Gideon Three Hundred Men

Deep for night. Three hundred men stand quiet for dark round one very big enemy camp. Each one hold trumpet for one hand and clay jar for di other. Inside every jar, fire dey burn, hidden. Dem dey wait for signal.

Gideon, di farmer wey God call mighty warrior, don gather army. Early for morning dem camp near di spring of Harod. Down for di valley for north, near di hill of Moreh, di Midianites spread, together with di Amalekites and di people of di east, thick like locusts, with camels wey pass wetin anybody fit count. Gideon get thirty-two thousand men. E no look like say e reach. And then God talk something wey surprise.

Di men wey dey with you too plenty for me to give Midian enter una hand. Israel go boast say, na we save ourselves. So God tell Gideon make e announce. Anybody wey dey fear and dey shake fit go house. Twenty-two thousand men turn go. Ten thousand remain. And still God talk, Dem still too plenty. Carry dem go down to di water, and I go sort dem for you there.

For di stream, di men bend down to drink. Most of dem kneel down drink straight from di water. But three hundred use dia hands carry di water come lick am from dia hands, di way dog dey lick. God talk, With di three hundred men wey lick, I go save una. Send di rest go house. Three hundred. Against army wey be like locusts. Di rest leave dia trumpets and food behind, and dem go.

Dat night God talk again. Get up go attack di camp, because I don give am enter your hand. But if you dey fear to go down, carry your servant Purah, go down quietly reach di edge of di camp. Listen to wetin dem dey talk. Then you go get courage. Gideon dey fear. So e go down with Purah, dem crawl reach di guard posts for dark. And just as dem reach, dem hear two soldiers dey talk.

I dream one dream. One round loaf of barley bread roll enter our camp. E hit one tent so hard say di tent fall and turn upside down. And im friend whisper answer am, Dat one no fit be anything else but di sword of Gideon, di Israelite. God don give Midian and di whole camp enter im hand.

When Gideon hear di dream and wetin e mean, e bow down worship, right there for di dark. Then e hurry go back. Get up! Di Lord don give di Midianite camp enter una hand! E divide di three hundred into three groups, and e give every man trumpet and empty jar with torch inside. Watch me. Do wetin I do. When I blow my trumpet, blow una own, all round di camp, and shout, For Di Lord and for Gideon! Dem reach di edge of di camp just as di guards dey change for di start of di middle watch. Gideon blow. Three hundred trumpets sound. Three hundred jars break. Three hundred torches blaze for di darkness. Di sword of Di Lord and of Gideon!

And every man stay exactly where e dey, dey stand round di camp. Dem no need to move. Inside, di Midianites wake up see noise and fire for every side. Dem cry out and run. For di fear and confusion, Di Lord turn dem against each other, and di whole army run. Dem call men from di northern tribes make dem pursue dem, and di men of Ephraim seize di places wey people dey take cross di river, and dem catch two Midianite commanders, Oreb and Zeeb. Di army wey don clear Israel land for seven years, dem break am.

Di Bible give di exact time of di attack: di beginning of di middle watch, when dem just change di guards. For Old Testament time, dem divide di night into three watches. Di book of Exodus mention di morning watch too. By di New Testament time, under Roman custom, people dey talk of four. So Gideon strike for middle of night, just as new guards dey take dia position, half awake and still dey find dia feet. Inside dat confusion, sudden light and noise come from every side.

Gideon three hundred men. You go find am for Judges chapter seven. God make di army small so dat nobody go fit talk say, na we do am by ourselves. E even give one leader wey dey fear one dream make e hear. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you feel say you too small for wetin dey your front, fit be say na dat exact place God want show im strength?