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The Midianites give Israel trouble

6 The Israelites did things that the Lord saw were evil. So the Lord put them under the power of the Midianites for seven years. 2 They used their power to be cruel to the Israelites. The Israelites built huts in the hills to live in. They hid themselves in caves and other safe places. 3 When they planted seeds to grow food, their enemies would attack them. The Midianites, Amalekites and people from the east would come to rob them. 4 They made their camps on Israel's land. They took all their crops, as far south as Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat. They took away their sheep, cows and donkeys. 5 The groups of enemies came with their animals. They put up their tents all across the land. They came like a cloud of locusts. They were too many to count as they arrived on their camels. They took everything that grew on the land. 6 Because of the Midianites, the Israelites became poor and weak. So they called out to the Lord for help.

7 When the Israelites asked the Lord to rescue them from the Midianites, 8 he sent a prophet to them. The prophet said to them, ‘This is what the Lord , Israel's God, says: “I brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves. 9 I saved you from the power of the Egyptians and all those who were cruel to you. I chased away your enemies and I gave their land to you. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You are now living in the land of the Amorites, but you must not worship their gods.’ But you have not obeyed me.” ’

The Lord chooses Gideon

11 The Lord 's angel came to sit under a big oak tree in Ophrah. It belonged to Joash, from Abiezer's clan. When the angel arrived, Joash's son Gideon was threshing wheat. He was doing it in a winepress because he wanted to hide his food from the Midianites. 12 The Lord 's angel appeared to Gideon. He said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, brave fighter.’ [ a ] 13 Gideon replied, ‘But sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this trouble happened to us? Our ancestors told us about all the great things that the Lord did for them. They told us how he brought them safely out of Egypt. But the Lord has not helped us like that. He has turned away from us. He has put us under the power of the Midianites.’

14 The Lord himself then said to Gideon, ‘Go now and use the strength that you have. Rescue Israel from the power of the Midianites. I myself am sending you to do this.’

15 Gideon said, ‘But sir, how can I rescue Israel? Look at me! My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh. And I am the youngest person in my family.’

16 The Lord answered him, ‘Understand that I will be with you! You will destroy the Midianites as if they were only one man.’

17 Gideon replied, ‘If you are pleased with me, please do something special. I want to know that you really are the Lord who is speaking to me. 18 Please stay here so that I can bring a gift for you.’ The Lord answered, ‘I will stay here until you come back.’

19 Gideon went home and he cooked a young goat. He also used an ephah of flour to make some flat bread. He put the meat in a basket and he put the soup in a pot. He took the food to the one who was sitting under the oak tree.

20 God's angel said to him, ‘Put the meat and the bread on this rock. Pour the soup over them.’ Gideon did what the angel told him to do. 21 Then the Lord 's angel touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick that he held in his hand. Fire came from the rock and it burnt up the meat and the bread. Then the Lord 's angel disappeared.

22 Gideon realized that he had been talking to the Lord 's angel. He cried out, ‘Oh no! Almighty Lord , I have seen your angel, face to face.’

23 But the Lord said to him, ‘Do not worry. Do not be afraid. You will not die because of this.’ [ b ]

24 So Gideon built an altar there to give honour to the Lord . He called it ‘The Lord is Peace’. The altar is still there, in Ophrah, on the land of Abiezer's clan.

Gideon destroys Baal's altar

25 On the same night, the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Take your father's bull from among his animals. Also take a second bull, one that is seven years old. Use them to pull down your father's altar to Baal. Also cut down the Asherah pole that is there. 26 Then build an altar in their place to give honour to the Lord your God. Build it in the proper way, on top of that hill. Then use the wood from the Asherah pole to burn the second bull as a burnt offering to me.’

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants, and he did what the Lord had said. He was afraid of the people in his father's family and the men of the town. So he did this at night, not in the day.

28 Early the next morning, the men of the town saw that someone had destroyed Baal's altar. They saw that someone had cut down the Asherah pole. They saw that someone had burned the second bull as a sacrifice on a new altar.

29 They asked each other, ‘Who has done this?’ They asked many people until someone told them, ‘Joash's son Gideon has done this.’

