Gideon Defeats the Midianites
1 One day Gideon and all his men got up early and camped beside Harod Spring. The Midianite camp was in the valley to the north of them by Moreh Hill.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The men you have are too many for me to give them victory over the Midianites. They might think that they had won by themselves, and so give me no credit. 3 Announce to the people, ‘Anyone who is afraid should go back home, and we will stay here at Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand went back, but ten thousand stayed.
4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “You still have too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will separate them for you there. If I tell you a man should go with you, he will go. If I tell you a man should not go with you, he will not go.” 5 Gideon took the men down to the water, and the Lord told him, “Separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue like a dog, from everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 There were three hundred men who scooped up water in their hands and lapped it; all the others got down on their knees to drink. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites with the three hundred men who lapped the water. Tell everyone else to go home.” 8 So Gideon sent all the Israelites home, except the three hundred, who kept all the supplies and trumpets. The Midianite camp was below them in the valley.
9 That night the Lord commanded Gideon, “Get up and attack the camp; I am giving you victory over it. 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11 You will hear what they are saying, and then you will have the courage to attack.” So Gideon and his servant Purah went down to the edge of the enemy camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites, and the desert tribesmen were spread out in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and they had as many camels as there are grains of sand on the seashore.
13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling a friend about a dream. He was saying, “I dreamed that a loaf of barley bread rolled into our camp and hit a tent. The tent collapsed and lay flat on the ground.”
14 His friend replied, “It's the sword of the Israelite, Gideon son of Joash! It can't mean anything else! God has given him victory over Midian and our whole army!”
15 When Gideon heard about the man's dream and what it meant, he fell to his knees and worshiped the Lord. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up! The Lord is giving you victory over the Midianite army!” 16 He divided his three hundred men into three groups and gave each man a trumpet and a jar with a torch inside it. 17 He told them, “When I get to the edge of the camp, watch me, and do what I do. 18 When my group and I blow our trumpets, then you blow yours all around the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
19 Gideon and his one hundred men came to the edge of the camp a while before midnight, just after the guard had been changed. Then they blew the trumpets and broke the jars they were holding, 20 and the other two groups did the same. They all held the torches in their left hands, the trumpets in their right, and shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and the whole enemy army ran away yelling. 22 While Gideon's men were blowing their trumpets, the Lord made the enemy troops attack each other with their swords. They ran toward Zarethan as far as Beth Shittah, as far as the town of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.
23 Then men from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and both parts of Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. 24 Gideon sent messengers through all the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down and fight the Midianites. Hold the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah, to keep the Midianites from crossing them.” The men of Ephraim were called together, and they held the Jordan River and the streams as far as Bethbarah. 25 They captured the two Midianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at Oreb Rock, and Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. They continued to pursue the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now east of the Jordan.
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.
