“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.” (Judges 6:1-40 AV)
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