6 The Israelis did things that Yahweh considered evil so he handed them over to the Midian for seven years 2 and the Midianites oppressed them badly. It was so bad that the Israelis made dens for themselves up in the hills, in caves, and in small, fortified settlements. 3 Whenever the Israelis planted a crop, the Midianites or the Amalekites, or eastern groups would attack them. 4 They would set up their camps around them and destroy the crops as far away as Gaza—they left nothing for the Israelis to eat, and no sheep, cattle, or donkeys. 5 It was like a swarm of locusts when they’d all come with their tents and their livestock—you couldn’t even count their camels! They entered the region to totally ravage it. 6 Thus Israel was severely weakened by Midian, and the Israelis cried out to Yahweh.

7 When the Israelis cried out to Yahweh concerning Midian, 8 Yahweh sent a prophet to them and he told them, “Israel’s God Yahweh says, ‘I myself brought you all out of slavery in Egypt— 9 rescuing you from the Egyptians who were oppressing you all. I drove them out when you all entered and I’ve certainly given their land to you. 10 I told you all that I’m your God Yahweh and that when you live in the Amorite regions, you all mustn’t worship their gods. But you didn’t listen to what I said.’ ”

11 One day Yahweh’s messenger came and sat beneath the oak tree in the town of Ofrah. (The tree belonged to the Abiezrite, Yoash.) Yoah’s son Gideon was beating wheat down in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites 12 when Yahweh’s messenger appeared to him and said, “Yahweh is with you, you powerful warrior.”

13 “With me, my master?” Gideon asked. “If Yahweh is with us, then why’s all of this happened to us? Where are all of the miracles that our ancestors told us about, saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has forsaken us and handed us over to the Midianites.”

14 Then Yahweh turned to him and said, “Use your strength to set Israel free from the grasp of Midian. Haven’t I sent you to do that?”

15 “Please, my master,” Gideon replied, “how could I save Israel? Look, my clan is the weakest in Manashsheh and on top of that, I’m the youngest in my family.”

16 “I’ll help you,” said Yahweh, “and you’ll strike down all the Midianites as easily as battling just one man.”

17 “If indeed I’ve found favour in your eyes,” Gideon requested, “then show me a miracle so I’ll know that it’s God speaking to me. 18 Please wait here while I go and prepare my gift for you and bring it back here for you.”

“Ok, I’ll stay here until you get back,” he said.

19 Then Gideon went a prepared a young goat and unrisen bread. He put the meat in a basket and the soup in a pot and brought them out to the oak tree and offered them to him. 20 Then God’s messenger said, “Take the meat and the flat bread and put them on this rock, then pour the soup out over it.” So Gideon did that 21 and Yahweh’s messenger stretched out the staff that he was holding and touched the meat and bread with the end of it. A fire flamed up from the rock and burned up the meat and bread, then Yahweh’s messenger went out of his sight.[fn]

22 When Gideon realised that it really had been Yahweh’s messenger, he was upset and said, “Oh no, my master Yahweh, what will happen now that I’ve seen Yahweh’s face to face?” 23 But Yahweh replied to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid—you won’t die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to sacrifice to Yahweh and named it ‘Yahweh is peace’. (It’s still stands there at Ofrah of the Abiezrite to this day.)

25 That same night, Yahweh told him, “Take the young bull that belongs to your father, and the second bull seven years old. Break the altar of Baal into pieces that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah pole that’s beside it. 26 Build a regular altar to your God Yahweh on top of this stronghold, then take the second bull and offer a whole burnt offering using the Asherah pole that you cut down for firewood.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did what Yahweh had instructed him to, but he did it at night because he was afraid to do it in the daytime—fearing the anger of his father’s household and the men of the city.

28 When the men of the city got up early the next morning, wow, the Baal’s altar had been torn down, the Asherah pole that was beside it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered on a new altar that had been built. 29 So people started asking each other, “Who did this?” After some investigation, they said, “Yoash’s son Gideon did it.” 30 Then the men of the city told Yoash, “Bring your son out here to be executed, because he tore down the Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole that was beside it.”

31 “Are you all really fighting Baal’s battle for him?” Yoash replied to those standing against him. “Are you all really helping him? Whoever fights on his behalf should be be put to death while it is still the morning. If Baal is a god, then let him stand up for himself when someone tears down his altar.” 32 So after that, he called Gideon ‘Yerub-Baal’ to say ‘Let Baal defend himself,’ because he had torn down Baal’s altar.

33 Meanwhile all the Midianite and Amalekite warriors and others from the east, assembled together. Then they crossed the Yordan and set up camp in the Jezreel valley. 34 But Yahweh’s spirit enabled Gideon, and he blew a trumpet and called the men of Abiezer to follow him. 35 Then he sent messengers throughout all of the regions of Manashsheh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naftali, and summoned their warriors to come and join with them.

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If it’s really you rescuing Israel through me like you said, 37 I’ll put this woollen fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If there’s dew on the fleece in the morning, but it’s dry around it, then I’ll know that you’ll rescue Israel through me just as you said.” 38 And that’s what happened—he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece and wrung out a bowl full of water from the dew. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Don’t be angry with me, but can I ask one more thing. Let me put the fleece out this time, and let the fleece be dry, but wet all around it with dew.” 40 So God did it that night, and the next morning only the fleece was dry, but everywhere around was covered with dew.