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.
Gideona uzvara
1 Tad Jerubaals, tas ir Gideons, un visi ļaudis, kas bija kopā ar viņu, rīta agrumā apmetās nometnē pie Harodas avota. Midjāna nometne bija uz ziemeļiem ielejā pie Mores kalna. 2 Un Kungs teica Gideonam: “Pārāk daudz ļaužu ir kopā ar tevi, lai es nodotu Midjānu viņu rokās, ka Israēls nepaaugstinātos, sacīdams: mūsu paša roka ir mūs izglābusi! 3 Tāpēc izziņo, ļaudīm dzirdot: kurš bīstas un baiļojas, lai griežas atpakaļ un dodas prom no Gileāda kalna!” Tad divdesmit divi tūkstoši no ļaudīm griezās atpakaļ, bet desmit tūkstoši palika.
4 Kungs teica Gideonam: “Vēl ir par daudz ļaužu. Noved tos pie ūdens, tur es tev tos atlasīšu. Par kuru es tev teikšu, ka tam jāiet tev līdzi, tas lai iet tev līdzi, bet visi, par kuriem es teikšu, ka tiem nav jāiet tev līdzi, lai neiet!” 5 Tad viņš noveda ļaudis pie ūdens, un Kungs teica Gideonam: “Visus tos, kas lok ūdeni ar mēli kā suns, nostādi atsevišķi, un tāpat visus, kas metas ceļos, lai dzertu.” 6 Tie, kuri laka no rokas mutē, bija trīs simti vīru, bet visi pārējie ļaudis ūdeni dzēra, nometušies ceļos.
7 Tad Kungs teica Gideonam: “Ar šiem trīs simti vīriem, kuri laka, es jūs izglābšu un nodošu Midjānu jūsu rokā, bet pārējie ļaudis lai dodas mājās.” 8 Ļaudis ņēma pārtiku un savus pūšamos ragus, un viņš aizsūtīja uz teltīm visus pārējos Israēla vīrus, bet tos trīs simtus viņš paturēja. Un midjāniešu nometne bija ielejā lejpus tiem.
9 Tajā pašā naktī Kungs viņam teica: “Celies, ej lejā pret nometni, jo es to esmu nodevis tavā rokā! 10 Bet, ja tu baidies doties lejā, ej uz nometni kopā ar savu puisi Puru 11 un ieklausies, ko viņi runā, – tad tavas rokas kļūs stipras, un tad dodies pret nometni!” Un viņš kopā ar savu puisi Puru nokāpa līdz nometnes priekšējām rindām. 12 Midjānieši, amālēkieši un visi austrumnieku dēli gulēja ielejā kā siseņu bars, un viņu kamieļi bija bez skaita – tik daudz kā smiltis jūrmalā! 13 Gideons nāca, un, redzi, kāds vīrs atstāstīja sapni savam biedram. Viņš sacīja: “Redzi, es redzēju sapni. Skatos – apaļš miežu maizes klaips veļas uz midjāniešu nometni, nonāk līdz teltij, atsitas pret to, un tā krīt. Apgāž telti kājām gaisā, un tā paliek guļam.” 14 Viņa biedrs atbildēja: “Tas nav nekas cits kā israēliešu vīra Gideona, Joāša dēla, zobens! Dievs ir nodevis viņa rokā Midjānu un visu šo nometni!”
15 Kad Gideons dzirdēja sapņa atstāstījumu un skaidrojumu, viņš zemojās un, atgriezies Israēla nometnē, sacīja: “Celieties, jo Kungs midjāniešu nometni ir nodevis jūsu rokā!” 16 Viņš sadalīja tos trīs grupās ar vadītājiem, deva visiem pūšamos ragus un tukšas krūkas, kurās iekšā bija lāpas. 17 Viņš tiem teica: “Skatieties uz mani un dariet tāpat. Redzi, kad es nonākšu līdz nometnes malai, tad dariet tāpat kā es. 18 Kad es pūtīšu ragu – tad lai visi, kas kopā ar mani, dara tāpat kā es! Tad arī jūs pūtiet ragus visapkārt nometnei un sauciet: Kungam un Gideonam!”
19 Gideons kopā ar simts vīriem nonāca līdz nometnes malai vidējās sardzes sākumā, kad tie tikko bija nomainījuši sargus. Viņi pūta ragus un sadauzīja krūkas, kas tiem bija rokās. 20 Visas trīs grupas pūta ragus un sasita krūkas, turēdami kreisajā rokā lāpas un labajā – ragus, ko pūst. Viņi kliedza: “Zobens Kungam un Gideonam!” 21 Ikviens palika stāvam savā vietā apkārt nometnei. Bet nometnē visi skraidīja, bļaustījās un bēga. 22 Kad skanēja trīs simti ragu, Kungs vērsa ikviena zobenu pret katru un pret visiem, un viss karaspēks bēga līdz pat Bēt-Šitai uz Cerēras pusi un līdz Ābel-Mholas robežai pie Tabātas. 23 Tad tika sasaukti Israēla vīri no Naftālī, Ašēra un visa Manases, un tie vajāja Midjānu. 24 Gideons izsūtīja vēstnešus visos Efraima kalnos, vēstīdams: “Nāciet lejā pret Midjānu un ieņemiet pirms tiem ūdeņus līdz Bēt-Bārai un Jardānu.” 25 Viņi sagūstīja divus Midjāna vadoņus – Orēbu un Zeēvu. Orēbu viņi nokāva pie Orēba klints, bet Zeēvu – pie Zeēva vīnspaida. Tā viņi vajāja Midjānu. Bet Orēba un Zeēva galvas pāri Jardānai viņi atnesa Gideonam.
