King James Version
1 ¶ Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that
the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go
up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?
2 And the LORD
said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
3 And Judah said
unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may
fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So
Simeon went with him.
4 And Judah went
up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand:
and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.
5 And they found
Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the
Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6 But Adonibezek
fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and
his great toes.
7 And Adonibezek
said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut
off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he
died.
8 Now the
children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten
it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.
9 ¶ And afterward the children of Judah went down to
fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and
in the valley.
10
And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron: (now the
name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba:) and they slew Sheshai, and Ahiman, and
Talmai.
11 And from
thence he went against the inhabitants of Debir: and the name of Debir before
was Kirjathsepher:
12 And Caleb
said, He that smiteth Kirjathsepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.
13 And Othniel
the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his
daughter to wife.
14 And it came to
pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field:
and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said unto her, What wilt thou?
15 And she said
unto him, Give me a blessing: for thou hast given me a south land; give me also
springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the nether springs.
16 And the
children of the Kenite, Moses' father in law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of
Judah, which lieth in the south of Arad; and they went and dwelt among the
people.
17 And Judah went
with Simeon his brother, and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath,
and utterly destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah.
18
Also Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof, and Askelon with the coast
thereof, and Ekron with the coast thereof.
19 And the LORD
was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not
drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
20
And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence
the three sons of Anak.
21 ¶ And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the
Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwell with the children
of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.
22
And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Bethel: and the LORD
was with them.
23 And the house
of Joseph sent to descry Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)
24 And the spies
saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said unto him, Shew
us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, and we will shew thee mercy.
25 And when he
shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of
the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.
26 And the man
went into the land of the Hittites, and built a city, and called the name
thereof Luz: which is the name thereof unto this day.
27
Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her
towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor
the inhabitants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her
towns: but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
28 And it came to
pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute,
and did not utterly drive them out.
29 Neither did
Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt
in Gezer among them.
30 Neither did
Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol;
but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries.
31
Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants
of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor of Achzib, nor of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of
Rehob:
32 But the
Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: for they did
not drive them out.
33 Neither did
Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants
of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land:
nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries
unto them.
34 And the
Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley:
35 But the
Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand
of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.
36 And the coast
of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.
1 ¶ And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to
Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto
the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my
covenant with you.
2 And ye shall
make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have
ye done this?
3 Wherefore I
also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as
thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
4 And it came to
pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of
Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
5
And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there
unto the LORD.
6 ¶ And when Joshua had let the people go, the children
of Israel went every man unto his inheritance to possess the land.
7 And the people
served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works
of the LORD, that he did for Israel.
8 And Joshua the
son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
9 And they buried
him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount
of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash.
10 And also all
that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another
generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had
done for Israel.
11 And the
children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim:
12
And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out
of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that
were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to
anger.
13 And they
forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.
14 And the anger
of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the
hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their
enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.
15 Whithersoever
they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had
said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.
16
Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand
of those that spoiled them.
17 And yet they
would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods,
and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their
fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.
18 And when the
LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered
them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it
repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed
them and vexed them.
19
And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and
corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve
them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor
from their stubborn way.
20 And the anger
of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this
people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have
not hearkened unto my voice;
21 I also will
not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left
when he died:
22 That through
them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD
to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.
23 Therefore the
LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he
them into the hand of Joshua.
1 ¶ Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to
prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not
known all the wars of Canaan;
2 Only that the
generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the
least such as before knew nothing thereof;
3 Namely, five
lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the
Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.
4 And they were
to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the
commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of
Moses.
5 And the
children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
6 And they took
their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and
served their gods.
7 And the
children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their
God, and served Baalim and the groves.
8 ¶ Therefore the anger of the LORD
was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim
king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight
years.
9 And when the
children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer to the
children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
10 And the Spirit
of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the
LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his
hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.
11 And the land
had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.
12 ¶ And the children of Israel did
evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king
of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.
13 And he
gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel,
and possessed the city of palm trees.
14
So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
15 But when the
children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer,
Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of
Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab.
16 But Ehud made
him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh.
17 And he brought
the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man.
18 And when he
had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the
present.
19
But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and
said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all
that stood by him went out from him.
20 And Ehud came
unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself
alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat.
21 And Ehud put
forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into
his belly:
22 And the haft
also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he
could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out.
23
Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the
parlour upon him, and locked them.
24 When he was
gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the
parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer
chamber.
25
And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the
doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold,
their lord was fallen down dead on the earth.
26 And Ehud
escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto
Seirath.
27
And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the
mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the
mount, and he before them.
28 And he said
unto them, Follow after me: for the LORD hath delivered your enemies the Moabites
into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords
of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over.
29 And they slew
of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour;
and there escaped not a man.
30 So Moab was
subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore
years.
31 ¶ And after him was Shamgar the
son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad:
and he also delivered Israel.
