Judges 6

1 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, who delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years.

And the sons of Israel did the thing that was wicked, in the sight of Yahweh, —so Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years;

2 And they were greatly oppressed by them. And they made for themselves hollows and caves in the mountains, and very fortified places for defense.

and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, —because of Midian, did the sons of Israel prepare for themselves the hollows which were in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

3 And when Israel had planted, Midian and Amalek, and the rest of the eastern nations ascended,

And so it used to be, if Israel had sown, then came up Midian and Amalek and the sons of the east, yea came up against them,

4 and pitching their tents among them, they laid waste to all that was planted, as far as the entrance to Gaza. And they left behind nothing at all to sustain life in Israel, neither sheep, nor oxen, nor donkeys.

and encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the land, until thou comest unto Gaza, —neither left they sustenance in Israel, nor sheep nor ox, nor ass;

5 For they and all their flocks arrived with their tents, and they filled all places like locusts, an innumerable multitude of men and camels, devastating whatever they touched.

for, they with their cattle, used to come up, with their tents—yea they used to come like locusts, for multitude, both they and their cattle, were without number, —so they came into the land, to lay it waste.

6 And Israel was humbled greatly in the sight of Midian.

Thus was Israel greatly impoverished, because of Midian, —and the sons of Israel made outcry unto Yahweh.

7 And he cried out to the Lord, requesting assistance against the Midianites.

And it came to pass, when the sons of Israel cried unto Yahweh, —on account of Midian,

8 And he sent to them a man who was a prophet, and he said: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I caused you to ascend from Egypt, and I led you away from the house of servitude.

then sent Yahweh a prophet unto the sons of Israel, —who said unto them—Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, I, led you up out of Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of servants;

9 And I freed you from the hand of the Egyptians and from all of the enemies who were afflicting you. And I cast them out at your arrival, and I delivered their land to you.

Yea I rescued you out of the hand of Egypt, and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, —that I might drive them out from before you, and I gave unto you their land;

10 And I said: I am the Lord your God. You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live. But you were not willing to listen to my voice.’”

Yea and I said to you, —I, Yahweh, am your God, Ye must not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye are about to dwell, —But ye have not hearkened unto my voice.

11 Then an Angel of the Lord arrived, and he sat under an oak tree, which was at Ophrah, and which belonged to Joash, the father of the family of Ezri. And while his son Gideon was threshing and cleaning the grain at the winepress, so that he might flee from Midian,

Then came the messenger of Yahweh, and sat down under the oak which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite; and, Gideon his son, was beating out wheat in the winepress, to escape the notice of the Midianites;

12 the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and he said: “The Lord is with you, most valiant of men.”

so the messenger of Yahweh appeared unto him, —and said unto him, Yahweh, is with thee, thou mighty man of valour!

13 And Gideon said to him: “I beg you, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why have these things happened to us? Where are his miracles, which our fathers described when they said, ‘The Lord led us away from Egypt.’ But now the Lord has forsaken us, and he has delivered us into the hand of Midian.”

And Gideon said unto him—Pardon, my lord! if Yahweh be with us, then wherefore hath all this befallen us? and where are all his wonders, which our fathers have recounted to us—saying, Was it not, out of Egypt, that Yahweh brought us up? But, now, hath Yahweh abandoned us, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.

14 And the Lord looked down upon him, and he said: “Go forth with this, your strength, and you shall free Israel from the hand of Midian. Know that I have sent you.”

And Yahweh, turned unto him, and said—Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel, out of the hand of Midian, —have I not sent thee?

15 And responding, he said: “I beg you, my lord, with what shall I free Israel? Behold, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in the house of my father.”

And he said unto him—Pardon, O my Lord! How, shall I save Israel? Lo! my thousand, is the poorest in Manasseh, and, I, am the youngest in the house of my father.

16 And the Lord said to him: “I will be with you. And so, you shall cut down Midian as if one man.”

And Yahweh said unto him—I will be with thee, —so shalt thou smite the Midianites, as one man.

17 And he said: “If I have found grace before you, give me a sign that it is you who is speaking to me.

And he said unto him, If, I beseech thee, I have found favour in thine eyes, then wilt thou work for me a sign, that it is, thou, who art speaking with me.

18 And may you not withdraw from here, until I return to you, carrying a sacrifice and offering it to you.” And he responded, “I will wait for your return.”

Do not, I beseech thee, withdraw from hence, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said: I, will tarry until thou return.

19 And so Gideon entered, and he boiled a goat, and he made unleavened bread from a measure of flour. And setting the flesh in a basket, and putting the broth of the flesh in a pot, he took it all under the oak tree, and he offered it to him.

So, Gideon, went in, and made ready a kid of the goats, and, of an ephah of meal, unleavened cakes, the flesh, he put in a basket, and, the broth, he put in a pot, —and brought them forth unto him, under the oak, and presented them.

20 And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Take the flesh and the unleavened bread, and place them on that rock, and pour out the broth upon it.” And when he had done so,

And the messenger of God said unto him—Take the flesh and the cakes, and set them on this crag, and, the broth, do thou pour out. And he did so.

21 the Angel of the Lord extended the end of a staff, which he was holding in his hand, and he touched the flesh and the unleavened loaves. And a fire ascended from the rock, and it consumed the flesh and the unleavened loaves. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.

Then the messenger of Yahweh put forth the end of the staff, that was in his hand, and touched the flesh, and the cakes, —and there came up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh, and the cakes, and, the messenger of Yahweh, had departed out of his sight.

