⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

²⁷ But ^(A)God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; ^(B)God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸ God chose what is low and despised in the world, even ^(C)things that are not, to ^(D)bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹ so ^(E)that no human being^[a] might boast in the presence of God.

¹⁶ Among all these were 700 chosen men who were ^(A)left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.

¹⁰ no bag for your journey, or two tunics^[a] or sandals or a staff, for ^(A)the laborer deserves his food.

¹⁵ And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, ^(A)and with it he struck 1,000 men. ¹⁶ And Samson said,

¹⁶ And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with ^(A)torches inside the jars. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. ¹⁸ When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ^(B)‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

Gideon Defeats Midian

¹⁹ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. ²⁰ Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. ^(C)And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”

Shamgar

³¹ After him was ^(A)Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed 600 of the Philistines ^(B)with an oxgoad, and he also ^(C)saved Israel.