1 Jerobaal, isto é, Gedeão, levantando-se no dia seguinte bem cedo, foi acampar na fonte de Harad com todo o povo que o acompanhava. O acampamento madianita encontrava-se ao norte da colina de Moré, na planície.
2 O Senhor disse a Gedeão: A gente que levas contigo é numerosa demais para que eu entregue Madiã em suas mãos. Israel poderia gloriar-se à minha custa, dizendo: foi a minha mão que me livrou.
3 Manda, pois, publicar este aviso para que todos o ouçam: quem for medroso ou tímido, volte para trás e deixe a montanha de Gelboé. Vinte e dois mil homens voltaram, ficando ainda dez mil.
4 O Senhor disse a Gedeão: Ainda há gente demais. Faze-os descer às águas, e ali farei uma escolha. Aquele que eu te disser que irá contigo, este te seguirá; e aquele que eu não te designar, ficará.
5 Gedeão fez, pois, descer o povo junto às águas e o Senhor disse-lhe: Porás à parte todos aqueles que lamberem a água com a língua, como faz o cão, e de outro lado aqueles que se puserem de joelhos para beber.
6 Ora, o número dos que lamberam a água, levando-a com a mão à boca, foi de trezentos homens; todo o resto do povo se pusera de joelhos para beber.
7 O Senhor disse a Gedeão: Com os trezentos homens que lamberam a água, vos salvarei, e entregarei Madiã nas tuas mãos. Todo o resto do povo volte para a sua casa.
8 Gedeão guardou os víveres do povo e suas trombetas, e despediu todos os israelitas, cada um para a sua tenda, só conservando os trezentos homens. O acampamento madianita estava embaixo, na planície.
9 Durante a noite seguinte, o Senhor disse a Gedeão: Levanta-te e ataca o acampamento, porque to entregarei.
10 Todavia, se tens medo de descer só, leva contigo Fara, teu servo.
11 Ouvirás o que eles dizem, e sentir-te-ás assim encorajado para atacar o acampamento. Gedeão desceu, pois, com Fara, seu servo, até onde estavam os postos avançados do acampamento.
12 Ora, os madianitas, os amalecitas e todos os filhos do oriente estavam espalhados pelo vale, tão numerosos como gafanhotos, e seus camelos eram também inumeráveis como a areia das praias.
13 No momento em que Gedeão se aproximou, um homem estava justamente contando um sonho ao seu companheiro: Eis, dizia ele, o sonho que tive: um pão de cevada rolava sobre o acampamento de Madiã e, chocando-se com a tenda, lançou-a completamente por terra. O companheiro respondeu:
14 Isso não é outra coisa senão a espada de Gedeão, filho de Joás, o israelita. Deus entregou em suas mãos Madiã e todo o acampamento.
15 Tendo ouvido a narração e a interpretação desse sonho, Gedeão prostrou-se por terra. Voltou ao acampamento israelita e disse: Levantai-vos, porque o Senhor vos entregou nas mãos o acampamento dos madianitas!
16 Dividiu os trezentos homens em três grupos, e pôs nas mãos de todos trombetas e ânforas vazias, levando estas dentro uma tocha acesa.
17 Olhai para mim, disse ele, e fazei como eu. Quando eu chegar aos limites do acampamento, fazei o que eu fizer.
18 Tocarei a trombeta com aqueles que me acompanham, e então tocareis também as vossas em volta de todo o acampamento, gritando: Pelo Senhor e por Gedeão!
19 Gedeão com seus cem homens chegou aos limites do acampamento no princípio da segunda vigília, quando se rendiam as sentinelas, e começaram a tocar as trombetas, quebrando ao mesmo tempo as ânforas que tinham na mão.
20 Então os três batalhões tocaram {também} as trombetas e quebraram as ânforas. Tomando as tochas na mão esquerda e as trombetas na direita para tocar, gritaram: À espada pelo Senhor e por Gedeão!
21 Cada um ficou em seu lugar, ao redor do acampamento; todo o acampamento se pôs a correr e fugiram, gritando.
22 Os trezentos homens continuavam a tocar as trombetas, enquanto, por todo o acampamento, o Senhor fez com que os madianitas voltassem a espada uns contra os outros, e o exército fugiu até Bet-Seta, para os lados de Sarera, e até os limites de Abel-Mehula, junto de Tebat.
