Judg 6
1
And the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of YHWH: and YHWH
delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2
And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children
of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.
3
And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites,
and the children of the east; they came up against them;
4
and they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till you
come to Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
5
For they came up with their cattle and their tents; they came in as locusts for multitude;
both they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy
it.
6
And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried
to YHWH.
7
And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried to YHWH because of Midian,
8
that YHWH sent a prophet to the children of Israel: and he said to them, Thus says
YHWH, the 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 drove them out from before you, and gave you their land;
10
and I said to you, I am YHWH your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites,
in whose land you dwell. But you have not hearkened to my voice.
11
And the angel of YHWH came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained
to Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press,
to hide it from the Midianites.
12
And the angel of YHWH appeared to him, and said to him, YHWH is with you, you mighty
man of valor.
13
And Gideon said to him, Oh, my lord, if YHWH is with us, why then is all this befallen
us? and where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did
not YHWH bring us up from Egypt? but now YHWH has cast us off, and delivered us into
the hand of Midian.
14
And YHWH looked upon him, and said, Go in this your might, and save Israel from the
hand of Midian: have not I sent you?
15
And he said to him, Oh, Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is
the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father`s house.
16
And YHWH said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites
as one man.
17
And he said to him, If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that
it is you that talk with me.
18
Depart not hence, I pray you, until I come to you, and bring forth my present, and
lay it before you. And he said, I will tarry until you come again.
19
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal:
the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to
him under the oak, and presented it.
20
And the angel of God said to 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 YHWH put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched
the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed
the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of YHWH departed out of his sight.
22
And Gideon saw that he was the angel of YHWH; and Gideon said, Alas, O Lord YHWH!
seeing that as I have seen the angel of YHWH face to face.
23
And YHWH said to him, Peace be to you; fear not: you shall not die.
24
Then Gideon built an altar there to YHWH, and called it YHWH-shalom: to this day it
is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25
And it came to pass the same night, that YHWH said to him, Take your father`s bullock,
even the second bullock seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your
father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it;
26
and build an altar to YHWH your God upon the top of this stronghold, in the orderly
manner, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the
Asherah which you shall cut down.
27
Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as YHWH had spoken to him: and it
came to pass, because he feared his father`s household and the men of the city, so
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 broken down, and the Asherah 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 has done this thing? And when they inquired and
asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.
30
Then the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out your son, that he may die, because
he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that
was by it.
31
And Joash said to all that stood against him, Will you contend for Baal? Or will you
save him? he who will contend for him, let him be put to death whilst [it is yet]
morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one has broken down
his altar.
32
Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contend against him,
because he has broken down his altar.
33
Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled
themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel.
34
But the Spirit of YHWH came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered
together after him.
35
And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together
after him: and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they
came up to meet them.
36
And Gideon said to God, If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken,
37
behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor; if there be dew on the
fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that you will save
Israel by my hand, as you have spoken.
38
And it was so; for he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece together,
and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
39
And Gideon said to God, Let not your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak
but this once: let me make trial, I pray you, 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.