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The Book of Judges 6

6 The sons of Israel did this evil in the eyes of Yahweh, so Yahweh gave them over into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 Then the hand of Midian prevailed over Israel. On account of the presence of Midian, the sons of Israel made the dens for themselves which were in the mountains, the caves, and the strongholds. 3 Now it would happen whenever Israel sowed, that Midian and Amalek would come up, even sons of the east would come up against him. 4 They encamped around them and they ruined the produce of the land as far as your coming into Gaza. As a result means of sustaining life would not remain in Israel, neither sheep, nor cattle, nor donkey. 5 When they and their livestock would come up, along with their tents, they would come up as an abundance of a locust swarm because of the multitude. Of them and of their camels there was no counting thus they came into the land in order to destroy it. 6 Israel was severely impoverished because of the presence of Midian, so the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh.

7 Now it happened that when the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh on account of Midian, 8 that Yahweh sent a man, a prophet to the sons of Israel. He said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘I myself, have brought you up out of Egypt, and I have brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of all of those oppressing you. I drove them out of your presence, and I have surely given to you their land. 10 I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God; you shall not revere the gods of the Amorite, when you are dwelling in their land.” But you have not heeded my voice.’ ”

11 Now the messenger of Yahweh came and sat beneath the oak which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. Meanwhile Gideon, his son, was threshing out wheat at the winepress in order to hide from the presence of Midian. 12 Then the messenger of Yahweh appeared to him and declared to him, “Yahweh is with you, O warrior of valor!” 13 Gideon said to him, “With me, my lord? If Yahweh is with us, then why has all of this come to us? Where are all of his miraculous workings that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has forsaken us and given us over into the grasp of Midian.” 14 Then Yahweh turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and you shall deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 Then he replied to him, “Please, my lord! In what manner will I deliver Israel? See, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in the house of my father.” 16 Then Yahweh said to him, “Because I will be with you, indeed you shall destroy Midian as one man.” 17 He replied to him, “If indeed I have found favor in your eyes, then perform a sign for me that it is you speaking to me. 18 Please, do not depart from this place, until my coming to you then I will bring out my offering and I will set it before you.” So he said, “Myself, I will stay until your returning.”

19 Then Gideon went and he prepared a young goat and from an ephah of flour, unleavened bread. He placed the meat in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot and brought them out to him to beneath the oak tree, and he presented them. 20 Then the messenger of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and place them on this rock, and pour out the broth,” and he did so. 21 Then the messenger of Yahweh stretched out the edge of the staff that was in his hand. He touched the meat and the unleavened bread; the fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the messenger of Yahweh went away out of his sight. 22 When Gideon saw that he was the messenger of Yahweh, Gideon lamented, “Alas, O my Lord Yahweh, for because of this I have seen the messenger of Yahweh face to face!” 23 But Yahweh replied to him, “Peace be unto you! Do not be afraid, you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh and he named it Yahweh is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah of the Abiezerite.

25 Now it happened on that night that Yahweh said to him, “Take the young bull that belongs to your father, and the second bull seven years old, break into pieces the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it. 26 You shall build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this place of refuge in the usual arrangement. Then you shall take the second bull and you shall offer a whole burnt offering, on the wood pieces from the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men out of his servants and did just as Yahweh had instructed to him. Now it happened that because he was afraid of the household of his father and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.

28 When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, the Asherah that was beside it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar that had been built. 29 As a result each man said to his neighbor, “Who has done this thing?” When they inquired and searched, 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 so that he may die, because he tore down the altar of Baal, and because he cut down the Asherah that was beside it.” 31 Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you really contend on behalf of Baal? Will you really help him? Whoever contends for him, he will be put to death while it is still the morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself when someone tears down his altar.” 32 Therefore on that day he called him “Jerub Baal,” saying, “May the Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar.

33 Now all of Midian, Amalek, and the sons of the east assembled themselves together, and they crossed over and they camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon. As a result he blew the shofar, thus he summoned Abiezer after him. 35 Then he sent messengers in all of Manasseh, and he summoned him also after him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.

36 Then Gideon said to the true God, “If it is you delivering Israel by my hand, just as you have spoken, 37 Look, I am putting this fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If dew shall be upon the fleece, only it, but on all of the ground it is dry, then I will know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, just as you have spoken.” 38 Now it happened afterwards that he rose early on the next day, and he pressed the fleece together. He wrung out dew from the fleece, the amount that fills the basin with water. 39 Then Gideon said to the true God, “Do not let your anger burn against me, but may I speak only this time. May I please test only this time with the fleece? May it be, I pray, dry on the fleece, only it, but on all of the ground may there be dew.” 40 So God did this during that night. It was dry on the fleece, only it, but on all of the ground there was dew.

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