15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has handed over to you the camp of Midian!” 16 And he divided the three hundred men into three [a]units, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers. 17 Then he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, [b]do as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets around the entire camp and say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

Confusion of the Enemy

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle night watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 When the three [c]units blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 And each stood in his place around the camp; and (A)all the [d]army ran, crying out as they fled. 22 And when they blew the three hundred trumpets, the (B)Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the entire [e]army; and the [f]army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of (C)Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were summoned from (D)Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 7:16 Lit heads
  2. Judges 7:17 Lit it shall come about that just as I do, so you shall do
  3. Judges 7:20 Lit heads
  4. Judges 7:21 Or camp
  5. Judges 7:22 Or camp
  6. Judges 7:22 Or camp

15 When Gideon[a] heard the tale of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down in worship and then returned to the Israeli encampment.

Gideon’s 300 Attack

There he announced, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite army into your control!” 16 Then he separated the 300 men into three companies, gave them each trumpets to carry, along with jars into which he placed lit torches.

17 He instructed them, “Watch me, and do what I do. When we come to the outer perimeter of the encampment, do what I do. 18 When I sound my trumpet, accompanied by everyone who is with me, you must blow your trumpets all around the entire encampment. Then shout out, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

19 So Gideon and the 100 men with him arrived at the outer perimeter of the encampment at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had posted sentries. They blew their trumpets and smashed the jars that they were carrying in their hands. 20 When the three companies sounded their trumpets and broke the jars, they held the torches in their left hands and sounded their trumpets with their right hands. Then they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 They stood up, each soldier in his assigned[b] place surrounding the encampment, and the entire army ran away, sounding the alarm to retreat.

22 As the 300 trumpets were being sounded, the Lord turned the swords of the Midianite[c] soldiers against one another throughout the entire army, and the army ran away as far as Beth-shittah in the direction of Zererah. They got as far as the outskirts of Abel-meholah, near Tabbath. 23 Israeli soldiers were called out from the territories of[d] Naphtali, Asher, and throughout Manasseh, and they chased after the Midianites.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 7:15 Lit. he
  2. Judges 7:21 The Heb. lacks assigned
  3. Judges 7:22 The Heb. lacks Midianite
  4. Judges 7:23 The Heb. lacks the territories of