Judges 6
6The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.H1121H3478H6213H7451H5869H3068H3068H5414H3027H4080H7651H81412The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves and strongholds.H3027H4080H5810H3478H6440H4080H1121H3478H6213H4492H2022H4631H46793For whenever the Israelites put in seed, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.H3478H2232H4080H5927H6002H1121H6924H59274They would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or donkey.H2583H7843H2981H776H935H5804H7604H4241H3478H7716H7794H25435For they and their livestock would come up, and they would even bring their tents, as thick as locusts; neither they nor their camels could be counted; so they wasted the land as they came in.H5927H4735H168H935H935H1767H697H7230H1581H4557H935H776H78436Thus Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.H3478H3966H1809H6440H4080H1121H3478H2199H30687When the Israelites cried to the LORD on account of the Midianites,H1121H3478H2199H3068H182H40808the LORD sent a prophet to the Israelites; and he said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of slavery;H3068H7971H376H5030H1121H3478H559H559H3068H430H3478H5927H4714H3318H1004H56509and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you, and gave you their land;H5337H3027H4714H3027H3905H1644H6440H5414H77610and I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.' But you have not given heed to my voice."H559H3068H430H3372H430H567H776H3427H8085H696311Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites.H935H4397H3068H3427H424H6084H3101H33H1121H1439H2251H2406H1660H5127H6440H408012The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior."H4397H3068H7200H559H3068H1368H242813Gideon answered him, "But sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian."H1439H559H994H113H3426H3068H4672H6381H1H5608H559H3068H5927H4714H3068H5203H5414H3709H408014Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you."H3068H6437H559H3212H3581H3467H3478H3709H4080H797115He responded, "But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."H559H994H136H4100H3467H3478H504H505H1800H4519H6810H1H100416The LORD said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them."H3068H559H5221H4080H259H37617Then he said to him, "If now I have found favor with you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.H559H4672H2580H5869H6213H226H169618Do not depart from here until I come to you, and bring out my present, and set it before you." And he said, "I will stay until you return."H4185H935H3318H4503H3240H6440H559H3427H772519So Gideon went into his house and prepared a kid, and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them.H1439H935H6213H5795H1423H4682H374H7058H1320H7760H5536H7760H4839H6517H3318H424H506620The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so.H4397H430H559H3947H1320H4682H3240H1975H5553H8210H4839H621321Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.H4397H3068H7971H7097H4938H3027H5060H1320H4682H5927H784H6697H398H1320H4682H4397H3068H1980H586922Then Gideon perceived that it was the angel of the LORD; and Gideon said, "Help me, Lord GOD! For I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face."H1439H7200H4397H3068H1439H559H162H136H3069H3651H7200H4397H3068H6440H644023But the LORD said to him, "Peace be to you; do not fear, you shall not die."H3068H559H7965H3372H419124Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it, The LORD is peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.H1439H1129H4196H3068H7121H3073H3117H6084H3325That night the LORD said to him, "Take your father's bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the sacred pole that is beside it;H3915H3068H559H3947H1H6499H7794H8145H6499H7651H8141H2040H4196H1168H1H3772H84226and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of the stronghold here, in proper order; then take the second bull, and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the sacred pole that you shall cut down."H1129H4196H3068H430H7218H4581H4634H3947H8145H6499H5927H5930H6086H842H377227So Gideon took ten of his servants, and did as the LORD had told him; but because he was too afraid of his family and the townspeople to do it by day, he did it by night.H1439H3947H6235H582H5650H6213H3068H1696H3372H1H1004H582H5892H6213H3119H6213H391528When the townspeople rose early in the morning, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the sacred pole beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built.H582H5892H7925H1242H4196H1168H5422H842H3772H8145H6499H5927H4196H112929So they said to one another, "Who has done this?" After searching and inquiring, they were told, "Gideon son of Joash did it."H559H376H7453H6213H1697H1875H1245H559H1439H1121H3101H6213H169730Then the townspeople said to Joash, "Bring out your son, so that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the sacred pole beside it."H582H5892H559H3101H3318H1121H4191H5422H4196H1168H3772H84231But Joash said to all who were arrayed against him, "Will you contend for Baal? Or will you defend his cause? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been pulled down."H3101H559H5975H7378H1168H3467H7378H4191H1242H430H7378H5422H419632Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he pulled down his altar.H3117H7121H3378H559H1168H7378H5422H419633Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and crossing the Jordan they encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.H4080H6002H1121H6924H622H3162H5674H2583H6010H315734But the spirit of the LORD took possession of Gideon; and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.H7307H3068H3847H1439H8628H7782H44H2199H31035He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.H7971H4397H4519H2199H310H7971H4397H836H2074H5321H5927H712536Then Gideon said to God, "In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said,H1439H559H430H3426H3467H3478H3027H169637I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said."H3322H1492H6785H1637H2919H1492H2721H776H3045H3467H3478H3027H169638And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water.H7925H4283H2115H1492H2115H4680H2919H1492H5602H4393H432539Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew."H1439H559H430H639H2734H1696H6471H5254H6471H1492H2721H1492H776H291940And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.H430H6213H3915H2721H1492H2919H776
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