22 And Gideon, realizing that it had been the Angel of the Lord, said: “Alas, my Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”

Then saw Gideon that, the messenger of Yahweh, it was, —so Gideon said—Alas, My Lord Yahweh! forasmuch as I have seen the messenger of Yahweh, face to face!

23 And the Lord said to him: “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid; you shall not die.”

And Yahweh said unto him—Peace be unto thee! Do not fear, —thou shalt not die.

24 Therefore, Gideon built an altar to the Lord there, and he called it, the Peace of the Lord, even to the present day. And while he was still at Ophrah, which is of the family of Ezri,

So Gideon built there an altar unto Yahweh, and called it, Yahweh-shalom. Unto this day, it remaineth, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 that night, the Lord said to him: “Take a bull of your father’s, and another bull of seven years, and you shall destroy the altar of Baal, which is your father’s. And you shall cut down the sacred grove which is around the altar.

And it came to pass, on that night, that Yahweh said unto him—Take the young bullock that belongeth to thy father, even the second bullock of seven years, —and throw thou down the altar of Baal, that belongeth to thy father, and, the sacred stem that is by it, shalt thou cut down.

26 And you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, at the summit of this rock, on which you placed the sacrifice before. And you shall take the second bull, and you shall offer a holocaust upon a pile of the wood, which you shall cut down from the grove.”

Then shalt thou build an altar, unto Yahweh thy God, on the top of this fort, with the pile, —and shalt take the second bullock, and cause it to go up as an ascending-sacrifice, with the wood of the sacred stem which thou shalt cut down.

27 Therefore, Gideon, taking ten men from his servants, did just as the Lord had instructed him. But fearing his father’s household, and the men of that city, he was not willing to do it by day. Instead, he completed everything by night.

So Gideon took ten men from among his servants, and did as Yahweh had spoken unto him, —and so it was that, as he too much feared the house of his father, and the men of the city, to do it by day, he did it by night.

28 And when the men of that town had risen up in the morning, they saw the altar of Baal destroyed, and the sacred grove cut down, and the second bull set upon the altar, which then had been built.

And the men of the city rose up early in the morning, and lo! the altar of Baal, had been overthrown, and, the sacred stem that was by it, had been cut down, and the second bullock had been caused to ascend upon the altar that had been built.

29 And they said one to another, “Who has done this?” And when they inquired everywhere as to the author of the deed, it was said, “Gideon, the son of Joash, did all these things.”

So they said, one to another, Who hath done this thing? And they inquired, and made search, and it was said, Gideon son of Joash, hath done this thing.

30 And they said to Joash: “Bring forward your son here, so that he may die. For he has destroyed the altar of Baal, and he has cut down the sacred grove.”

So the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring forth thy son, that he may die, —because he hath overthrown the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the sacred stem that was by it.

31 But he responded to them: “Could you be the avengers of Baal, so that you fight on his behalf? Whoever is his adversary, let him die before the light arrives tomorrow; if he is a god, let him vindicate himself against him who has overturned his altar.”

And Joash said unto all who stood by him—Will, ye, plead for Baal, or will, ye, save him? Whoso pleadeth for him, let him be put to death while it is yet morning, —if, a god, he be let him plead for himself, because one hath overthrown his altar.

32 From that day, Gideon was called Jerubbaal, because Joash had said, “Let Baal avenge himself against him who has overturned his altar.”

So he was called on that day, Jerubbaal, saying, —Let Baal, plead against him. Because he had overthrown his altar.

33 And so, all of Midian, and Amalek, and the eastern peoples were gathered together. And crossing the Jordan, they encamped in the valley of Jezreel.

Now, all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east, were gathered together, —and they crossed over and pitched in the vale of Jezreel.

34 But the Spirit of the Lord entered Gideon, who, sounding the trumpet, summoned the house of Abiezer so that he might follow him.

But, the spirit of Yahweh, clothed Gideon, —so he blew with a horn, and Abiezer was gathered after him.

35 And he sent messengers into all of Manasseh, who also followed him, and other messengers into Asher, and Zebulun, and Naphtali, who went to meet him.

Messengers also, sent he throughout all Manasseh, and, they also, were gathered after him, —messengers also, sent he throughout Asher, and throughout Zebulun, and throughout Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

36 And Gideon said to God: “If you will save Israel by my hand, just as you have said:

And Gideon said unto God, —If thou art about to bring salvation, by my hand, unto Israel, as thou hast spoken,

37 I will set this wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there will be dew only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that by my hand, as you have said, you will free Israel.”

lo! I am placing a woollen fleece, on the threshing-floor, —if, dew, be on the fleece alone and, on all the ground, it be dry, then shall I know that thou wilt bring salvation, by my hand, unto Israel, as thou hast spoken.

38 And so it was done. And rising in the night, wringing out the fleece, he filled a vessel with the dew.

And it was so, and he rose up early, on the morrow, and pressed together the fleece, —and wrung out the dew from the fleece, a small bowl full of water.

39 And again he said to God: “Let not your fury be enkindled against me, if I test once more, seeking a sign in the fleece. I pray that only the fleece may be dry, and all the ground may be wet with dew.”

Then said Gideon unto God, Let not thine anger kindle upon me, but let me speak, only this once, —Let me, I pray thee, put to the proof, only this once, with the fleece, I pray thee, let it be dry on the fleece alone, while, on all the ground, there be dew.

40 And that night, God did as he had requested. And it was dry only on the fleece, and there was dew on all the ground.

And God did so on that night, —and it was dry on the fleece alone, while, on all the ground, there was dew.