midnight
They told them of the well-watered oasis of the Amalekites , which was not far distant , and pointed to the weapons in their hands , with which the Lord Himself had furnished them . Joshua assured them that they greatly outnumbered the warriors of the desert tribe . If the young men bore themselves as bravely as they had done at the copper mines and at Dophkah , with God 's aid the victory would be theirs . After midnight Joshua , having taken counsel with the elders , ordered the trumpets which summoned the fighting-men to be sounded . Under the bright starry sky he reviewed them , divided them into bands , gave to each a fitting leader , and impressed upon them the importance of the orders they were to obey . They had assembled torpidly , half dead with thirst , but the new occupation to which their sturdy commander urged them , the hope of victory , and the great value of the prize : a piece of land at the foot of the sacred mountain , rich in springs and palm-trees , wonderfully strengthened their lost energy . Ephraim was among them animating others by his tireless vigor .