30 Then the men of the town said to Joash, ‘Bring Gideon out of your house. We must punish him with death. He has destroyed Baal's altar, and he has cut down the Asherah pole that was beside it.’

31 Joash said to the angry men who were against him, ‘Are you trying to save Baal because he is in trouble? Why should you do that? Anyone who tries to help Baal will die before tomorrow arrives. If Baal really is a god, he should fight for himself. It is his altar that someone has pulled down!’

32 So after that, people called Gideon ‘Jerub-Baal’. That was because Joash had said, ‘Baal should fight for himself. He himself should punish the person who pulled down his altar.’

33 At that time, the Midianites, Amalekites and people of the east made an agreement to fight together. They crossed the Jordan River and they made their camp in the Jezreel valley. 34 Then the Lord 's Spirit came to Gideon with power. Gideon made a loud noise with a trumpet. He called the men of Abiezer's clan to follow him. 35 He sent men to take a message to Manasseh's tribe. He told them to send their men to join him. He also told the men of the tribes of Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali to come and join him too. They all came to meet with Gideon.

36 Gideon said to God, ‘I want to know that you will do what you have promised to me. If you will really use me to rescue Israel, please show me that it is true. 37 I will do this: I will put the wool of a sheep's skin out on the stone floor. During the night, please cause the dew to make it wet. If it is wet but the ground around it is dry, I will know that it is true. You will use me to rescue Israel, as you have promised.’

38 That is what happened. When Gideon got up the next morning, the wool was wet. Gideon squeezed water out of it. It was enough to fill a bowl!

39 Then Gideon said to God. ‘Please do not be angry with me. Let me ask you to do one more thing. I will put out the sheep's wool again to see what happens. This time please make the ground wet with dew, but keep only the wool dry.’ 40 That night God did what Gideon had asked. The sheep's wool was dry, but the ground around it was wet with dew.

Footnotes

  1. 6:12 Gideon was afraid and hid from the Midianites. But God's angel called him a ‘brave fighter’. The Lord would help Gideon to be strong and brave.
  2. 6:23 Gideon thought that he would die because he had seen God. The angel told Gideon that he must not be afraid. He accepted the gift that Gideon gave him.

The Midianites Fight Israel

6 Again the Israelites did what the Lord said was wrong. So for seven years the Lord allowed the Midianites to defeat the Israelites.

2 The Midianites were very powerful and were cruel to the Israelites. So the Israelites made many hiding places in the mountains. They hid their food in caves and places that were hard to find. 3 They did that because the Midianites and Amalekites from the east always came and destroyed their crops. 4 They camped in the land and destroyed the crops that the Israelites had planted. They ruined the crops of the Israelites as far as the land near the city of Gaza. They did not leave anything for the Israelites to eat. They did not even leave them any sheep, cattle, or donkeys. 5 The Midianites came with their families, animals, and tents. They were like a swarm of locusts! They and their camels were too many to count. They came into the land and ruined it. 6 The Israelites became very poor because of the Midianites. So the Israelites cried to the Lord for help.

7 [ a ] The Midianites did all these bad things, so the Israelites cried to the Lord for help. 8 The Lord sent a prophet to them. He said, “This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘You were slaves in the land of Egypt. I made you free and brought you out of that land. 9 I saved you from the powerful Egyptians. Then the Canaanites hurt you, so I saved you again. I made them leave their land. And I gave their land to you.’ 10 Then I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You will live in the land of the Amorites, but you must not worship their false gods.’ But you did not obey me.”

The Angel of the Lord Visits Gideon

11-12 One time the angel of the Lord came to a place called Ophrah and sat under an oak tree. This oak tree belonged to a man named Joash from the Abiezer family. His son Gideon was beating some wheat [ b ] in a winepress. He was hiding so that the Midianites could not see the wheat. The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord be with you, brave soldier.”

13 Then Gideon said, “Pardon me, sir, but if the Lord is with us, why are we having so many troubles? We heard that he did wonderful things for our ancestors. They tell us that the Lord took them out of Egypt. But now it seems the Lord has left us and is letting the Midianites defeat us.”

