Judges 7:1-8

New American Standard Bible 1995

Gideon’s 300 Chosen Men

7 Then ^(A)Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside ^[a]the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of ^[b]them by the hill of ^(B)Moreh in the valley.

² The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, ^(C)for Israel ^[c]would become boastful, saying, ‘My own ^[d]power has delivered me.’ ³ Now therefore ^[e]come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘^(D)Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.

^4 (E)Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” ⁵ So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.” ⁶ Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. ⁷ The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you ^(F)with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his ^[f]home.” ⁸ So ^[g]the 300 men took the people’s provisions and their trumpets into their hands. And ^[h]Gideon sent all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the 300 men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.