Judges 7:15-23

Gideon Routs the Enemy

7:15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. ¹  Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. ²  He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. ³  7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! ⁴  I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp ⁵  at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. ⁶  7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. ⁷  Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order ⁸  all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. ⁹  7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords ¹⁰  throughout ¹¹  the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went ¹²  to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. ¹³ 

[7:15]  ¹ tn Heb “he bowed down” or “worshiped.”

[7:16]  ² tn Heb “heads.”

[7:16]  ³ tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:17]  ⁴ tn Or “look.”

[7:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”

[7:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “that were in their hands.”

[7:20]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “each in his place.”

[7:21]  ⁹ tn Or “fled.”

[7:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the Lord set the sword of each one against his friend.”

[7:22]  ¹¹ tc MT has “and throughout the camp,” but the conjunction (“and”) is due to dittography and should be dropped. Compare the ancient versions, which lack the conjunction here.

[7:22]  ¹² tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[7:23]  ¹³ tn Heb “Midian.”