14 The Lord turned toward Gideon and said, “Then use your great power and go save the Israelites from the Midianites. I am sending you to save them.”

15 But Gideon answered and said, “Pardon me, sir. [ c ] How can I save Israel? My family group is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the youngest one in my family.”

16 The Lord answered Gideon and said, “I will be with you, so you can defeat the Midianites as easily as if they were only one man.”

17 Then Gideon said to him, “If you would, please give me some proof that you really are the Lord. 18 Please wait here. Don’t go away until I come back to you. Let me bring my offering and set it down in front of you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you come back.”

19 So Gideon went in and cooked a young goat in boiling water. He also took about 20 pounds [ d ] of flour and made bread without yeast. Then he put the meat into a basket and the broth from the meat into a pot. He brought out the meat, the broth, and the bread without yeast and gave them to the Lord under the oak tree.

20 The angel of God said to Gideon, “Put the meat and the bread on that rock over there. Then pour the broth on it.” Gideon did as he was told.

21 The angel of the Lord had a walking stick in his hand. He touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick, and fire jumped up out of the rock and burned up the meat and the bread. Then the angel of the Lord disappeared.

22 Then Gideon realized that he had been talking to the angel of the Lord . So he shouted, “Oh, Lord God ! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

23 But the Lord said to Gideon, “Calm down! [ e ] Don’t be afraid! You will not die!” [ f ]

24 So Gideon built an altar there to worship the Lord and named it “The Lord is Peace.” It still stands in the city of Ophrah, where the Abiezer family lives.

Gideon Tears Down the Altar of Baal

25 That same night the Lord said to Gideon, “Choose your father’s best bull, the one that is seven years old. [ g ] First, use it to pull down the altar your father built to worship Baal. Also, cut down the Asherah pole beside the altar. 26 Then build the right kind of altar for the Lord your God. Build it on this high ground. Then kill and burn the bull on this altar. Use the wood from the Asherah pole to burn your offering.”

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what the Lord had told him to do. But Gideon was afraid that his family and the men of the city might see what he was doing, so he did it all at night, not in the daytime.

28 The men of the city got up the next morning and saw that the altar for Baal had been destroyed! They also saw that the Asherah pole had been cut down. It had been sitting next to the altar for Baal. They also saw the altar that Gideon had built. And they saw the bull that had been sacrificed on that altar.

29 The men of the city looked at each other and asked, “Who pulled down our altar? Who cut down our Asherah pole? Who sacrificed this bull on this new altar?” They asked many questions and tried to learn who did this.

Someone told them, “Gideon son of Joash did this.”

30 So the men of the city came to Joash and said, “You must bring your son out. He pulled down the altar for Baal, and he cut down the Asherah pole that was beside it. So your son must die.”

31 Then Joash spoke to the crowd that was standing around him. Joash said, “Are you going to take Baal’s side? Are you going to rescue Baal? If anyone takes Baal’s side, let him be put to death by morning. If Baal really is a god, let him defend himself when someone pulls down his altar.” 32 Joash said, “If Gideon pulled Baal’s altar down, let Baal argue with him.” On that day Joash gave Gideon a new name. He called him Jerub-Baal. [ h ]

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

33 The Midianites, Amalekites, and other people from the east joined together to fight against the Israelites. They went across the Jordan River and camped in the Jezreel Valley. 34 The Spirit of the Lord filled Gideon. So Gideon blew a trumpet to call the family of Abiezer to follow him. 35 He sent messengers to all the people of the tribe of Manasseh and told them to get their weapons and prepare for battle. Gideon also sent messengers to the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. The messengers took the same message to them. So they also went up to meet Gideon and his men.

36 Then Gideon said to God, “You said that you would help me save the Israelites. Give me proof. 37 I will put a sheepskin on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the sheepskin, while all the ground is dry, I will know that you will use me to save Israel, as you said.”

38 And that is exactly what happened. Gideon got up early the next morning and squeezed the sheepskin. He was able to drain a bowl full of water from it.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Don’t be angry with me. Let me ask just one more thing. Let me test you one more time with the sheepskin. This time let the sheepskin be dry, while the ground around it gets wet with dew.”

