Study Desk

When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, "Arise, for the LORD has handed over to you the camp of Midian!"

And he divided the three hundred men into three ^(F1)units, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers.

Then he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, ^(F1)do as I do.

"When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets around the entire camp and say, 'For the LORD and for Gideon!'"

So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle night watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands.

When the three ^(F1)units blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!"

And each stood in his place around the camp; and ^(C1)all the ^(F1)army ran, crying out as they fled.

And when they blew the three hundred trumpets, the ^(C1)LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the entire ^(F1)army; and the ^(F1)army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of ^(C2)Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

And the men of Israel were summoned from ^(C1)Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian.

Then Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down ^(F1)against Midian and ^(C1)take control of the waters ahead of them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they took control of the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.

And they captured the two leaders of Midian, ^(C1)Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb, while they pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon ^(C2)from across the Jordan.