23 Juntaram-se então aos israelitas as tribos de Neftali e de Aser e todo o Manassés, e perseguiram os madianitas.
24 Gedeão enviou mensageiros por todo o monte de Efraim, para dizer: Descei ao encontro dos madianitas e cortai-lhes a passagem das águas até Betbera, e até os vaus do Jordão. Juntaram-se, pois, os homens de Efraim e ocuparam as passagens até Betbera, e igualmente os vaus do Jordão.
25 Tendo capturado dois chefes madianitas, Oreb e Zeb, mataram Oreb no rochedo de Oreb, e Zeb no lagar de Zeb. E continuaram a perseguir os madianitas, levando as cabeças de Oreb e de Zeb a Gedeão, no outro lado do Jordão.
1 Then Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, and all the people with him, got up early and put up their tents by the side of the water-spring of Harod; the tents of Midian were on the north side of him, under the hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 And the Lord said to Gideon, So great is the number of your people, that if I give the Midianites into their hands they will be uplifted in pride over me and will say, I myself have been my saviour.
3 So now, let it be given out to the people that anyone who is shaking with fear is to go back from Mount Galud. So twenty-two thousand of the people went back, but there were still ten thousand.
4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, There are still more people than is necessary; take them down to the water so that I may put them to the test for you there; then whoever I say is to go with you will go, and whoever I say is not to go will not go.
5 So he took the people down to the water; and the Lord said to Gideon, Put on one side by themselves all those drinking up the water with their tongues like a dog; and in the same way, all those who go down on their knees to the water while drinking.
6 Now the number of those who took up the water with their tongues was three hundred; all the rest of the people went down on their knees to the water.
7 And the Lord said to Gideon, By those three hundred who were drinking with their tongues I will give you salvation and give the Midianites into your hands; let the rest of the people go away, every man to his place.
8 So they took the vessels of the people, and their horns from their hands, and he sent them away, every man to his tent, keeping only the three hundred; and the tents of Midian were lower down in the valley.
9 The same night the Lord said to him, Up! go down now against their army, for I have given them into your hands.
10 But if you have fear of going down, take your servant Purah with you and go down to the tents;
11 And after hearing what they are saying, you will get strength to go down against the army. So he went down with his servant Purah to the outer line of the tents of the armed men.
12 Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east were covering the valley like locusts; and their camels were like the sand by the seaside, without number.
13 When Gideon came there, a man was giving his friend an account of his dream, saying, See, I had a dream about a cake of barley bread which, falling into the tents of Midian, came on to the tent, overturning it so that it was stretched out flat on the earth.
14 And his friend in answer said, This is certainly the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, the men of Israel: into their hands God has given up all the army of Midian.
15 Then Gideon, hearing the story of the dream and the sense in which they took it, gave worship; then he went back to the tents of Israel, and said, Up! for the Lord has given the army of Midian into your hands.
16 Then separating the three hundred men into three bands, he gave every man a horn, and a vessel in which was a flaming branch.
17 And he said to them, Keep your eyes on me, and do what I do; when I come to the outer line of tents, whatever I do, you are to do the same.
18 At the sound of my horn, and the horns of those who are with me, let your horns be sounded all round the tents, and say, For the Lord and for Gideon.
19 So Gideon and the three hundred men who were with him came to the outer line of tents, at the start of the middle watch, when the watchmen had only then taken their stations; and the horns were sounded and the vessels broken.
20 So the three bands all gave a loud note on their horns, and when the vessels had been broken, they took the flaming branches in their left hands, and the horns in their right hands ready for blowing, crying out, For the Lord and for Gideon.
21 Then they made a line round the tents, every man in his place; and all the army, awaking from sleep, came running out, and with loud cries went in flight.
22 And the three hundred gave a loud note on their horns, and every man's sword was turned by the Lord against his brother all through the army; and the army went in flight as far as Beth-shittah in the direction of Zeredah, to the edge of Abel-meholah by Tabbath.
23 And the men of Israel came together from Naphtali and from Asher and all Manasseh, and went after Midian.
24 Then Gideon sent through all the hill-country of Ephraim saying, Come down against Midian, and keep the ways across Jordan before they come. So all the men of Ephraim, massing themselves together, kept the ways across Jordan.
25 And they took the two chiefs of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they put Oreb to death at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they put to death at the place of the grape-crushing in Zeeb, and they went after Midian; but the heads of Oreb and Zeeb they took across Jordan to Gideon.