Judges 7:16-25

7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. ¹  He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. ²  7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! ³  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 ⁴  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. ⁵  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. ⁶  Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order ⁷  all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. ⁸  7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords ⁹  throughout ¹⁰  the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went ¹¹  to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. ¹² 

Gideon Appeases the Ephraimites

7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. ¹³  Take control of the fords of the streams ¹⁴  all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” ¹⁵  When all the Ephraimites had assembled, ¹⁶  they took control of the fords ¹⁷  all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 7:25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. ¹⁸  They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb ¹⁹  in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites ²⁰  and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River. ²¹ 

[7:16]  ¹ tn Heb “heads.”

[7:16]  ² tn Heb “the jars.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“them”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:17]  ³ tn Or “look.”

[7:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “Gideon went, along with the hundred men who were with him, to the edge of the camp.”

[7:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “that were in their hands.”

[7:20]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew text adds, “in order to blow [them].” This has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “each in his place.”

[7:21]  ⁸ tn Or “fled.”

[7:22]  ⁹ tn Heb “the Lord set the sword of each one against his friend.”

[7:22]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn The words “they went” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[7:23]  ¹² tn Heb “Midian.”

[7:24]  ¹³ tn Heb “to meet Midian.”

[7:24]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “capture before them the waters.”

[7:24]  ¹⁵ tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarification (also later in this verse).

[7:24]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “And all the men of Ephraim were summoned.”

[7:24]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “they captured the waters.”

[7:25]  ¹⁸ sn The names Oreb and Zeeb, which mean “Raven” and “Wolf” respectively, are appropriate because the Midianites had been like scavengers and predators to Israel.

[7:25]  ¹⁹ tn The Hebrew text repeats the verb “executed.” This has not been repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:25]  ²⁰ tn Heb “Midian.”

[7:25]  ²¹ tn Heb “beyond the Jordan.” The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity (also in 8:4).