Judges 6-7 - Prayer Tents

Gideon Becomes Israel’s Judge

6The Israelites did evil in the LORD's sight. So the LORD handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.H1121H3478H6213H7451H5869H3068H3068H5414H3027H4080H7651H81412The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.H3027H4080H5810H3478H6440H4080H1121H3478H6213H4492H2022H4631H46793Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel,H3478H2232H4080H5927H6002H1121H6924H59274camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys.H2583H7843H2981H776H935H5804H7604H4241H3478H7716H7794H25435These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare.H5927H4735H168H935H935H1767H697H7230H1581H4557H935H776H78436So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.H3478H3966H1809H6440H4080H1121H3478H2199H30687When they cried out to the LORD because of Midian,H1121H3478H2199H3068H182H40808the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of slavery in Egypt.H3068H7971H376H5030H1121H3478H559H559H3068H430H3478H5927H4714H3318H1004H56509I rescued you from the Egyptians and from all who oppressed you. I drove out your enemies and gave you their land.H5337H3027H4714H3027H3905H1644H6440H5414H77610I told you, 'I am the LORD your God. You must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you now live.' But you have not listened to me."H559H3068H430H3372H430H567H776H3427H8085H696311Then the angel of the LORD came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.H935H4397H3068H3427H424H6084H3101H33H1121H1439H2251H2406H1660H5127H6440H408012The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!"H4397H3068H7200H559H3068H1368H242813"Sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn't they say, 'The LORD brought us up out of Egypt'? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites."H1439H559H994H113H3426H3068H4672H6381H1H5608H559H3068H5927H4714H3068H5203H5414H3709H408014Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!"H3068H6437H559H3212H3581H3467H3478H3709H4080H797115"But Lord," Gideon replied, "how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!"H559H994H136H4100H3467H3478H504H505H1800H4519H6810H1H100416The LORD said to him, "I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man."H3068H559H5221H4080H259H37617Gideon replied, "If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the LORD speaking to me.H559H4672H2580H5869H6213H226H169618Don't go away until I come back and bring my offering to you." He answered, "I will stay here until you return."H4185H935H3318H4503H3240H6440H559H3427H772519Gideon hurried home. He cooked a young goat, and with a basket of flour he baked some bread without yeast. Then, carrying the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out and presented them to the angel, who was under the great tree.H1439H935H6213H5795H1423H4682H374H7058H1320H7760H5536H7760H4839H6517H3318H424H506620The angel of God said to him, "Place the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock, and pour the broth over it." And Gideon did as he was told.H4397H430H559H3947H1320H4682H3240H1975H5553H8210H4839H621321Then the angel of the LORD touched the meat and bread with the tip of the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought. And the angel of the LORD disappeared.H4397H3068H7971H7097H4938H3027H5060H1320H4682H5927H784H6697H398H1320H4682H4397H3068H1980H586922When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he cried out, "Oh, Sovereign LORD, I'm doomed! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"H1439H7200H4397H3068H1439H559H162H136H3069H3651H7200H4397H3068H6440H644023"It is all right," the LORD replied. "Do not be afraid. You will not die."H3068H559H7965H3372H419124And Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and named it Yahweh-Shalom (which means "the LORD is peace"). The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of the clan of Abiezer to this day.H1439H1129H4196H3068H7121H3073H3117H6084H3325That night the LORD said to Gideon, "Take the second bull from your father's herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father's altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it.H3915H3068H559H3947H1H6499H7794H8145H6499H7651H8141H2040H4196H1168H1H3772H84226Then build an altar to the LORD your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down."H1129H4196H3068H430H7218H4581H4634H3947H8145H6499H5927H5930H6086H842H377227So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father's household and the people of the town.H1439H3947H6235H582H5650H6213H3068H1696H3372H1H1004H582H5892H6213H3119H6213H391528Early the next morning, as the people of the town began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal had been broken down and that the Asherah pole beside it had been cut down. In their place a new altar had been built, and on it were the remains of the bull that had been sacrificed.H582H5892H7925H1242H4196H1168H5422H842H3772H8145H6499H5927H4196H112929The people said to each other, "Who did this?" And after asking around and making a careful search, they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.H559H376H7453H6213H1697H1875H1245H559H1439H1121H3101H6213H169730"Bring out your son," the men of the town demanded of Joash. "He must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah pole."H582H5892H559H3101H3318H1121H4191H5422H4196H1168H3772H84231But Joash shouted to the mob that confronted him, "Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar!"H3101H559H5975H7378H1168H3467H7378H4191H1242H430H7378H5422H419632From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means "Let Baal defend himself," because he broke down Baal's altar.H3117H7121H3378H559H1168H7378H5422H4196

