7 Early in the morning Jerub-Baal (also called Gideon) and all his men set up their camp at the spring of Harod [^Cat the foot of Mount Gilboa]. The Midianites were camped north of them in the valley [^Cof Jezreel] at the bottom of the hill called Moreh. ² Then the Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men ·to defeat the Midianites [^Lfor me to give Midian into your hand]. I don’t want the Israelites to brag ·that they saved themselves [^Lsaying, “My own hand has saved/^Tdelivered me”]. ³ So now, ·announce to [^Lcall into the ears of] the ·people [nation; army], ‘Anyone who is ·afraid [^Lfearful and trembling] may leave Mount Gilead [^Cprobably another name for Gilboa] and go back home.’” So twenty-two thousand men returned home, but ten thousand remained.

⁴ Then the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take the men down to the water, and I will ·test [sort; sift out] them for you there. If I say, ‘This man will go with you,’ he will go. But if I say, ‘That one will not go with you,’ he will not go.”

⁵ So Gideon led the men down to the water. There the Lord said to him, “Separate them into those who drink water by lapping it up like a dog [^Cwith cupped hand making a bowl] and those who ·bend down [kneel] to drink [^Cwith faces in the water].” ⁶ There were three hundred men who used their hands to bring water to their mouths, ·lapping it as a dog does [^Llapping]. All the rest ·got down on their knees [kneeled] to drink.

⁷ Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Using the three hundred men who lapped the water, I will save you and ·hand Midian over to you [^Lgive the Midianites into your hand]. Let all the others go home.” ⁸ So Gideon sent the rest of Israel ·to their homes [^Leach to his tent]. But he kept three hundred men and took the ·jars [provisions] and the trumpets of those who left.

Now the camp of Midian was in the valley below Gideon.