CINXE.COM
Judges 7 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Judges 7 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/judges/7.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/judges/7-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NRSVCE</a> > Judges 7</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../judges/6.htm" title="Judges 6">◄</a> Judges 7 <a href="../judges/8.htm" title="Judges 8">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Gideon Surprises and Routs the Midianites</span></h3><p class="chapter-1"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops that were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was north of them, below<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-6696a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> the hill of Moreh, in the valley.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>The <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to Gideon, “The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’” Thus Gideon sifted them out;<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-6698b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote b">b</a>]</span> twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>Then the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to Gideon, “The troops are still too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; and when I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>So he brought the troops down to the water; and the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to Gideon, “All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths,<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-6700c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote c">c</a>]</span> you shall put to the other side.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>The number of those that lapped was three hundred; but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>Then the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to Gideon, “With the three hundred that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others go to their homes.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>So he took the jars of the troops from their hands,<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-6703d" title="See footnote d">d</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote d">d</a>]</span> and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel back to their own tents, but retained the three hundred. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>That same night the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> said to him, “Get up, attack the camp; for I have given it into your hand. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>But if you fear to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to attack the camp.” Then he went down with his servant Purah to the outposts of the armed men that were in the camp. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts; and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream to his comrade; and he said, “I had a dream, and in it a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell; it turned upside down, and the tent collapsed.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Midian and all the army.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped; and he returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Get up; for the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> has given the army of Midian into your hand.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>After he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them, and empty jars, with torches inside the jars, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>he said to them, “Look at me, and do the same; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp, and shout, ‘For the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> and for Gideon!’”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>So Gideon and the hundred who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, “A sword for the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> and for Gideon!” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-6717e" title="See footnote e">e</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote e">e</a>]</span> as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after the Midianites.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they seized the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>They captured the two captains of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the wine press of Zeeb, as they pursued the Midianites. They brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond the Jordan.</span></p> <A name="fen"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes</h4><ol><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Judges 7:1">Judges 7:1</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb <i>from</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Judges 7:3">Judges 7:3</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Cn: Heb <i>home, and depart from Mount Gilead’”</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Judges 7:5">Judges 7:5</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb places the words <i>putting their hands to their mouths</i> after the word <i>lapped</i> in verse 6</span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Judges 7:8">Judges 7:8</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Cn: Heb <i>So the people took provisions in their hands</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to Judges 7:22">Judges 7:22</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Another reading is <i>Zeredah</i></span></li></ol></div> <!--end of footnotes--></div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../judges/6.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Judges 6"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Judges 6" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../judges/8.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Judges 8"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Judges 8" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>