Study Desk

Then ^(C1)Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him got up early, and camped beside ^(F1)the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of ^(F2)them by the hill of ^(C2)Moreh in the valley.

And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to hand Midian over to them, ^(C1)otherwise Israel would ^(F1)become boastful, saying, 'My own ^(F2)power has saved me.'

"Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, '^(C1)Whoever is afraid and worried, is to return and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand from the people returned, but ten thousand remained.

^(C1)Then the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. So it shall be that he of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."

So he brought the people down to the water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "You shall put everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps ^(F1)in one group, and everyone who kneels down to drink in another."

Now the number of those who lapped, ^(F1)putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people kneeled down to drink water.

And the LORD said to Gideon, "I will save you ^(C1)with the three hundred men who lapped, and will hand the Midianites over to you; so have all the other people go, each man to his ^(F1)home."

So ^(F1)the three hundred men took the people's provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And ^(F2)Gideon dismissed all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.