1And the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years.
2And the hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.
3And it would happen, whenever Israel had sown, that Midian and Amalek and the sons of the east would come up against him.
4And they would encamp against them and ruin the produce of the land as far as your approach to Gaza, and they would leave no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey.
5For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in abundance—they and their camels were without number—and they came into the land to ruin it.
6And Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh.
7And it happened, when the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh on account of Midian,
8that Yahweh sent a man, a prophet, to the sons of Israel, and he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: I myself brought you up from Egypt and led you out from the house of slaves.
9And I delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors; and I drove them out from before you and gave you their land.
10And I said to you, ‘I am Yahweh your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you did not obey my voice.”
11And the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while Gideon his son was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from Midian.
12And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, mighty warrior.”
13And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, then why has all this found us? And where are all his wonders that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has forsaken us and given us into the palm of Midian.”
14And Yahweh turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the palm of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
15And he said to him, “Please, my Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
16And Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike down Midian as one man.”
17And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then do for me a sign that it is you who are speaking with me.
18Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my gift and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay until your return.”
19And Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and an ephah of flour as unleavened bread; the meat he put in a basket and the broth he put in a pot, and he brought them out to him under the oak and presented them.
20And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and set them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
21And the angel of Yahweh reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire went up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread, and the angel of Yahweh went from his sight.
22And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh, and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! For now I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.”
23And Yahweh said to him, “Peace to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.”
24And Gideon built there an altar to Yahweh and called it “Yahweh is Peace.” To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25And it happened that night that Yahweh said to him, “Take the young bull that belongs to your father, and the second bull seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it.
26And build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you cut down.”
27And Gideon took ten men from his servants and did as Yahweh had spoken to him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.
28And the men of the city rose early in the morning, and behold, the altar of Baal was broken down and the Asherah beside it cut down, and the second bull had been offered up on the altar that had been built.
29And they said, each to his neighbor, “Who did this thing?” And they searched and inquired and said, “Gideon son of Joash did this thing.”
30And the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal and because he has cut down the Asherah that was beside it.”
31But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar.”
32So on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal contend against him, because he tore down his altar.”
33Now all Midian and Amalek and the people of the East gathered together, and they crossed over and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34Then the Spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, and Abiezer was called out behind him.
35And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and it too was summoned to follow behind him. He also sent messengers into Asher, and into Zebulun, and into Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.
36Then Gideon said to God, “If you are going to save Israel by my hand, as you have said—“
37look, I am setting a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, but on all the ground it is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.”
38And so it was. He rose early the next morning and wrung out the fleece, and he squeezed dew from the fleece—a bowl full of water.
39Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me, and let me speak just once more. Let me test, please, just this once with the fleece: let there be dryness on the fleece alone, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
40And God did so that night: there was dryness on the fleece alone, and on all the ground there was dew.
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