Gideon Asks for a Sign

33Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east formed an alliance against Israel and crossed the Jordan, camping in the valley of Jezreel.H4080H6002H1121H6924H622H3162H5674H2583H6010H315734Then the Spirit of the LORD took possession of Gideon. He blew a ram's horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.H7307H3068H3847H1439H8628H7782H44H2199H31035He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their warriors, and all of them responded.H7971H4397H4519H2199H310H7971H4397H836H2074H5321H5927H712536Then Gideon said to God, "If you are truly going to use me to rescue Israel as you promised,H1439H559H430H3426H3467H3478H3027H169637prove it to me in this way. I will put a wool fleece on the threshing floor tonight. If the fleece is wet with dew in the morning but the ground is dry, then I will know that you are going to help me rescue Israel as you promised."H3322H1492H6785H1637H2919H1492H2721H776H3045H3467H3478H3027H169638And that is just what happened. When Gideon got up early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out a whole bowlful of water.H7925H4283H2115H1492H2115H4680H2919H1492H5602H4393H432539Then Gideon said to God, "Please don't be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Let me use the fleece for one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet with dew."H1439H559H430H639H2734H1696H6471H5254H6471H1492H2721H1492H776H291940So that night God did as Gideon asked. The fleece was dry in the morning, but the ground was covered with dew.H430H6213H3915H2721H1492H2919H776

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

7So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.H3378H1439H5971H7925H2583H5878H4264H4080H6828H1389H4176H6010 2The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.H3068H559H1439H5971H7227H5414H4080H3027H3478H6286H559H3027H3467 3Therefore, tell the people, 'Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.'" So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.H4994H7121H241H5971H559H3373H2730H7725H6852H2022H1568H7725H5971H6242H8147H505H7604H6235H505 4But the LORD told Gideon, "There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not."H3068H559H1439H5971H7227H3381H4325H6884H559H3212H3212H559H3212H3212 5When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the LORD told him, "Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream."H3381H5971H4325H3068H559H1439H3952H4325H3956H3611H3952H3322H3766H1290H8354 6Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.H4557H3952H3027H6310H7969H3967H376H3499H5971H3766H1290H8354H4325 7The LORD told Gideon, "With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home."H3068H559H1439H7969H3967H376H3952H3467H5414H4080H3027H5971H3212H376H4725 8So Gideon collected the provisions and rams' horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him. The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon.H5971H3947H6720H3027H7782H7971H376H3478H376H168H2388H7969H3967H376H4264H4080H6010 9That night the LORD said, "Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them!H3915H3068H559H6965H3381H4264H5414H3027 10But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah.H3373H3381H3381H6513H5288H3381H4264 11Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack." So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp.H8085H1696H310H3027H2388H3381H4264H3381H6513H5288H7097H2571H4264 12The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count!H4080H6002H1121H6924H5307H6010H697H7230H1581H4557H2344H3220H8193H7230 13Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, "I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!"H1439H935H376H5608H2472H7453H559H2492H2472H6742H6742H8184H3899H2015H4264H4080H935H168H5221H5307H2015H4605H168H5307 14His companion answered, "Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!"H7453H6030H559H2719H1439H1121H3101H376H3478H3027H430H5414H4080H4264 15When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the LORD. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, "Get up! For the LORD has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!"H1439H8085H4557H2472H7667H7812H7725H4264H3478H559H6965H3068H5414H3027H4264H4080 16He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram's horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.H2673H7969H3967H376H7969H7218H5414H7782H3027H7386H3537H3940H8432H3537 17Then he said to them, "Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do.H559H7200H6213H935H7097H4264H6213H6213 18As soon as I and those with me blow the rams' horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon!'"H8628H7782H8628H7782H5439H4264H559H3068H1439 19It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams' horns and broke their clay jars.H1439H3967H376H935H7097H4264H7218H8484H821H389H6965H6965H8104H8628H7782H5310H3537H3027 20Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!"H7969H7218H8628H7782H7665H3537H2388H3940H8040H3027H7782H3225H3027H8628H7121H2719H3068H1439 21Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape.H5975H376H5439H4264H4264H7323H7321H5127H5127 22When the 300 Israelites blew their rams' horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.H7969H3967H8628H7782H3068H7760H376H2719H7453H4264H4264H5127H1029H6888H8193H65H2888 23Then Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, who joined in chasing the army of Midian.H376H3478H6817H5321H836H4519H7291H310H4080 24Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down to attack the Midianites. Cut them off at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River at Beth-barah." So all the men of Ephraim did as they were told.H1439H7971H4397H2022H669H559H3381H7125H4080H3920H4325H1012H3383H376H669H6817H3920H4325H1012H3383 25They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders, killing Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they continued to chase the Midianites. Afterward the Israelites brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan River.H3920H8147H8269H4080H6159H2062H2026H6159H6697H6159H2062H2026H3342H2062H7291H4080H935H7218H6159H2062H1439H5676H3383