[[Judges 5|<< Judges 5]] | [[Judges|Judges]] | [[Judges 7|Judges 7 >>]] ### Judges 6 1 AND the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. ^1 2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: _and_ because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which _are_ in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. ^2 3 And _so_ it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them; ^3 4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. ^4 5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; _for_ both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. ^5 6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. ^6 7 ¶ And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, ^7 8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; ^8 9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land; ^9 10 And I said unto you, I _am_ the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. ^10 11 ¶ And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which _was_ in Ophrah, that _pertained_ unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide _it_ from the Midianites. ^11 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD _is_ with thee, thou mighty man of valour. ^12 13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where _be_ all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD has forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. ^13 14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? ^14 15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family _is_ poor in Manasseh, and I _am_ the least in my father's house. ^15 16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. ^16 17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me. ^17 18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set _it_ before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again. ^18 19 ¶ And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought _it_ out unto him under the oak, and presented _it_. ^19 20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay _them_ upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. ^20 21 ¶ Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that _was_ in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. ^21 22 And when Gideon perceived that he _was_ an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. ^22 23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace _be_ unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. ^23 24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it _is_ yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. ^24 25 ¶ And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father has, and cut down the grove that _is_ by it: ^25 26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. ^26 27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and _so_ it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do _it_ by day, that he did _it_ by night. ^27 28 ¶ And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that _was_ by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar _that_ _was_ built. ^28 29 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. ^29 30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he has cast down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the grove that _was_ by it. ^30 31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst _it_ _is_ _yet_ morning: if he _be_ a god, let him plead for himself, because _one_ has cast down his altar. ^31 32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he has thrown down his altar. ^32 33 ¶ Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. ^33 34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him. ^34 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. ^35 36 ¶ And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, ^36 37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; _and_ if the dew be on the fleece only, and _it_ _be_ dry upon all the earth _beside_, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. ^37 38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. ^38 39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. ^39 40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. ^40