Judges:6

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* And the sons of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh : and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years . * And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel ; and because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which are in the mountains , and the caves , and the strongholds . * And so it was , when Israel had sown , that the Midianites came up , and the Amalekites , and the sons of the east ; they came up against them ; * and they encamped against them , and destroyed the increase of the earth , until you come to Gaza , and left no sustenance in Israel , neither sheep , nor ox , nor donkey . * For they came up with their cattle and their tents ; they came in as locusts for multitude ; both they and their camels were without number : and they came into the land to destroy it . * And Israel was brought very low because of Midian ; and the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh . * And it came to pass , when the sons of Israel cried to Yahweh because of Midian , * that Yahweh sent a prophet to the sons of Israel : and he said to them , This is what Yahweh , the God of Israel , says , I brought you (note :){+}(:note ) up from Egypt , and brought you {+} forth out of the house of slaves ; * and I delivered you (note :){+}(:note ) out of the hand of the Egyptians , and out of the hand of all who oppressed you {+}, and drove them out from before you {+}, and gave you {+} their land ; * and I said to you (note :){+}(:note ), I am Yahweh your {+} God ; you {+} will not fear the gods of the Amorites , in whose land you {+} dwell . But you {+} haven 't listened to my voice . * And the angel of Yahweh came , and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah , that pertained to Joash the Abiezrite : and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press , to hide it from the Midianites . * And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him , and said to him , Yahweh is with you , you mighty man of valor . * And Gideon said to him , Oh , my lord , if Yahweh is with us , then why does all this befall us ? And where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of , saying , Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt ? But now Yahweh has cast us off , and delivered us into the hand of Midian . * And Yahweh looked on him , and said , Go in this your might , and save Israel from the hand of Midian : haven 't I sent you ? * And he said to him , Oh , Lord , with what shall I save Israel ? Look , my family is the poorest in Manasseh , and I am the least in my father 's house . * And Yahweh said to him , Surely I will be with you , and you will strike the Midianites as one man . * And he said to him , If now I have found favor in your sight , then show me a sign that it is you who talks with me . * Do not depart from here , I pray you , until I come to you , and bring forth my present , and lay it before you . And he said , I will tarry until you come again . * And Gideon went in , and made ready a young goat , and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal : the flesh he put in a basket , and he put the broth in a pot , and brought it out to him under the oak , and presented it . * And the angel of God said to him , Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes , and lay them on this rock , and pour out the broth . And he did so . * Then the angel of Yahweh put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand , and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes ; and there went up fire out of the rock , and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes ; and the angel of Yahweh departed out of his sight . * And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh ; and Gideon said , Alas , O Sovereign Yahweh ! since I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face . * And Yahweh said to him , Peace be to you ; don 't be afraid : you will not die . * Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh , and called it Yahweh-shalom : to this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites . * And it came to pass the same night , that Yahweh said to him , Take your father 's bull , even the second bull seven years old , and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has , and cut down the Asherah that is by it ; * and build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold , in the orderly manner , and take the second bull , and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which you will cut down . * Then Gideon took ten men of his slaves , and did as Yahweh had spoken to him : and it came to pass , because he feared his father 's household and the men of the city , so that he could not do it by day , that he did it by night . * And when the men of the city arose early in the morning , look , the altar of Baal was broken down , and the Asherah was cut down that was by it , and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built . * And they said one to another , Who has done this thing ? And when they inquired and asked , they said , Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing . * Then the men of the city said to Joash , Bring out your son , that he may die , because he has broken down the altar of Baal , and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it . * And Joash said to all who stood against him , Will you (note :){+}(:note ) contend for Baal ? Or will you {+} save him ? He who will contend for him , let him be put to death while [it is yet ] morning : if he is a god , let him contend for himself , because one has broken down his altar . * Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal , saying , Let Baal contend against him , because he has broken down his altar . * Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves together ; and they passed over , and encamped in the valley of Jezreel . * But the Spirit of Yahweh came upon Gideon ; and he blew a trumpet ; and Abiezer was gathered together after him . * And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh ; and they also were gathered together after him : and he sent messengers to Asher , and to Zebulun , and to Naphtali ; and they came up to meet them . * And Gideon said to God , If you will save Israel by my hand , as you have spoken , * look , I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor ; if there will be dew on the fleece only , and it is dry on all the ground , then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand , as you have spoken . * And it was so ; for he rose up early on the next day , and pressed the fleece together , and wrung the dew out of the fleece , a bowlful of water . * And Gideon said to God , Don 't let your anger be kindled against me , and I will speak but this once : let me make trial , I pray you , but this once with the fleece ; let it now be dry only on the fleece , and on all the ground let there be dew . * And God did so that night : for it was dry on the fleece only , and there was dew on all the ground .

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