Gideon Defeats the Midianites

7 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal^(A) (that is, Gideon^(B)) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod.^(C) The camp of Midian^(D) was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.^{(E) 2} The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength^(F) has saved me.’ ³ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.^(G)’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

⁴ But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many^(H) men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

⁵ So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” ⁶ Three hundred of them^(I) drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

⁷ The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.^(J) Let all the others go home.”^{(K) 8} So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. ⁹ During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.^{(L) 10} If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah ¹¹ and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. ¹² The Midianites, the Amalekites^(M) and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts.^(N) Their camels^(O) could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.^(P)

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,^(Q) 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.^(R) He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”^{(S) 16} Dividing the three hundred men^(T) into three companies,^(U) he placed trumpets^(V) and empty jars^(W) in the hands of all of them, with torches^(X) 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,^(Y) 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^(Z) that were in their hands. ²⁰ The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches^(AA) in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword^(AB) 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.^(AC)

²² When the three hundred trumpets sounded,^(AD) the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other^(AE) with their swords.^(AF) The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah^(AG) near Tabbath. ²³ Israelites from Naphtali, Asher^(AH) and all Manasseh were called out,^(AI) and they pursued the Midianites.^(AJ)

⁶ She sent for Barak son of Abinoam^(A) from Kedesh^(B) in Naphtali and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali^(C) and Zebulun^(D) and lead them up to Mount Tabor.^{(E) 7} I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s^(F) army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River^(G) and give him into your hands.^(H)’”

⁸ Barak said to her, “If you go with me, I will go; but if you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”

⁹ “Certainly I will go with you,” said Deborah. “But because of the course you are taking, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh.^{(I) 10} There Barak summoned^(J) Zebulun and Naphtali, and ten thousand men went up under his command. Deborah also went up with him.

¹¹ Now Heber the Kenite had left the other Kenites,^(K) the descendants of Hobab,^(L) Moses’ brother-in-law,^[a] and pitched his tent by the great tree^(M) in Zaanannim^(N) near Kedesh.

¹² When they told Sisera that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,^{(O) 13} Sisera summoned from Harosheth Haggoyim to the Kishon River^(P) all his men and his nine hundred chariots fitted with iron.^(Q)

¹⁴ Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the Lord has given Sisera into your hands.^(R) Has not the Lord gone ahead^(S) of you?” So Barak went down Mount Tabor, with ten thousand men following him. ¹⁵ At Barak’s advance, the Lord routed^(T) Sisera and all his chariots and army by the sword, and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot.

¹⁶ Barak pursued the chariots and army as far as Harosheth Haggoyim, and all Sisera’s troops fell by the sword; not a man was left.^{(U) 17} Sisera, meanwhile, fled on foot to the tent of Jael,^(V) the wife of Heber the Kenite,^(W) because there was an alliance between Jabin king of Hazor^(X) and the family of Heber the Kenite.

¹⁸ Jael^(Y) went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come, my lord, come right in. Don’t be afraid.” So he entered her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

¹⁹ “I’m thirsty,” he said. “Please give me some water.” She opened a skin of milk,^(Z) gave him a drink, and covered him up.

²⁰ “Stand in the doorway of the tent,” he told her. “If someone comes by and asks you, ‘Is anyone in there?’ say ‘No.’”

²¹ But Jael,^(AA) Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep,^(AB) exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.^(AC)

²² Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael^(AD) went out to meet him. “Come,” she said, “I will show you the man you’re looking for.” So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple—dead.^(AE)