Chapter 6.
HOW THE MIDIANITES AND OTHER NATIONS FOUGHT AGAINST THE ISRAELITES
AND BEAT THEM, AND AFFLICTED THEIR COUNTRY FOR SEVEN YEARS, HOW THEY WERE
DELIVERED BY GIDEON, WHO RULED OVER THE MULTITUDE FOR FORTY YEARS.FJAJ 5.61
1. NOW when Barak and Deborah were dead, whose deaths happened about
the same time, afterwards the Midianites called the Amalekites and Arabians
to their assistance, and made war against the Israelites, and were too
hard for those that fought against them; and when they had burnt the fruits
of the earth, they carried off the prey
Now when they had done this for
three years, the multitude of the Israelites retired to the mountains,
and forsook the plain country
They also made themselves hollows under
ground, and caverns, and preserved therein whatsoever had escaped their
enemies; for the Midianites made expeditions in harvest-time, but permitted
them to plough the land in winter, that so, when the others had taken the
pains, they might have fruits for them to carry away
Indeed, there ensued
a famine and a scarcity of food; upon which they betook themselves to their
supplications to God, and besought him to save them.FJAJ 5.62
2. Gideon also, the son of Joash, one of the principal persons of the
tribe of Manasseh, brought his sheaves of corn privately, and thrashed
them at the wine-press; for he was too fearful of their enemies to thrash
them openly in the thrashing-floor
At this time somewhat appeared to him
in the shape of a young man, and told him that he was a happy man, and
beloved of God
To which he immediately replied, "A mighty indication
of God's favor to me, that I am forced to use this wine-press instead of
a thrashing-floor!" But the appearance exhorted him to be of good
courage, and to make an attempt for the recovery of their liberty
He answered,
that it was impossible for him to recover it, because the tribe to which
he belonged was by no means numerous; and because he was but young himself,
and too inconsiderable to think of such great actions
But the other promised
him, that God would supply what he was defective in, and would afford the
Israelites victory under his conduct.FJAJ 5.63
3. Now, therefore, as Gideon was relating this to some young men, they
believed him, and immediately there was an army of ten thousand men got
ready for fighting
But God stood by Gideon in his sleep, and told him
that mankind were too fond of themselves, and were enemies to such as excelled
in virtue
Now that they might not pass God over, but ascribe the victory
to him, and might not fancy it obtained by their own power, because they
were a great many, and able of themselves to fight their enemies, but might
confess that it was owing to his assistance, he advised him to bring his
army about noon, in the violence of the heat, to the river, and to esteem
those that bent down on their knees, and so drank, to be men of courage;
but for all those that drank tumultuously, that he should esteem them to
do it out of fear, and as in dread of their enemies
And when Gideon had
done as God had suggested to him, there were found three hundred men that
took water with their hands tumultuously; so God bid him take these men,
and attack the enemy
Accordingly they pitched their camp at the river
Jordan, as ready the next day to pass over it.FJAJ 5.64
4. But Gideon was in great fear, for God had told him beforehand that
he should set upon his enemies in the night-time; but God, being willing
to free him from his fear, bid him take one of his soldiers, and go near
to the Midianites' tents, for that he should from that very place have
his courage raised, and grow bold
So he obeyed, and went and took his
servant Phurah with him; and as he came near to one of the tents, he discovered
that those that were in it were awake, and that one of them was telling
to his fellow soldier a dream of his own, and that so plainly that Gideon
could hear him
The dream was this: - He thought he saw a barley-cake,
such a one as could hardly be eaten by men, it was so vile, rolling through
the camp, and overthrowing the royal tent, and the tents of all the soldiers.
Now the other soldier explained this vision to mean the destruction of
the army; and told them what his reason was which made him so conjecture,
viz
That the seed called barley was all of it allowed to be of
the vilest sort of seed, and that the Israelites were known to be the vilest
of all the people of Asia, agreeably to the seed of barley, and that what
seemed to look big among the Israelites was this Gideon and the army that
was with him; "and since thou sayest thou didst see the cake overturning
our tents, I am afraid lest God hath granted the victory over us to Gideon."FJAJ 5.65
5. When Gideon had heard this dream, good hope and courage came upon
him; and he commanded his soldiers to arm themselves, and told them of
this vision of their enemies
They also took courage at what was told them,
and were ready to perform what he should enjoin them
So Gideon divided
his army into three parts, and brought it out about the fourth watch of
the night, each part containing a hundred men: they all bare empty pitchers
and lighted lamps in their hands, that their onset might not be discovered
by their enemies
They had also each of them a ram's horn in his right
hand, which he used instead of a trumpet
The enemy's camp took up a large
space of ground, for it happened that they had a great many camels; and
as they were divided into different nations, so they were all contained
in one circle
Now when the Hebrews did as they were ordered beforehand,
upon their approach to their enemies, and, on the signal given, sounded
with their rams' horns, and brake their pitchers, and set upon their enemies
with their lamps, and a great shout, and cried, "Victory to Gideon,
by God's assistance," a disorder and a fright seized upon the other
men while they were half asleep, for it was night-time, as God would have
it; so that a few of them were slain by their enemies, but the greatest
part by their own soldiers, on account of the diversity of their language;
and when they were once put into disorder, they killed all that they met
with, as thinking them to be enemies also
Thus there was a great slaughter
made
And as the report of Gideon's victory came to the Israelites, they
took their weapons and pursued their enemies, and overtook them in a certain
valley encompassed with torrents, a place which these could not get over;
so they encompassed them, and slew them all, with their kings, Oreb and
Zeeb
But the remaining captains led those soldiers that were left, which
were about eighteen thousand, and pitched their camp a great way off the
Israelites
However, Gideon did not grudge his pains, but pursued them
with all his army, and joining battle with them, cut off the whole enemies'
army, and took the other leaders, Zeba and Zalmuna, and made them captives.
Now there were slain in this battle of the Midianites, and of their auxiliaries
the Arabians, about a hundred and twenty thousand; and the Hebrews took
a great prey, gold, and silver, and garments, and camels, and asses
And
when Gideon was come to his own country of Ophrah, he slew the kings of
the Midianites.FJAJ 5.66
6. However, the tribe of Ephraim was so displeased at the good success
of Gideon, that they resolved to make war against him, accusing him because
he did not tell them of his expedition against their enemies
But Gideon,
as a man of temper, and that excelled in every virtue, pleaded, that it
was not the result of his own authority or reasoning, that made him attack
the enemy without them; but that it was the command of God, and still the
victory belonged to them as well as those in the army
And by this method
of cooling their passions, he brought more advantage to the Hebrews, than
by the success he had against these enemies, for he thereby delivered them
from a sedition which was arising among them; yet did this tribe afterwards
suffer the punishment of this their injurious treatment of Gideon, of which
we will give an account in due time.FJAJ 5.67
7. Hereupon Gideon would have laid down the government, but was over-persuaded
to take it, which he enjoyed forty years, and distributed justice to them,
as the people came to him in their differences; and what he determined
was esteemed valid by all
And when he died, he was buried in his own country
of Ophrah.FJAJ 5.68