6 Three hundred men scooped up water in their hands and lapped it, and the rest knelt to get a drink.
7 The Lord said, “Gideon, your army will be made up of everyone who lapped the water from their hands. Send the others home. I'm going to rescue Israel by helping you and your army of three hundred defeat the Midianites.”
8 Then Gideon gave these orders, “You three hundred men stay here. The rest of you may go home, but leave your food and trumpets with us.”Gideon's army camp was on top of a hill overlooking the Midianite camp in the valley.
9 That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them,
10 but if you're still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp.
11 When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you'll be brave enough to attack.”Gideon and Purah worked their way to the edge of the enemy camp, where soldiers were on guard duty.
12 The camp was huge. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern nations covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. And it would be easier to count the grains of sand on a beach than to count their camels.