Neviim Rishonim :

Sefer Softim 7

Book of Judges Chapter 7

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Three hundred alert warriors elected

7:1 Then Yeruba'al, who [is] Gid'on, and all the people that [were] with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the Ein (well) Harod: so that the tze'va (army) of the Midyanites were on the north side of them, by the Har of Moreh, in the valley.

7:2 And ADONAI (יהוה) said to Gid'on, The people that [are] with you [are] too many for me to give the Midyanites into their hands, lest Yisrael vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand has saved me.

7:3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever [is] fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from har Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

7:4 And ADONAI (יהוה) said to Gid'on, The people [are] yet [too] many; bring them down to the water, and I will try them for you there: and it shall be, [that] of whom I say to you, This shall go with you, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say to you, This shall not go with you, the same shall not go.

7:5 So he brought down the people to the water: and ADONAI (יהוה) said to Gid'on, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lapps, him shall you set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

7:6 And the number of them that lapped, [putting] their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

7:7 And ADONAI (יהוה) said to Gid'on, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midyanites into your hand: and let all the [other] people go every man to his place.

7:8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their shofarot: and he sent all [the rest of] Yisrael every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the tze'va (army) of Midyan was beneath him in the valley.

7:9 And it came to pass the same night, that ADONAI (יהוה) said to him, Arise, get you down to the tze'va (army); for I have delivered it into your hand.

7:10 But if you fear to go down, go you with Phurah your eved down to the tze'va (army):

7:11 And you shall hear what they say; and afterward shall your hands be strengthened to go down to the tze'va (army). Then went he down with Phurah his eved to the outside of the armed men that [were] in the tze'va (army).

7:12 And the Midyanites and the Amalek (עמלק) and all benai the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels [were] without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

7:13 And when Gid'on was come, hinei, [there was] a man that told a dream to his fellow, and said, hinei, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley lechem tumbled into the tze'va (army) of Midyan, and came to a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

7:14 And his fellow answered and said, This [is] nothing else save the sword of Gid'on ben Yo'ash, a man of Yisrael: [for] into his hand has Elohim (אלהים) delivered Midyan, and all the tze'va (army).

7:15 And it was [so], when Gid'on heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the tze'va (army) of Yisrael, and said, Arise; for ADONAI (יהוה) has delivered into your hand the tze'va (army) of Midyan.

7:16 And he divided the three hundred men [into] three companies, and he put a shofar (שׁופר) in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

7:17 And he said to them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, hinei, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be [that], as I do, so shall ye do.

7:18 When I blow with a shofar (שׁופר), I and all that [are] with me, then blow ye the shofarot also on every side of all the camp, and say, [The sword] of ADONAI (יהוה), and of Gid'on.

7:19 So Gid'on, and the hundred men that [were] with him, came to the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the shofarot, and brake the pitchers that [were] in their hands.

7:20 And the three companies blew the shofarim, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the shofarot in their right hands to blow [withal]: and they cried, The sword of ADONAI (יהוה), and of Gid'on.

7:21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the tze'va (army) ran, and cried, and fled.

7:22 And the three hundred blew the shofarim, and ADONAI (יהוה) set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the tze'va (army): and the tze'va (army) fled to Beit-Sheetah in Tzererah, [and] to the border of Avel Mecholah, to Tabat.

7:23 And the men of Yisrael gathered themselves together out of Naftali, and out of Asher, and out of all Menashe, and pursued after the Midyanites.

7:24 And Gid'on sent messengers throughout all har Efrayim, saying, Come down against the Midyanites, and take before them the waters to Beit-barah and Yarden. Then all the men of Efrayim gathered themselves together, and took the waters to Beit-barah and Yarden.

7:25 And they took two sarim of the Midyanites, Orev and Ze'ev; and they slew Orev upon the Tzur (rock) Orev, and Ze'ev they slew at the winepress of Ze'ev, and pursued Midyan, and brought the heads of Orev and Ze'ev to Gid'on on the other side Yarden.


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 HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF MEGIDDO

This place was known to be strongly fortified elevation, on the northernside of the great plains of Yezereel, was one of a range of cities that remained unconquered during the period of the Softim. Other additional information was that Shlomo's huge stables were built there. The Battle between the Syrian states and the Mitzrayim under the reign of Thutmose 3 took place at Megiddo. The Biblical event record in scriptures were as follows: