Douay Rheims Original ↷
Judges 7 📜 📕 ↷
Gideon's Army of Three Hundred
1 THEREFORE Jerobaal, which is also Gedeon, rising in the night, and all the people with him, came to the fountain that is called Harad. And the camp of Madian was in the valley on the North side of the high hill.📜💬📚
2 And our Lord said to Gedeon: There is much people with thee, neither shall Madian be delivered into their hand: lest Israel glory against me, and say: By mine own force I am delivered.📜💬📚
3 Speak to the people, and proclaim in all their hearing: He that is fearful and timorous, let him return. And they departed from mount Galaad, and there returned two and twenty thousand men, and only ten thousand remained.📜💬📚
4 And our Lord said to Gedeon: Yet there is a great multitude, lead them to the waters, and there I will prove them: and of whom I shall tell thee that he go with thee, let him go: whom I shall forbid to go, let him return.📜💬📚
5 And when the people were come down to the waters, our Lord said to Gedeon: They that shall lap the water with their tongues, as dogs are wont to lap, thou shalt separate them apart: but they that shall drink bowing down their knees, shall be on the other part.📜💬📚
6 The number therefore of them that had lapped water, their hand casting it to their mouth, was three hundred men: and all the rest of the multitude had drunk kneeling.📜💬📚
7 And our lord said to Gedeon: In the three hundred men, that lapped water, I will deliver you, and give Madian in thy hand: but let all the rest of the multitude return into their place.📜💬📚
8 Taking therefore victuals and trumpets according to the number, all the rest of the multitude he commanded to depart to their tabernacles: and himself with the three hundred gave himself to the battle. And the camp of Madian was beneath in the valley.📜💬📚
Sword of Gideon
9 The same night our Lord said to him: Arise, & go down into the camp: because I have delivered them into thy hand.📜💬📚
10 But if thou be afraid to go alone, let Phara thy servant go down with thee.📜💬📚
11 And when thou shalt hear what they speak, then shall thy hands be strengthened, & thou shalt go down more secure to the enemies' camp. He therefore went down and Phara his servant into part of the camp, where the watch was of men in arms.📜💬📚
12 But Madian and Amalec, & all the East peoples lay scattered in the valley, as a multitude of locusts: their camels also were innumerable, as the sand that lieth in the sea shore.📜💬📚
13 And when Gedeon was come, one told his neighbour a dream & in this manner he reported that which he had seen: I saw a dream, & there seemed to me as it were a hearth loaf of barley, to roll, & to come into the camp of Madian: and when it was come to the tabernacle, it struck it, and overthrew it, & beat it all flat with the earth.📜💬📚
14 He to whom he spake, answered: This is no other thing, but the sword of Gedeon the son of Joas the man of Israel. For the Lord hath delivered Madian into his hands, and all their camp.📜💬📚
Gideon Defeats Midian
15 And when Gedeon had heard the dream, and the interpretation thereof, he adored: and turned to the camp of Israel, and said: Arise ye, for our Lord hath delivered the camp of Madian into our hands.📜💬📚
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three parts, and gave them trumpets in their hands, and empty pitchers, and lamps in the midst of their pitchers.📜💬📚
17 And he said to them: What you shall see me do, that do ye: I will enter into part of the camp, & that which I shall do follow you.📜💬📚
18 When the trumpet shall sound in my hand, do you also sound and cry together round about the camp: To our Lord & to Gedeon.📜💬📚
19 And Gedeon went in, & the three hundred that were with him, into part of the camp, the watch of midnight beginning, and raising up the watch men they began to sound with their trumpets, and to clap the pitchers one against an other.📜💬📚
20 And when they sounded in three places round about the camp, and had broken the pitchers, they held the lamps in the left hands, and with the right they sounded the trumpets, and cried: The sword of our Lord and of Gedeon:📜💬📚
21 standing every one in his place round about the enemies' camp. Therefore the whole camp was troubled, and crying out and howling they fled:📜💬📚
22 and the three hundred men nevertheless persisted sounding with the trumpets. And our Lord sent in the sword in all the camp, and they murdered one an other,📜💬📚
23 flying as far as Bethsetta, and the brink of Abelmehula in Tebbath. But the men of Israel of Nephthali, and Aser shouting together, & all Manasses pursued Madian.📜💬📚
24 And Gedeon sent messengers into all mount Ephraim, saying: Come down to meet Madian, and take the waters before them to Bethbera and Jordan. And all Ephraim shouted, and took the waters before them and Jordan unto Bethbera.📜💬📚
25 And two men that were apprehended of Madian, Oreb and Zeb, Oreb he slew in the Rock of Oreb, Zeb in the press of Zeb. And they pursued Madian, carrying the heads of Oreb and Zeb to Gedeon beyond the streams of Jordan.📜💬📚
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