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 heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord.[a] Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!” 16 He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.

17 Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. 18 As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

19 It was just after midnight,[b] after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. 20 Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”

21 Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. 22 When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.

23 Then Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, who joined in chasing the army of Midian.

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Footnotes

  1. 7:15 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads he bowed.
  2. 7:19 Hebrew at the beginning of the second watch.