Jerobaal, then, (or Gedeon) rose at break of day and led his army to the spring called the Spring of Harad. The camp of Madian lay there in the valley, with a high hill to the south of it.

This is a great army thou hast with thee, the Lord told Gedeon. I must not grant victory over Madian to an army like this, or the Israelites would boast that they had no need of me; that their own strength had brought them deliverance.

Make it known publicly, for all to hear, that any man who shrinks back or is afraid is free to go home. So twenty-two thousand of his men, from the hill-country of Galaad, went back home, and left him with only ten thousand.

But the Lord said to Gedeon, Thy army is still too great. Take them down the water-side, and I will test them there. I will tell thee which of them are to march in thy company, and which are to return home instead.

And when they reached the water, the Lord’s command to Gedeon was, Separate those who lap the water like dogs, and those who go down on their knees to drink.

There were only three hundred that took up water in their hands and lapped it, all the rest knelt as they drank;

but the Lord said to Gedeon, These three hundred men who lapped the water shall win you deliverance; I will put the Madianites in their power. Send all the rest of thy companions home.

So he would have food left, and a trumpet for each man; then he sent the others back to their own dwelling-places, and with three hundred men prepared to give battle.

The camp of Madian lay there in the valley below him,

and that night the Lord said to him, Bestir thyself, and go down into their camp; I have left them at thy mercy.

If thou art afraid to go alone, thy servant Phara shall go with thee.

Listen to what they are saying, and it will give thee courage, bid thee go down more confidently to the attack. So Gedeon and his servant Phara made their way down to a part of the camp where sentries were on guard.

There were Madian and Amalec, and all the tribes of the east, scattered through the valley, like a swarm of locusts; countless as the sea sand, their camels lay beside them.

As Gedeon approached, one of the men was telling his neighbour of a dream that had come to him, and this was the way of it: It looked, in my dream, as if a barley griddle-cake went rolling along and tumbled into the Madianite camp, where it struck the first tent it reached and overturned it, so that it lay flat on the ground.

Why, said the other, what should this be but the sword of that Israelite, Gedeon the son of Joas? The Lord means to put Madian and all Madian’s host into his power.

Gedeon fell on his knees when he heard what the dream was, and how it was interpreted. Back he went to the camp of Israel, and cried out, Bestir yourselves, the Lord has left the Madianite camp at our mercy.

Then he divided his men into three companies, and bade each man carry a trumpet, and an empty jar, and in the jar, a lighted torch.

Mark what I do, and do the same, he told them; when once I have reached the edge of the camp, follow, all of you, my example.

I shall hold up my trumpet and blow a blast, and you too must blow a blast, on different sides of the camp; then you will cry aloud, For the Lord and for Gedeon!

So Gedeon and his three hundred men reached the edge of the camp, just as the midnight watch began, when the newly posted guards were wide awake. Every trumpet blew, and every jar was shattered against its neighbour;

and on three sides of the camp, after the crashing of the jars, men stood there with torches in their left hands, and ringing trumpets in their right; and now the cry came, Your swords, now! For the Lord and for Gedeon!

Thus posted on different sides of the enemy’s camp, they threw all into confusion; and the Madianites fled, crying aloud for terror,

while the three hundred men still pressed on, and still the trumpets blew. And all through the camp the Lord spread destruction, friend turning his sword against friend;

till at last in their flight they reached as far as Bethsetta, and the river-bank at Abelmehula in Tebbath. Here the Israelites from Nephthali and Aser and the whole of Manasses gave chase;

Gedeon sent messengers, too, all through the hill-country of Ephraim, bidding them come down and confront Madian, seizing the water-courses that go down to Bethbera and the Jordan; so Ephraim raised the hue and cry, and intercepted both the water-courses and Jordan itself as far as Bethbera.

And they caught two Madianite chiefs, Oreb and Zeb, whom they put to death, Oreb at the Rock of Oreb and Zeb at Zeb’s Wine-press; then they went on with the pursuit of Madian. They were carrying the heads of Oreb and Zeb with them when they met Gedeon on the further side of Jordan.