Judges 6

1 And they did [the] people of Israel the evil in [the] eyes of Yahweh and he gave them Yahweh in [the] hand of Midian seven years.

The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years.

2 And it prevailed [the] hand of Midian over Israel because of Midian they made for themselves - [the] people of Israel the dens which [are] in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.

The power of Midian oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the people of Israel made shelters for themselves from the dens in the hills, the caves, and the strongholds.

3 And it was if it sowed Israel and it went up Midian and Amalek and [the] people of [the] east and they went up on him.

It happened that any time the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people from the east would attack the Israelites.

4 And they encamped on them and they destroyed [the] produce of the land until coming you Gaza and not they left sustenance in Israel and a sheep and an ox and a donkey.

They would set up their army on the land and destroy the crops, all the way to Gaza. They would leave no food in Israel, and no sheep, nor cattle or donkeys.

5 For they and livestock their they came up and tents their (and they came *Q(K)*) according to [the] abundance of locust[s] for multitude and [belonged] to them and to camels their not number and they came in the land to destroy it.

Whenever they and their livestock and tents came up, they would come as a swarm of locusts, and it was impossible to count either the people or their camels. They invaded the land in order to destroy it.

6 And it became low Israel very because of Midian and they cried out [the] people of Israel to Yahweh.

Midian weakened the Israelites so severely that the people of Israel called out to Yahweh.

7 And it was that they cried out [the] people of Israel to Yahweh on [the] causes of Midian.

When the people of Israel called out to Yahweh because of Midian,

8 And he sent Yahweh a man a prophet to [the] people of Israel and he said to them thus he says Yahweh - [the] God of Israel I I brought up you from Egypt and I brought out you from a house of slaves.

Yahweh sent a prophet to the people of Israel. The prophet said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought you up from Egypt; I brought you out of the house of slavery.

9 And I delivered you from [the] hand of Egypt and from [the] hand of all [those who] oppressed you and I drove out them from before you and I gave! to you land their.

I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who were oppressing you. I drove them out before you, and I gave you their land.

10 And I said! to you I [am] Yahweh God your not you must fear [the] gods of the Amorite[s] whom you [are] dwelling in land their and not you have listened to voice my.

I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God; I commanded you not to worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.” But you have not obeyed my voice.'”

11 And he came [the] angel of Yahweh and he sat under the oak which [was] in Ophrah which [belonged] to Joash [the] Abi-ezrite and Gideon son his [was] beating out wheat in the winepress to hide [it] from Midian.

Now the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash (the Abiezrite), while Gideon, Joash's son, was separating out the wheat by beating it on the floor, in the winepress—to hide it from the Midianites.

12 And he appeared to him [the] angel of Yahweh and he said to him Yahweh [is] with you O mighty [man] of strength.

The angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you strong warrior!”

13 And he said to him Gideon pardon me O lord my and there Yahweh [is] with us and why? has it found us all this and where? [are] all wonders his which they recounted to us fathers our saying ¿ not from Egypt did he bring up us Yahweh and now he has abandoned us Yahweh and he has given us in [the] hand of Midian.

Gideon said to him, “Oh, my master, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers told us about, when they said, 'Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?' But now Yahweh has abandoned us and gave us into the hand of Midian.”

14 And he turned to him Yahweh and he said go in strength your this and you will deliver Israel from [the] hand of Midian ¿ not have I sent you.

Yahweh looked at him and said, “Go in the strength you already have. Deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”

15 And he said to him pardon me O Lord how? will I deliver Israel here! family my [is] the weak in Manasseh and I [am] the insignificant in [the] house of father my.

Gideon said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? See, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least important in my father's house.”

16 And he said to him Yahweh that I will be with you and you will strike down Midian like a man one.

Yahweh said to him, “I will be with you, and you will defeat the entire Midianite army as one man.”

17 And he said to him if please I have found favor in view your and you will do for me a sign that you [are] speaking with me.

Gideon said to him, “If you are pleased with me, then give me a sign that it is you who is speaking to me.

18 May not please you depart from here until come I to you and I will bring out gift my and I will set [it] before you and he said I I will remain until returning you.

Please, do not leave here, until I come to you and bring out my gift and set it before you.” Yahweh said, “I will wait until you return.”

19 And Gideon he went and he prepared a kid of goats and an ephah of flour of unleavened bread the meat he put in the basket and the broth he put in the pot and he brought [them] out to him to under the oak and he brought [them] near.

Gideon went and prepared a young goat and from an ephah of flour he made unleavened bread. He put the meat in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot and brought them to him under the oak tree, and presented them.

20 And he said to him [the] angel of God take the meat and the unleavened bread and set [them] to the rock this and the broth pour out and he did so.

The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth over them.” That is what Gideon did.

21 And he stretched out [the] angel of Yahweh [the] end of the staff which [was] in hand his and he touched the meat and the unleavened bread and it went up the fire from the rock and it consumed the meat and the unleavened bread and [the] angel of Yahweh he went from eyes his.

Then the angel of Yahweh reached out with the end of the staff in his hand. With it he touched the flesh and the unleavened bread; a fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of Yahweh went away and Gideon could no longer see him.

