6The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD handed them over to Midian seven years,H1121H3478H6213H7451H5869H3068H3068H5414H3027H4080H7651H81412and they oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.H3027H4080H5810H3478H6440H4080H1121H3478H6213H4492H2022H4631H46793Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the eastern peoples came and attacked them.H3478H2232H4080H5927H6002H1121H6924H59274They encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox or donkey.H2583H7843H2981H776H935H5804H7604H4241H3478H7716H7794H25435For the Midianites came with their cattle and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to waste it.H5927H4735H168H935H935H1767H697H7230H1581H4557H935H776H78436So Israel became poverty stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.H3478H3966H1809H6440H4080H1121H3478H2199H30687When the Israelites cried out to Him because of Midian,H1121H3478H2199H3068H182H40808the LORD sent a prophet to them. He said to them, "This is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery.H3068H7971H376H5030H1121H3478H559H559H3068H430H3478H5927H4714H3318H1004H56509I delivered you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.H5337H3027H4714H3027H3905H1644H6440H5414H77610I said to you: I am the LORD your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. But you did not obey Me.'"H559H3068H430H3372H430H567H776H3427H8085H696311The Angel of the LORD came, and He sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat in order to hide it from the Midianites.H935H4397H3068H3427H424H6084H3101H33H1121H1439H2251H2406H1660H5127H6440H408012Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said: "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."H4397H3068H7200H559H3068H1368H242813Gideon said to Him, "Please Sir, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about? They said, 'Hasn't the LORD brought us out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian."H1439H559H994H113H3426H3068H4672H6381H1H5608H559H3068H5927H4714H3068H5203H5414H3709H408014The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not sending you?"H3068H6437H559H3212H3581H3467H3478H3709H4080H797115He said to Him, "Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house."H559H994H136H4100H3467H3478H504H505H1800H4519H6810H1H100416"But I will be with you," the LORD said to him. "You will strike Midian down [as if it were] one man."H3068H559H5221H4080H259H37617Then he said to Him, "If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that You are speaking with me.H559H4672H2580H5869H6213H226H169618Please do not leave this place until I return to You. Let me bring my gift and set it before You." And He said, "I will stay until you return."H4185H935H3318H4503H3240H6440H559H3427H772519So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to Him under the oak.H1439H935H6213H5795H1423H4682H374H7058H1320H7760H5536H7760H4839H6517H3318H424H506620The Angel of God said to him, "Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth [on it]." And he did so.H4397H430H559H3947H1320H4682H3240H1975H5553H8210H4839H621321The Angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in His hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the Angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.H4397H3068H7971H7097H4938H3027H5060H1320H4682H5927H784H6697H398H1320H4682H4397H3068H1980H586922When Gideon realized that He was the Angel of the LORD, he said, "Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face!"H1439H7200H4397H3068H1439H559H162H136H3069H3651H7200H4397H3068H6440H644023But the LORD said to him, "Peace to you. Don't be afraid, for you will not die."H3068H559H7965H3372H419124So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it Yahweh Shalom. It is in Ophrah of the Abiezrites until today.H1439H1129H4196H3068H7121H3073H3117H6084H3325On that very night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.H3915H3068H559H3947H1H6499H7794H8145H6499H7651H8141H2040H4196H1168H1H3772H84226Build a well-constructed altar to the LORD your God on the top of this rock. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down."H1129H4196H3068H430H7218H4581H4634H3947H8145H6499H5927H5930H6086H842H377227So Gideon took 10 of his male servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night.H1439H3947H6235H582H5650H6213H3068H1696H3372H1H1004H582H5892H6213H3119H6213H391528When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal's altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built.H582H5892H7925H1242H4196H1168H5422H842H3772H8145H6499H5927H4196H112929They said to each other, "Who did this?" After they made a thorough investigation, they said, "Gideon son of Joash did it."H559H376H7453H6213H1697H1875H1245H559H1439H1121H3101H6213H169730Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it."H582H5892H559H3101H3318H1121H4191H5422H4196H1168H3772H84231But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Would you plead Baal's case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case, because someone tore down his altar."H3101H559H5975H7378H1168H3467H7378H4191H1242H430H7378H5422H419632That day, Gideon's father called him Jerubbaal, saying, "Let Baal plead his case with him," because he tore down his altar.H3117H7121H3378H559H1168H7378H5422H419633All the Midianites, Amalekites, and Qedemites gathered together, crossed over [the Jordan], and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.H4080H6002H1121H6924H622H3162H5674H2583H6010H315734The Spirit of the LORD enveloped Gideon, and he blew the ram's horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him.H7307H3068H3847H1439H8628H7782H44H2199H31035He sent messengers throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who [also] came to meet him.H7971H4397H4519H2199H310H7971H4397H836H2074H5321H5927H712536Then Gideon said to God, "If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You said,H1439H559H430H3426H3467H3478H3027H169637I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength, as You said."H3322H1492H6785H1637H2919H1492H2721H776H3045H3467H3478H3027H169638And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water.H7925H4283H2115H1492H2115H4680H2919H1492H5602H4393H432539Gideon then said to God, "Don't be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground."H1439H559H430H639H2734H1696H6471H5254H6471H1492H2721H1492H776H291940That night God did [as Gideon requested]: only the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the ground.H430H6213H3915H2721H1492H2919H776
Dublin, OH
