﻿Judges.
Chapter 6.
The people of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. 
The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel. Because of Midian, the people of Israel prepared mountain shelters, caves, and strongholds for themselves. 
Whenever Israel sowed, the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the east came up against them. 
They camped against them and destroyed the produce of the land as far as Gaza. They left no food in Israel, nor sheep, oxen, or donkeys. 
For they came up with their livestock and their tents, as numerous as locusts. Neither they nor their camels could be counted. They entered the land to destroy it. 
Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian, and the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. 
When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD because of Midian, 
the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. He said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 
I delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 
I said to you, “I am the LORD your God. You must not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.” But you have not obeyed my voice.’” 
The angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from Midian. 
The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” 
Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 
He said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s household.” 
The LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you will strike down Midian as one man.” 
He said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, please give me a sign that it is you who are speaking with me. 
Please do not leave here until I return to you, bring out my offering, and set it before you.” He said, “I will stay until you return.” 
Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from about twenty quarts of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, brought them out to him under the terebinth, and presented them. 
The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, put them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 
The angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire rose from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. 
Gideon realized that he was the angel of the LORD, and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” 
The LORD said to him, “Peace to you. Do not be afraid; you will not die.” 
Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 
That night the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s bull and the second bull, the seven-year-old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 
Build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this stronghold, arranging it in order. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” 
Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. Because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it at night. 
The men of the city rose early in the morning and found the altar of Baal torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered on the altar that had been built. 
They said to one another, “Who has done this?” They investigated and searched, and they said, “Gideon son of Joash has done this.” 
The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son so that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” 
But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever contends for him must be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been torn down.” 
So on that day he called Gideon Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal contend against him, because he has torn down his altar.” 
All the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the east gathered together, crossed over, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 
The Spirit of the LORD clothed himself with Gideon. Gideon blew the ram’s horn, and the Abiezrites were summoned to follow him. 
He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they too were summoned to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them. 
Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 
I am placing a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 
And it was so. He rose early the next day, squeezed the fleece, and wrung dew from it, a bowlful of water. 
Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me, but let me speak just this once. Please let me test just this once more with the fleece. Let the fleece alone be dry, and let there be dew on all the ground.” 
God did so that night. The fleece alone was dry, and there was dew on all the ground. 
