Gideon and his Mandate - Judges 7

The Book of Judges
Judges 7:1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people  that were with him, rose up early, and pitched 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. 

Judges 7:2  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that 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. 

Judges 7:3 Now therefore go to,  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.

Judges 7:4 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. 

Judges 7:5 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. 

Judges 7:6 And  the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their  mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the  people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 

Judges 7:7  And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men  that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into  thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto  his place. 

Judges 7:8 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.  

Judges 7:9 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. 

Judges 7:10 But if thou fear to go  down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:  

Judges 7:11 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 Phurah his servant unto the outside  of the armed men that were in the host. 

Judges 7:12 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  sea side for multitude. 

Judges 7:13 And when Gideon was come,  behold, there was a man that 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 that it fell, and overturned it, that  the tent lay along. 

Judges 7:14 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.  

Judges 7:15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of  the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he  worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said,  Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host  of Midian. 

Judges 7:16 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.  

Judges 7:17 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. 

Judges 7:18 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.  

Judges 7:19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that 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 brake the pitchers that were in  their hands. 

Judges 7:20 And the three companies blew the  trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their  left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow  withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of  Gideon. 

Judges 7:21 And they stood every man in his place  round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and  fled. 

Judges 7:22 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 Beth-shittah in  Zererath, and to the border of Abel- meholah, unto  Tabbath. 

Judges 7:23 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.  

Judges 7:24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount  Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and  take before them the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan.  Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together,  and took the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. 

Judges 7:25  And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and  Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb  they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian,  and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the  other side Jordan. KJV

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