The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Judges 06
1 The children of Israel did that which
was evil in Yahweh’s sight, so Yahweh deliveredtheminto
the hand of Midianseven
years.
2 The hand of Midian prevailed against
Israel; and because of Midian the children
of Israel made themselves the dens which
are in the mountains, the caves, and the
strongholds.
3 So it was, when Israel had sown, that
the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the
children of the east came up against them.
4 They encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the
earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in
Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey.
5 For they came up with their livestock
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.
6 Israel was brought very low because of
Midian; and the children of Israel cried to
Yahweh.
7 When the children of Israel cried to
Yahweh because of Midian,
8 Yahweh sent a prophet to the children
ofIsrael; and he said to them, “Yahweh, the
God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you up from
Egypt, and brought you out of the house of
bondage.
9 I delivered you 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.
10 I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God.
You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites,
in whose landyoudwell.” But youhavenot
listened to my voice.’ ”
11 Yahweh’s angel came and sat under
the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son
Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine
press, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 Yahweh’s angel appeared to him, and
said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you
mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if
Yahweh is with us, why then has all this
happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of,
saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us up from
Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has cast us off,
and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
14 Yahweh looked at him, and said, “Go
in this your might, and save Israelfrom the
hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”
15 He said to him, “O Lord,† how shall
I save Israel? Behold, my family is the
poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in
my father’s house.”
16 Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be
with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
17 He said to him, “If now I have found
favor in your sight, then show me a sign
that it is you who talk with me.
18 Please don’t go away until I come to
you, and bring out my present, and lay it
before you.” He said, “I will wait until you come
back.”
19 Gideon went in and prepared a young
goat and unleavened cakes of an ephah‡ of
meal. He put the meat in a basket and he
put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to
him under the oak, and presented it.
20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the
meat and the unleavened cakes, and lay
them on this rock, and pour out the broth.”
He did so.
21 Then Yahweh’s angel stretched out
the end of the staff that was in his hand,
and touched the meat and the unleavened
cakes; and fire went up out of the rock and
consumed the meat and the unleavened
cakes. Then Yahweh’s angel departed out
of his sight.
22 Gideon saw that he was Yahweh’s angel; and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh!
Because I have seen Yahweh’s angelface to
face!”
23 Yahweh said to him, “Peace be to you!
Don’t be afraid. You shall not die.”
24 Then Gideon built an altar there to
Yahweh, and called it “Yahweh is Peace.”§
To this day it is still in Ophrah of the
Abiezrites.
25 That same night, 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.
26 Then build an altar to Yahweh your
God on the top of this stronghold, in an
orderly way, and take the second bull, and
offer a burnt offering with the wood of the
Asherah which you shall cut down.”
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did
as Yahweh had spoken tohim. Because he feared his father’s
household and the men of the city, he could not
do it by day, but he did it by night.
28 When the men of the city arose early
in the morning, behold, 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.
29 They said to one another, “Who has
done this thing?” When they inquired and asked, they
said, “Gideon the son ofJoash has done this
thing.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash,
“Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar ofBaal,
and because he has cut down the Asherah
that was by it.”
31 Joash said to all who stood against him,
“Will you contend for Baal? Or will you
save him? He who will contend for him, let
him be put to death by morning! If he is a
god, let him contend for himself, because
someone has broken down his altar!”
32 Therefore on that day he named
him Jerub-Baal,† saying, “Let Baal contend
against him, because he has broken down
his altar.”
33 Then all the Midianites and the
Amalekites and the children of the east
assembled themselves together; and they
passed over, and encamped in the valley
of Jezreel.
34 But Yahweh’s Spirit came on Gideon,
and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was
gathered together to follow him.
35 He sent messengers throughout all
Manasseh, and they also were gathered together to follow him. He sent messengers
to Asher, to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and
they came up to meet them.
36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save
Israel by my hand, as you have spoken,
37 behold, I will put a fleece of wool on
the threshing floor. If there is dew on the
fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground,
then I’ll know that you will save Israel by
my hand, as you have spoken.”
38 It was so; for he rose up early on the
next day, and pressed the fleece together,
and wrung the dew out ofthefleece, a bowl
full of water.
39 Gideon said to God, “Don’t let your
anger be kindled against me, and I will
speak but this once. Please let me make a
trial just this once with the fleece. Let it
now be dry only on the fleece, and on all
the ground let there be dew.”
40 God did so that night; for it was dry on
the fleece only, and there was dew on all
the ground.