40 That night God did that very thing. Just the sheepskin was dry, but the ground around it was wet with dew.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 6:7 These verses do not appear in the oldest Hebrew copy of the book of Judges, the Dead Sea Scroll fragment, 4QJudgesA.
  2. Judges 6:11 beating some wheat That is, separating the grains of wheat from the hulls. Usually this is done near the top of a hill.
  3. Judges 6:15 sir Or “ Lord ,” a title for God.
  4. Judges 6:19 20 pounds Literally, “1 ephah” (22 l).
  5. Judges 6:23 Calm down Literally, “Peace.”
  6. Judges 6:23 You will not die Gideon thought he would die because he had seen the Lord face to face.
  7. Judges 6:25 Choose … seven years old This translation follows one ancient Greek version. The standard Hebrew text has “Take the bull of the bull[s], the second bull, the seven-year-old one.” Adding different vowels to the Hebrew text gives a meaning similar to that in the translation above.
  8. Judges 6:32 Jerub-Baal This is like the Hebrew words meaning “Let Baal argue.” The same verb is translated “take one’s side” and “defend” in verse 31.

6 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord : and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord .

7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites,

8 That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;

9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;

10 And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

11 And there came an angel of the Lord , and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.

20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

21 Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord , Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.

23 And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord , and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:

26 And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.

31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.

32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.

33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Israel Oppressed by Midian

6 Then the sons of Israel ( A ) did what was evil in the sight of the Lord ; and the Lord handed them over to ( B ) Midian for seven years. 2 The [ a ] power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves ( C ) the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever Israel had sown, the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the [ b ] people of the east and [ c ] march against them. 4 So they would camp against them and ( D ) destroy the produce of the earth [ d ] as far as Gaza, and ( E ) leave no sustenance in Israel, nor a sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in ( F ) like locusts in number, and both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to ruin it. 6 So Israel was brought ( G ) very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord .

7 Now it came about, when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of Midian, 8 that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and ( H ) he said to them, “This is what the Lord , the God of Israel says: ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of [ e ] slavery. 9 And I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians, and from the hands of all your oppressors, and I drove them out from you and gave you their land, 10 and I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; you ( I ) shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.” But you have not [ f ] obeyed Me.’”

Gideon Is Visited

11 Then ( J ) the angel of the Lord came and sat under the [ g ] oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the ( K ) Abiezrite, as his son ( L ) Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” 13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But ( M ) now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 And the Lord [ h ] looked at him and said, “ ( N ) Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 ( O ) But he said to Him, “O Lord, [ i ] how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in ( P ) Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 ( Q ) Yet the Lord said to him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will [ j ] defeat Midian as one man.” 17 So [ k ] Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then perform for me ( R ) a sign that it is You speaking with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”

19 Then Gideon went in and ( S ) prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an [ l ] ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket [ m ] and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the [ n ] oak and presented them . 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and ( T ) fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord [ o ] vanished from his sight. 22 ( U ) When Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord , [ p ] he said, “Oh, Lord [ q ] God ! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you, do not be afraid; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it [ r ] The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still ( V ) in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 Now on the same night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull [ s ] and a second bull seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the [ t ] ( W ) Asherah that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly way, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.” 27 Then Gideon took ten men from his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.

The Altar of Baal Destroyed

28 When the people of the city got up early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal had been torn down, and the Asherah which had been beside it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar which had been built. 29 So they said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you save him? Whoever will contend for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, since someone has torn down his altar!” 32 Therefore on that day he named [ u ] Gideon ( X ) Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar.

33 Then all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the [ v ] people of the east assembled together; and they crossed over and camped in ( Y ) the Valley of Jezreel. 34 So ( Z ) the Spirit of the Lord [ w ] covered Gideon like clothing; and he ( AA ) blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, ( AB ) Zebulun, and Naphtali, and ( AC ) they came up to meet them.

