Judges 7

¹ And so the noumbre of hem, that lapiden watris bi hond castynge to the mouth, was thre hundrid men; forsothe al the tothir multitude drank knelynge. ² And the Lord seide to Gedeon, In thre hundrid men, that lapiden watris, Y schal delyuere you, and Y schal bitake Madian in thin hond; but al the tothir multitude turne ayen in to her place. ³ And so whanne thei hadden take meetis and trumpis for the noumbre, he comaundide al the tothir multitude to go to her tabernaclis; and he, with thre hundrid men, yaf hym silf to batel. Sothely the tentis of Madian weren bynethe in the valey. ⁴ In the same nyyt the Lord seyde to hym, Ryse thou, and go doun in to the castels of Madian, for Y haue bitake hem in thin hond; 5 sotheli if thou dredist to go aloon, Phara, thi child, go doun with thee. 6 And whanne thou schalt here what thei speken, thanne thin hondis schulen be coumfortid, and thou schalt do down sikerere to the tentis of enemyes. Therfor he yede doun, and Phara, his child, in to the part of tentis, where the watchis of armed men weren. 7 Forsothe Madian, and Amalech, and alle the puplis of the eest layen spred in the valey, as the multitude of locustis; sotheli the camelis weren vnnoumbrable, as grauel that liggith in the brenke of the see. ⁸ And whanne Gedeon hadde come, a man tolde a dreem to his neiybore, and telde bi this maner that, that he hadde seyn, I siy a dreem, and it semyde to me, that as o loof of barly bakun vndur the aischis was walewid, and cam doun in to the tentis of Madian; and whanne it hadde come to a tabernacle, it smoot and distriede that tabernacle, and made euene outirly to the erthe. ⁹ That man answeride, to whom he spak, This is noon other thing, no but the swerd of Gedeon, sone of Joas, a man of Israel; for the Lord hath bitake Madian and alle tentis therof in to the hondis of Gedeon. ¹⁰ And whanne Gedeon had herd the dreem, and the interpretyng therof, he worschypide the Lord, and turnede ayen to the tentis of Israel, and seide, Ryse ye; for the Lord hath bitake in to oure hondis the tentis of Madian. 11 And he departide thre hundrid men in to thre partis, and he yaf trumpis in her hondis, and voyde pottis, and laumpis in the myddis of the pottis. 12 And he seide to hem, Do ye this thing which ye seen me do; Y schal entre in to a part of the tentis, and sue ye that, that Y do. 13 Whanne the trumpe in myn hond schal sowne, sowne ye also bi the cumpas of tentis, and crye ye togidere, To the Lord and to Gedeon. ¹⁴ And Gedeon entride, and thre hundrid men that weren with hym, in to a part of the tentis, whanne the watchis of mydnyyt bigunnen; and whanne the keperis weren reysid, thei bigunnen to sowne with trumpis, and to bete togidere the pottis among hem silf. 15 And whanne thei sowneden in thre places bi cumpas, and hadden broke the pottis, thei helden laumpis in the left hondis, and sownynge trumpis in the riyt hondis; and thei crieden, The swerd of the Lord and of Gedeon; and stoden alle in her place, 16 bi the cumpas of the tentis of enemyes. And so alle the tentis weren troblid; and thei crieden, and yelliden, and fledden; 17 and neuertheles the thre hundrid men contynueden, sownynge with trumpis. And the Lord sente swerd in alle the castels, and thei killiden hem silf bi deeth ech other; 18 and thei fledden til to Bethsecha, and bi the side, fro Elmonla in to Thebbath. Sotheli men of Israel crieden togidere, of Neptalym, and of Aser, and of alle Manasses, and pursueden Madian; and the Lord yaf victorie to the puple of Israel in that day. ¹⁹ And Gedeon sente messangeris in to al the hil of Effraym, and seide, Come ye doun ayens the comyng of Madian, and ocupie ye the watris til to Bethbera and Jordan. And al Effraym criede, and bifore ocupide the watris and Jordan til to Bethbera. ²⁰ And Effraym killide twei men of Madian, Oreb and Zeb; he killide Oreb in the ston of Oreb, forsothe he killide Zeb in the pressour of Zeb; and thei pursueden Madian, and baren the heedis of Oreb and of Zeb to Gedeon, ouer the flodis of Jordan. ²² And the men of Effraym seiden to hym, What is this thing, which thou woldist do, that thou clepidist not vs, whanne thou yedist to batel ayens Madian? And thei chidden strongli, and almest diden violence. ²³ To whiche he answeride, `What sotheli siche thing myyte Y do, what maner thing ye diden? Whethir a reisyn of Effraym is not betere than the vindagis of Abiezer? ²⁴ And the Lord bitook in to youre hondis the princes of Madian, Oreb and Zeb. What sich thing myyte Y do, what maner thing ye diden? And whanne he hadde spoke this thing, the spirit of hem restide, bi which thei bolneden ayens hym. ²⁵ And whanne Gedeon hadde come to Jordan, he passide it with thre hundrid men, that weren with hym; and for weerynesse thei myyten not pursue hem that fledden.