1 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.
