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Then Jerubbaal (who is Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose up early and pitched camp beside the well of Harod, so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, “The people who are with thee are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, ‘Mine own hand hath saved me.’

Now therefore go, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead.’” And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, “The people are yet too many. Bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there. And it shall be that of whom I say unto thee, ‘This shall go with thee,’ the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, ‘This shall not go with thee,’ the same shall not go.”

So he brought down the people unto the water; and the Lord said unto Gideon, “Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.”

And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

And the Lord said unto Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped will I save you and deliver the Midianites into thine hand, and let all the other people go every man unto his place.”

So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men. And the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

And it came to pass the same night that the Lord said unto him, “Arise, get thee down unto the host, for I have delivered it into thine hand.

10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to the host,

11 and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host.” Then went he down with Purah his servant unto the outside of the armed men who were in the host.

12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the East lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seaside for multitude.

13 And when Gideon had come, behold, there was a man who told a dream unto his fellow, and said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream; and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian and came unto a tent, and smote it so that it fell, and overturned it so that the tent lay flat.”

14 And his fellow answered and said, “This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel, for into his hand hath God delivered Midian and all the host.”

15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and the interpretation thereof, that he worshiped, and returned into the host of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.”

16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers and lamps within the pitchers.

17 And he said unto them, “Look on me and do likewise; and behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that as I do, so shall ye do.

18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’”

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, and they had but newly set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.

20 And the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands to blow therewith, and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”

21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp, and all the host ran and cried and fled.

22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets; and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host; and the host fled to Bethshittah towards Zererah and to the border of Abelmeholah unto Tabbath.

23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali and out of Asher and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all Mount Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and the Jordan.

25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the wine press of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

And the men of Ephraim said unto him, “Why hast thou served us thus, that thou called us not when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites?” And they chided him sharply.

And he said unto them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger was abated toward him when he had said that.

And Gideon came to the Jordan and passed over, he and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

And he said unto the men of Succoth, “Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people who follow me, for they are faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”

And the princes of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?”

And Gideon said, “Therefore when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.”

And he went up thence to Penuel and spoke unto them likewise, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

And he spoke also unto the men of Penuel, saying, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the East; for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword.

11 And Gideon went up by the way of those who dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure.

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

14 and caught a young man of the men of Succoth and inquired of him; and he wrote down for him the princes of Succoth and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

15 And he came unto the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men who are weary?’”

16 And he took the elders of the city and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, “What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor?” And they answered, “As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.”

19 And he said, “They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother. As the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.”

20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, “Up, and slay them.” But the youth drew not his sword; for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise thou, and fall upon us; for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, “Rule thou over us, both thou and thy son and thy son’s son also; for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.”

23 And Gideon said unto them, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.”

24 And Gideon said unto them, “I would make a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a garment, and cast therein every man the earrings from his spoil.

26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, besides ornaments and collars and purple raiment that were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels’ necks.

27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof and put it in his city, even in Ophrah. And all Israel went thither a whoring after it, which thing became a snare unto Gideon and to his house.

28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten, for he had many wives.

31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

32 And Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the sepulcher of Joash his father in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again and went a whoring after the Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

34 And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side;

35 neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (namely, Gideon), according to all the goodness which he had shown unto Israel.

And it came to pass that, as the people pressed upon Him to hear the Word of God, He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret

and saw two boats standing by the lake, but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.

And He entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the people from the boat.

Now when He was through speaking, He said unto Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draft.”

And Simon answering said unto Him, “Master, we have toiled all the night and have taken nothing. Nevertheless, at Thy word I will let down the net.”

And when they had done this, they enclosed a great multitude of fishes, and their net began to break.

And they beckoned unto their partners, who were in the other boat, that they should come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”

For he was astonished, and all those who were with him, at the draft of the fishes which they had taken;

10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, “Fear not. From henceforth thou shalt catch men.”

11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

12 And it came to pass when He was in a certain city, behold, a man full of leprosy, seeing Jesus, fell on his face and besought Him, saying, “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.”

13 And He put forth His hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be thou clean.” And immediately the leprosy departed from him.

14 And He charged him to tell no man, but, “Go and show thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing according as Moses commanded, as a testimony unto them.”

15 But so much the more His fame spread abroad, and great multitudes came together to hear and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.

16 And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness and prayed.

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