Sign of the Fleece

36 Then Gideon said to God, “ ( AD ) If You are going to save Israel [ x ] through me, as You have spoken, 37 behold, I am putting a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will save Israel [ y ] through me, as You have spoken.” 38 And it was so. When he got up early the next morning and wrung out the fleece, he wrung the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “ ( AE ) Do not let Your anger burn against me, so that I may speak only one more time; please let me put You to the test only one more time with the fleece: let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” 40 And God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 6:2 Lit hand
  2. Judges 6:3 Lit sons
  3. Judges 6:3 Lit go up against
  4. Judges 6:4 Lit until your coming to
  5. Judges 6:8 Lit slaves
  6. Judges 6:10 Lit listened to My voice
  7. Judges 6:11 Or terebinth
  8. Judges 6:14 Or turned toward
  9. Judges 6:15 Lit with what
  10. Judges 6:16 Lit strike
  11. Judges 6:17 Lit he
  12. Judges 6:19 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
  13. Judges 6:19 Lit and he put
  14. Judges 6:19 Or terebinth
  15. Judges 6:21 Lit departed
  16. Judges 6:22 Lit Gideon
  17. Judges 6:22 Heb YHWH , usually rendered Lord
  18. Judges 6:24 Heb Yahweh-shalom
  19. Judges 6:25 Or even
  20. Judges 6:25 I.e., wooden symbol of a female deity; also vv 26, 28, 30
  21. Judges 6:32 Lit him
  22. Judges 6:33 Lit sons
  23. Judges 6:34 Lit clothed
  24. Judges 6:36 Lit by my hand
  25. Judges 6:37 Lit by my hand

Gideon

6 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord , ( A ) and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. ( B ) 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, ( C ) the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves ( D ) and strongholds. ( E ) 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites ( F ) and other eastern peoples ( G ) invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops ( H ) all the way to Gaza ( I ) and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. ( J ) It was impossible to count them or their camels; ( K ) they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out ( L ) to the Lord for help.

7 When the Israelites cried out ( M ) to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, ( N ) who said, “This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, ( O ) out of the land of slavery. ( P ) 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; ( Q ) I drove them out before you and gave you their land. ( R ) 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship ( S ) the gods of the Amorites, ( T ) in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

11 The angel of the Lord ( U ) came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah ( V ) that belonged to Joash ( W ) the Abiezrite, ( X ) where his son Gideon ( Y ) was threshing ( Z ) wheat in a winepress ( AA ) to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, ( AB ) mighty warrior. ( AC ) ”

13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders ( AD ) that our ancestors told ( AE ) us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned ( AF ) us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have ( AG ) and save ( AH ) Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan ( AI ) is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. ( AJ ) ”

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you ( AK ) , and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign ( AL ) that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”

19 Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, ( AM ) and from an ephah [ a ] ( AN ) of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. ( AO )

20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, ( AP ) and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread ( AQ ) with the tip of the staff ( AR ) that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized ( AS ) that it was the angel of the Lord , he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord ! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” ( AT )

23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. ( AU ) You are not going to die.” ( AV )

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called ( AW ) it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah ( AX ) of the Abiezrites.

25 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old. [ b ] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole [ c ] ( AY ) beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of [ d ] altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second [ e ] bull as a burnt offering. ( AZ ) ”

27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

28 In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar, ( BA ) demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!

29 They asked each other, “Who did this?”

When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash ( BB ) did it.”

30 The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar ( BC ) and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

31 But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause? ( BD ) Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” 32 So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal [ f ] ( BE ) that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites ( BF ) and other eastern peoples ( BG ) joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. ( BH ) 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on ( BI ) Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, ( BJ ) summoning the Abiezrites ( BK ) to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, ( BL ) Zebulun and Naphtali, ( BM ) so that they too went up to meet them. ( BN )

36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save ( BO ) Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece ( BP ) on the threshing floor. ( BQ ) If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know ( BR ) that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. ( BS ) Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. ( BT )

Footnotes

  1. Judges 6:19 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  2. Judges 6:25 Or Take a full-grown, mature bull from your father’s herd
  3. Judges 6:25 That is, a wooden symbol of the goddess Asherah; also in verses 26, 28 and 30
  4. Judges 6:26 Or build with layers of stone an
  5. Judges 6:26 Or full-grown ; also in verse 28
  6. Judges 6:32 Jerub-Baal probably means let Baal contend.
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