1 ¶ And the children of Israel again did evil in the
sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead.
2
And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that
reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in
Harosheth of the Gentiles.
3 And the
children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of
iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel.
4 ¶ And Deborah, a prophetess, the
wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.
5 And she dwelt
under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and
the children of Israel came up to her for judgment.
6 And she sent
and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him,
Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward
mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali
and of the children of Zebulun?
7 And I will draw
unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his
chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand.
8 And Barak said
unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.
9 And she said, I
will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall
not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a
woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.
10 ¶ And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and
he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah
went up with him.
11 Now Heber the
Kenite, which was of the children of Hobab the father in law of Moses, had
severed himself from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of
Zaanaim, which is by Kedesh.
12 And they
shewed Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor.
13 And Sisera
gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all
the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of
Kishon.
14 And Deborah
said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the LORD hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the LORD gone out
before thee? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after
him.
15 And the LORD
discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of
the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled
away on his feet.
16
But Barak pursued after the chariots, and after the host, unto Harosheth
of the Gentiles: and all the host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword;
and there was not a man left.
17 ¶ Howbeit Sisera fled away on his feet to the tent of
Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite: for there was peace between Jabin the king
of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite.
18 And Jael went
out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear
not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a
mantle.
19 And he said
unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink,
and covered him.
20 Again he said
unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come
and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No.
21 Then Jael
Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples,
and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.
22 And, behold,
as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come,
and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent,
behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples.
23
So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children
of Israel.
24 And the hand
of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of
Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
1 ¶ Then sang Deborah and Barak the
son of Abinoam on that day, saying,
2 Praise ye the
LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.
3 Hear, O ye
kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing
praise to the LORD God of Israel.
4
LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the
field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also
dropped water.
5 The mountains
melted from before the LORD, even that Sinai from before the LORD God of
Israel.
6 ¶ In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days
of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers
walked through byways.
7 The inhabitants
of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that
I arose a mother in Israel.
8 They chose new
gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty
thousand in Israel?
9
My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves
willingly among the people. Bless ye the LORD.
10 Speak, ye that
ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.
11 They that are
delivered from the noise of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall
they rehearse the righteous acts of the LORD, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall
the people of the LORD go down to the gates.
12 ¶ Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song:
arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
13 Then he made
him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people:
the LORD made me have dominion over the mighty.
14 Out of Ephraim
was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy
people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle
the pen of the writer.
15 And the
princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of
Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.
16 Why abodest
thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the
divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead abode
beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued
on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.
18 Zebulun and
Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high
places of the field.
19 The kings came
and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of
Megiddo; they took no gain of money.
20
They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against
Sisera.
21 The river of
Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou
hast trodden down strength.
22 Then were the
horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty
ones.
23
Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the
inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help
of the LORD against the mighty.
24 ¶ Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the
Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.
25
He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a
lordly dish.
26 She put her
hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the
hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and
stricken through his temples.
27
At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he
fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.
28 The mother of
Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his
chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?
29 Her wise
ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,
30
Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a
damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of
needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks
of them that take the spoil?
31 So let all
thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty
years.
1 ¶ And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of
the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 And the hand of
Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the
children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves,
and strong holds.
3 And so it was,
when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the
children of the east, even they came up against them;
4 And they
encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel,
neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
5 For they came
up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for
multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered
into the land to destroy it.
6
And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the
children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
7 ¶ And it came to pass, when the children of Israel
cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,
8 That the LORD
sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from
Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
9 And I delivered
you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed
you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;
10 And I said
unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.
11 ¶ And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under
an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his
son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel
of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is
with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13 And Gideon
said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this
befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of,
saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken
us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14
And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou
shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
15 And he said
unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor
in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
16 And the LORD
said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
17 And he said
unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou
talkest with me.
18 Depart not
hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set
it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
19
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an
ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot,
and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
20 And the angel
of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them
upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
21
Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in
his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up
fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the
angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
22 And when
Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD
face to face.
23 And the LORD
said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
24 Then Gideon
built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day
it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 ¶ And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD
said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the
second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy
father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:
26 And build an
altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place,
and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the
grove which thou shalt cut down.
27
Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said
unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men
of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
28 And when the
men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast
down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
29 And they said
one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked,
they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
30 Then the men
of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he
hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.
31 And Joash said
unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he
that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if
he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
32 Therefore on
that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
33 ¶ Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the
children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the
valley of Jezreel.
34 But the Spirit
of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered
after him.
35
And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered
after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto
Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
36 And Gideon
said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
37
Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on
the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know
that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
38 And it was so:
for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed
the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39
And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I
will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the
fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let
there be dew.
40 And God did so
that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the
ground.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
10 But if thou
fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
21 And they stood
every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried,
and fled.
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
Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
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.
24
And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come
down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and
Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the
waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
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.