rsv Judges:6:11-24 SEEK
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Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak at Ophrah ,
which belonged to Jo '
ash the Abiez '
rite ,
as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press ,
to hide it from the Mid '
ianites .
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And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him , "
The LORD is with you ,
you mighty man of valor ."
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And Gideon said to him , "
Pray ,
sir ,
if the LORD is with us ,
why then has all this befallen us ?
And where are all his wonderful deeds which our fathers 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 Mid '
ian ."
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And the LORD turned to him and said , "
Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Mid '
ian ;
do not I send you ?"
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And he said to him , "
Pray ,
Lord ,
how can I deliver Israel ?
Behold ,
my clan is the weakest in Manas '
seh ,
and I am the least in my family ."
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And the LORD said to him , "
But I will be with you ,
and you shall smite the Mid '
ianites as one man ."
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And he said to him , "
If now I have found favor with thee ,
then show me a sign that it is thou who speakest with me .
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Do not depart from here ,
I pray thee ,
until I come to thee ,
and bring out my present ,
and set it before thee ."
And he said , "
I will stay till you return ."
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So 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 .
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And the angel of God said to him , "
Take the meat and the unleavened cakes ,
and put them on this rock ,
and pour the broth over them ."
And he did so .
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Then 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 there sprang up fire from the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes ;
and the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight .
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Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD ;
and Gideon said , "
Alas ,
O Lord GOD !
For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face ."
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But the LORD said to him , "
Peace be to you ;
do not fear ,
you shall not die ."
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Then 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 Abiez '
rites .