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.

Read full chapter

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 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.”(A) 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!’ ”(B)

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!”(C) 21 Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled.(D) 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.(E) 23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after the Midianites.(F)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 7.22 Another reading is Zeredah