1 The children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of
Yahweh: and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.
2 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 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, until you come to Gaza, and left no sustenance in
Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey. 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 Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of
Israel cried to Yahweh. 7 It happened, when the children of Israel cried
to Yahweh because of Midian, 8 that Yahweh sent a prophet to the children
of Israel: and he said to them, Thus says Yahweh, 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 who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave
you their land; 10 and I said to you, I am Yahweh your God; you shall
not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you
have not listened to my voice. 11 The angel of Yahweh 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 winepress, to hide it from the
Midianites. 12 The angel of Yahweh appeared to him, and said to him,
Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor. 13 Gideon said to him, Oh, my
lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? and where are
all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Yahweh
bring us up from Egypt? but now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into
the hand of Midian. 14 Yahweh looked at him, and said, Go in this your
might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian: have not I sent you? 15 He
said to him, Oh, Lord, with which shall I save Israel? behold, my family is
the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
16 Yahweh said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the
Midianites as one man. 17 He said to him, If now I have found favor in
your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me. 18 Please
don’t go away, until I come to you, and bring out my present, and lay it
before you. He said, I will wait until you come again. 19 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 The angel of God said to him, Take the
flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the
broth. He did so. 21 Then the angel of Yahweh 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 Yahweh departed out of his sight.
22 Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh; and Gideon said, Alas, Lord
Yahweh! because I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face. 23 Yahweh
said to him, Peace be to you; don’t be afraid: you shall not die. 24 Then
Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it Yahweh-shalom: to this
day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 25 It happened the same night,
that Yahweh said to him, Take your father’s bull, even the second bull 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 Yahweh your God
on the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second
bull, 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 Yahweh
had spoken to him: and it happened, 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 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 bull was offered on the altar that was built. 29 They said
one to another, Who has done this thing? 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 Joash said to all who 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 while 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 named 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 Yahweh came on Gideon; and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered
together after him. 35 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 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 on all the ground, then shall I know
that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken. 38 It was so;
for he rose up early on the next day, and pressed the fleece together, and
wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Gideon said to
God, Don’t let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this
once: Please let me make a trial just this once with the fleece; let it now
be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew. 40 God
did so that night: for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on
all the ground.
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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