Judges 6

1 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;

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.

2 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.

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.

3 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,

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;

4 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;

And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou comest to Gaza; and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

5 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.

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.

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

And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried to the LORD.

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

And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried to the LORD because of the Midianites,

8 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;

That the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth from the house of bondage;

9 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;

And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land;

10 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.

And I said to 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.

11 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;

And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which [was] in Ophrah, that [pertained] to Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon thrashed wheat by the wine-press, to hide [it] from the Midianites.

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

And the angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, The LORD [is] with thee, thou mighty man of valor.

13 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.

And Gideon said to him, O my LORD, if the LORD is with us, why then hath all this befallen us? and where [are] all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

14 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?

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?

15 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.

And he said to him, O my LORD, by what means shall I save Israel? behold, my family [is] poor in Manasseh, and I [am] the least in my father's house.

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

And the LORD said to him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

17 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.

And he said to him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest with me.

18 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.

Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come to thee, and bring forth my present, and set [it] before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou comest again.

19 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.

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 to him under the oak, and presented [it].

20 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.

And the angel of God said to him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay [them] upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

21 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.

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 fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed from his sight.

22 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!

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.

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

And the LORD said to him, Peace [be] to thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

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

Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: to this day it [is] yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.

25 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.

And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said to 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 hath, and cut down the grove that [is] by it:

26 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.

And build an altar to 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.

27 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.

Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said to 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.

28 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.

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.

29 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.

And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

30 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.

Then the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that [was] by it.

31 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.

And Joash said to 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 [is] a god, let him plead for himself, because [one] hath cast down his altar.

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

Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.

33 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.

Then all the Midianites, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east were assembled, and went over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel.

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

But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was called after him.

35 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.

And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was called after him: and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

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

And Gideon said to God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said,

37 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.

Behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the floor; [and] if the dew shall be on the fleece only, and [it] shall [be] dry upon all the earth [besides], then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said.

38 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.

And it was so: for he rose early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl-full of water.

39 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.

And Gideon said to God, Let not thy anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: Let me make trial, 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.

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

And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.