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12 The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts, and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore.(A) 13 When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream to his comrade, and he said, “I had a dream, and in it a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell; it turned upside down, and the tent collapsed.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Midian and all the army.”(B)

15 When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped, and he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the Lord has given the army of Midian into your hand.”(C) 16 After he divided the three hundred men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars, 17 he said to them, “Look at me, and do the same; 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 you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ ”(D)

19 So Gideon and the hundred 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 So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches and in their right hands the trumpets to blow, and they cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”(E) 21 Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled.(F) 22 When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army, and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,[a] as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.(G)

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Footnotes

  1. 7.22 Another reading is Zeredah

12 The Midianites, the Amalekites(A) and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts.(B) Their camels(C) could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.(D)

13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

14 His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash,(E) the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped.(F) He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”(G) 16 Dividing the three hundred men(H) into three companies,(I) he placed trumpets(J) and empty jars(K) in the hands of all of them, with torches(L) inside.

17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets,(M) then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars(N) that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches(O) in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword(P) for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.(Q)

22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded,(R) the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other(S) with their swords.(T) The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah(U) near Tabbath.

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