22 And he saw Gideon that [was] [the] angel of Yahweh it. And he said Gideon alas! O Lord Yahweh for since I have seen [the] angel of Yahweh face to face.

Gideon understood that this was the angel of Yahweh. Gideon said, “Ah, Lord Yahweh! For I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face!”

23 And he said to him Yahweh peace [be] to you may not you be afraid not you will die.

Yahweh said to him, “Peace to you! Do not be afraid, you will not die.”

24 And he built there Gideon an altar to Yahweh and he called it Yahweh [is] peace until the day this still it [is] in Ophrah of [the] Abi-ezrite[s].

So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh. He called it, “Yahweh is Peace.” To this day it still stands at Ophrah of the clan of Abiezer.

25 And it was in the night that and he said to him Yahweh take [the] young bull of the ox which [belongs] to father your and [the] young bull the second seven years and you will tear down [the] altar of Baal which [belongs] to father your and the Asherah pole which [is] at it you will cut down.

That night Yahweh said to him, “Take your father's bull, and a second bull that is seven years old, and pull apart the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it.

26 And you will build an altar to Yahweh God your on [the] top of the place of refuge this in the row and you will take the young bull second and you will offer up a burnt offering with [the] wood of the Asherah pole which you will cut down.

Build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this place of refuge, and construct it the correct way. Offer the second bull as a burnt offering, using the wood from the Asherah that you cut down.”

27 And he took Gideon ten men from servants his and he did just as he had spoken to him Yahweh and it was since he feared [the] household of father his and [the] men of the city from acting by day and he acted night.

So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as Yahweh had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the town to do it during the day, he did it at night.

28 And they rose early [the] men of the city in the morning and there! it was torn down [the] altar of Baal and the Asherah pole which [was] at it it was cut down and the young bull second it had been offered up on the altar which had been built.

In the morning when the men of the town got up, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar that had been built.

29 And they said each to neighbor his who? has he done the thing this and they investigated and they searched and they said Gideon [the] son of Joash he has done the thing this.

The men of the city said to one another, “Who has done this?” When they talked with others and searched for answers, they said, “Gideon son of Joash has done this thing.”

30 And they said [the] men of the city to Joash bring out son your so may he die for he has torn down [the] altar of Baal and for he has cut down the Asherah pole which [was] at it.

Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son so that he may be put to death, because he pulled apart the altar of Baal, and because he cut down the Asherah beside it.”

31 And he said Joash to all [those] who they stood on him ¿ you - will you conduct a case! for Baal or? you will you deliver! him [the one] who he will conduct a case for him he will be put to death until the morning if [is] a god he let him conduct a case for himself if someone has torn down altar his.

Joash said to all who opposed him, “Will you plead the case for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever pleads the case for him, let him be put to death while it is still morning. If Baal is a god, let him defend himself when someone pulls his altar apart.”

32 And someone called him on the day that Jerub-Baal saying let him conduct a case against him Baal for he has torn down altar his.

Therefore on that day they called Gideon “Jerub Baal,” because he said, “Let Baal defend himself against him,” because Gideon broke down Baal's altar.

33 And all Midian and Amalek and [the] people of [the] east they gathered together and they passed over and they encamped in [the] valley of Jezreel.

Now all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the east gathered together. They crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.

34 And [the] spirit of Yahweh it clothed Gideon and he gave a blast on the ram's horn (and it was called together *L(abh)*) Abiezer after him.

But the Spirit of Yahweh came over Gideon. Gideon blew a trumpet, calling out the clan of Abiezer, so they might follow him.

35 And messengers he sent in all Manasseh (and it was called together *L(abh)*) also it after him and messengers he sent in Asher and in Zebulun and in Naphtali and they went up to meet them.

He sent messengers all throughout Manasseh, and they too, were called out to follow him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet him.

36 And he said Gideon to God if there you [are] about to deliver by hand my Israel just as you have spoken.

Gideon said to God, “If you intend to use me to save Israel, as you have said—

37 Here! I [am] placing [the] fleece of wool on the threshing floor if dew it will be on the fleece to alone it and [will be] on all the ground dryness and I will know that you will deliver by hand my Israel just as you have spoken.

Look, I am putting a woolen fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that you will use me to save Israel, as you said.”

38 And it was so and he rose early from [the] next day and he squeezed out the fleece and he drained dew from the fleece [the] fullness of the bowl water.

This is what happened—Gideon rose early the next morning, he pressed the fleece together, and wrung out the dew from the fleece, enough to fill a bowl with water.

39 And he said Gideon to God may not it burn anger your on me and let me speak only this time let me put to [the] test please only this time by the fleece let it be please dryness to the fleece to alone it and on all the ground let it be dew.

Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, I will speak one more time. Please allow me one more test using the fleece. This time make the fleece dry, and let there be dew on all the ground around it.”

40 And he did God so in the night that and it was dryness to the fleece to alone it and on all the ground it was dew.

God did what he asked for that night. The fleece was dry, and there was dew on all the ground around it.