every man to his place."

So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he
sent all the men of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the
three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the
valley.

And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said to him, "Arise,
get thee down into the camp; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to
the camp: and thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine
hands be strengthened to go down into the camp."

{327}{328}

[Illustration]
THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELON

From a photograph belonging to Prof. H. G. Mitchell
and used by his kind permission.

The plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel is one of the famous battle
fields of the world's history. Lying in the heart of Palestine, the
great highways of commerce come down through the hills and cross its
level fields. Through it runs the little river Kishon. On the banks
of this stream the hosts of Sisera were routed (see Tales of Brave
Women, Vol. III). Here Gideon and his three hundred men swept before
them the hordes of Midian in the panic of the night attack. Here
began the battle between Saul and the Philistines which ended in the
death of the king, whose force had been pushed back to the height of
Gilboa (see The Great Kings in this volume). Here King Josiah was
mortally wounded in his fatal fight with the armies of Egypt (see
The Story of a Divided Kingdom, Vol. III). Through its fertile
fields in all ages of history the armies of the great kingdoms of
the East have marched to battle and conquest
[End illustration]

{329}

Then went he down with Purah his servant to the outermost part of the
armed men that were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites
and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts
for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which
is upon the sea shore for multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold,
there was a man that told a dream to his fellow, and said, "Behold, I
dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp
of Midian, and came to the tent, and smote it that it fell, and turned
it upside down, that the tent lay flat."

And his fellow answered and said, "This is nothing else save the sword
of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God hath
delivered Midian, and al