Kad nu Gideons noveda ļaudis lejā pie ūdens, tad tas Kungs sacīja Gideonam: „Ikviens, kas ar savu mēli laks ūdeni tā, kā suns lok, to novieto par sevi un tāpat ikvienu, kas nometīsies ceļos, lai dzertu.“
6 Un to skaits, kuri bija lakuši no savas rokas mutē, bija trīs simti vīru, bet visi citi ļaudis bija ūdeni dzēruši, ceļos nometušies.
7 Un tas Kungs sacīja Gideonam: „Ar šiem trīs simts vīriem, kas lakuši, Es jūs gribu izglābt, un Es nodošu Midianu tavā rokā; tāpēc atlaid visu pārējo tautu, ikviens lai iet uz savu dzīves vietu!“
8 Un viņi paņēma savu ceļa pārtiku un arī savas taures, bet visus pārējos Israēla vīrus viņš atlaida, ikvienu uz savu telti, bet paturēja sev tikai šos trīs simts vīrus. Bet Midiana nometne atradās zem viņa ielejā.
9 Un tanī naktī notika, ka tas Kungs ar viņu runāja un viņam sacīja: „Celies, trauc lejup, jo Es esmu viņus nodevis tavā rokā.
10 Bet ja tu bīsties viens pats noiet lejā nometnē, tad eji tu un tavs puisis Pura.
11 Tad tu dzirdēsi, ko tie runā, un pēc tam tavas rokas kļūs stipras, un tu dosies lejā pret nometni.“ Tad viņš nogāja ar savu puisi Puru līdz pirmajiem apbruņotiem sargiem nometnes malā.
12 Un midianieši un amalekieši, kā ari visi austrumnieku dēli bija saplūduši ielejā tik lielā skaitā kā siseņu bari, un to kamieļu pulki nemaz nebija saskaitāmi, —tādā vairumā kā smiltis jūras krastmalā.
13 Kad nu Gideons tur nonāca, tad, —redzi, viens vīrs stāstīja savam biedram sapni un sacīja: „Raugi, es nesen redzēju sapni: labi cepts miežu maizes klaips ieripoja midianiešu nometnē, atvēlās līdz teltij un to tā ķēra, ka tā krita un apgāzās pavisam apkārt otrādi—augšgals apakšā, un apakšgals augšā, un tā tā gulēja pie zemes.“
14 Tad viņa biedrs atbildēja: „Tas nenozīmē neko citu kā israēlieša Gideona, Joasa dēla, zobenu! Dievs ir nodevis midianiešus un visu mūsu nometni viņa rokā!“
15 Kad nu Gideons dzirdēja sapņa izstāstījumu un tā izskaidrošjumu, tad viņš pateikdamies nokrita ar savu vaigū pie zemes, atgriezās atpakaļ Israēla nometnē un sacīja: „Celieties, jo tas Kungs Midiana nometni ir nodevis jūsu rokā!“
16 Un viņš sadalīja tos trīs simts vīrus trijās vienībās ar vadītājiem un deva visiem taures un tukšas krūzes rokā līdz ar lāpām šajās tukšajās krūzēs.
17 Un viņš tiem sacīja: „Skataities uz mani un tā arī dariet! Un redzi, kad es nonākšu pie nometnes malas, —kā es darīšu, tā dariet arī jūs!
18 Kad es taurēšu, —es, un visi, kas ir pie manis, tad arī jūs pūtiet taures apkārt ap visu nometni un sauciet: „Tam Kungam un Gideonam!“
19 Tad Gideons ar simts vīriem, kas bija kopā ar viņu, nonāca nometnes malā nakts vidējās sardzes maiņas iesākumā, un midianieši bija tikko kā pabeiguši novietot sargus, kad israēlieši pūta taures un sadauzīja traukus, kas tiem bija rokās.
20 Un tā trīs simti izlasītu vīru pūta taures un sadauzīja traukus, pie kam savā kreisajā rokā viņi stingri turēja lāpas un savā labajā rokā taures, lai pūstu, un kliedza: „Tam Kungam un Gideonam—zobens!“
21 Un tie palika stāvot, ikviens savā vietā, visapkārt nometnei. Tad viss karaspēks nometnē sakustējās, sacēla troksni un metās bēgt,
22 Jo kad trīs simti viru pūta taures, tad pats tas Kungs vērsa viena zobenu pret otra zobenu pa visu nometni, un tie bēga līdz Bet-ha-Sitai uz Cereras pusi līdz Abel-Meholas krastmalai pie Tabatas.
23 Tad tika sasaukti Israēla vīri no Naftaļa, Ašera un Manases ciltīm, itin visi, un tie vajāja Midianu.
24 Un Gideons izsūtīja vēstnešus pa visiem Ēfraima kalniem, sacīdams: „Dodieties lejup pretī midianiešiem, atņemiet tiem ūdeņus līdz pat Bet-Bārai un tāpat nogrieziet tiem pāreju pār Jardānu.“ Tad visi Ēfraima cilts vīri paklausīja un ieņēma ūdens avotus līdz Bet-Bārai un pāreju pār Jardānu.
25 Viņi sagūstīja abus midianiešu virsaišus—Orebu un Seebu, —un nokāva Orebu pie Zūr-Orebas, bet Seēbu viņi nogalināja pie Jeker-Seebas, un tie tālāk vajāja Midianu, bet Oreba un Seēba galvas tie atnesa Gideonam viņā pusē Jardānai.
