1 De madrugada Jerubaal, isto é, Gideão, e todo o seu exército acampou junto à fonte de Harode. O acampamento de Midiã estava ao norte deles, no vale, perto do monte Moré.2 E o Senhor disse a Gideão: "Você tem gente demais, para eu entregar Midiã nas suas mãos. A fim de que Israel não se orgulhe contra mim, dizendo que a sua própria força o libertou,3 anuncie, pois, ao povo que todo aquele que estiver tremendo de medo poderá ir embora do monte Gileade". Então vinte e dois mil homens partiram, e ficaram apenas dez mil.4 Mas o Senhor tornou a dizer a Gideão: "Ainda há gente demais. Desça com eles à beira d’água, e eu separarei os que ficarão com você. Se eu disser: Este irá com você, ele irá; mas, se eu disser: Este não irá com você, ele não irá".5 Assim Gideão levou os homens à beira d’água, e o Senhor lhe disse: "Separe os que beberem a água lambendo-a como faz o cachorro, daqueles que se ajoelharem para beber".6 O número dos que lamberam a água levando-a com as mãos à boca foi de trezentos homens. Todos os demais se ajoelharam para beber.7 O Senhor disse a Gideão: "Com os trezentos homens que lamberam a água livrarei vocês e entregarei os midianitas nas suas mãos. Mande para casa todos os outros homens".8 Gideão mandou os israelitas para as suas tendas, mas reteve os trezentos. E estes ficaram com as provisões e as trombetas dos que partiram. O acampamento de Midiã ficava abaixo deles, no vale.9 Naquela noite o Senhor disse a Gideão: "Levante-se, e desça ao acampamento, pois vou entregá-lo nas suas mãos.10 Se você está com medo de atacá-los, desça ao acampamento com o seu servo Pura11 e ouça o que estiverem dizendo. Depois disso você terá coragem para atacar". Então ele e o seu servo Pura desceram até os postos avançados do acampamento.12 Os midianitas, os amalequitas e todos os outros povos que vinham do leste haviam se instalado no vale; eram numerosos como nuvens de gafanhotos. Assim como não se pode contar a areia da praia, também não se podia contar os seus camelos.13 Gideão chegou bem no momento em que um homem estava contando seu sonho a um amigo. "Tive um sonho", dizia ele. "Um pão de cevada vinha rolando dentro do acampamento midianita, e atingiu a tenda com tanta força que ela tombou e se desmontou".14 Seu amigo respondeu: "Não pode ser outra coisa senão a espada de Gideão, filho de Joás, o israelita. Deus entregou os midianitas e todo o acampamento nas mãos dele".15 Quando Gideão ouviu o sonho e a sua interpretação, adorou a Deus. Voltou para o acampamento de Israel e gritou: "Levantem-se! O Senhor entregou o acampamento midianita nas suas mãos".16 Dividiu os trezentos homens em três companhias, pôs nas mãos de todos eles trombetas e jarros vazios, com tochas dentro.17 E ele lhes disse: "Observem-me. Façam o que eu fizer. Quando eu chegar à extremidade do acampamento, façam o que eu fizer.18 Quando eu e todos os que estiverem comigo tocarmos as nossas trombetas ao redor do acampamento, toquem as suas, e gritem: Pelo Senhor e por Gideão! "19 Gideão e os cem homens que o acompanhavam chegaram aos postos avançados do acampamento pouco depois da meia noite, assim que foram trocadas as sentinelas. Tocaram as suas trombetas e quebraram os jarros que tinham nas mãos;20 as três companhias tocaram as trombetas e despedaçaram os jarros. Empunhando as tochas com a mão esquerda e as trombetas com a direita, gritaram: "À espada, pelo Senhor e por Gideão! "21 Cada homem mantinha a sua posição em torno do acampamento, e todos os midianitas fugiam correndo e gritando.22 Quando as trezentas trombetas soaram, o Senhor fez que em todo o acampamento os homens se voltassem uns contra os outros com as suas espadas. Mas muitos fugiram para Bete-Sita, na direção de Zererá, até a fronteira de Abel-Meolá, perto de Tabate.23 Os israelitas de Naftali, de Aser e de todo o Manassés foram convocados, e perseguiram os midianitas.24 Gideão enviou mensageiros a todos os montes de Efraim, dizendo: "Desçam para atacar os midianitas e cerquem as águas do Jordão à frente deles até Bete-Bara". Foram, pois, convocados todos os homens de Efraim, e eles ocuparam as águas do Jordão até Bete-Bara.25 Eles prenderam dois líderes midianitas, Orebe e Zeebe. Mataram Orebe na rocha de Orebe, e Zeebe no tanque de prensar uvas de Zeebe. E, depois de perseguir os midianitas, trouxeram a cabeça de Orebe e a de Zeebe a Gideão, que estava do outro lado do Jordão.

1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose up early, and encamped beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.2 And Yahweh said to Gideon, The people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, or else Israel will vaunt themselves against me, saying, My own hand has saved me.3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.4 And Yahweh said to Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down to the water, and I will try them for you there: and it will be, that of whom I say to you, This will go with you, the same will go with you; and of whomever I say to you, This will not go with you, the same will not go.5 So he brought down the people to the water: and Yahweh said to Gideon, Everyone who laps of the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, him you will set by himself; likewise everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.6 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 on their knees to drink water.7 And Yahweh said to Gideon, By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you{+}, and deliver the Midianites into your hand; and let all the people go every man to his place.8 And they took the provisions of the people in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the men of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.9 And it came to pass the same night, that Yahweh said to him, Arise, go down into the camp; for I have delivered it into your hand.10 But if you fear to go down, you and Purah your attendant go down to the camp:11 and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened to go down into the camp. Then went he down with Purah his attendant to the outermost part of the armed men who were in the camp.12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is on the seashore for multitude.13 And when Gideon came, look, there was a man telling a dream to his fellow soldier; and he said, Look, I dreamed a dream; and saw that a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.14 And his fellow soldier answered and said, This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God has delivered Midian, and all the host.15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and its interpretation, that he worshiped; and he returned into the camp of Israel, and said, Arise; for Yahweh has delivered into your{+} hand the host of Midian.16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches inside the pitchers.17 And he said to them, Look at me, and do likewise: and, see, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it will be that, as I do, so you{+} will do.18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you{+} blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, For Yahweh and for Gideon.19 So Gideon, and the hundred men who were with him, came to the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands.20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands with which to blow; and they cried, A sword of Yahweh and of Gideon.21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put [them] to flight.22 And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and Yahweh set every man's sword against his fellow soldier, and against all the host; and the host fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.23 And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian.24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, Come down against Midian, and take the waters before them, as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan. So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and took the waters as far as Beth-barah, even the Jordan.25 And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the wine press of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.