Judges 6
1 Again the Israelis did things that Yahweh said were very evil. So he allowed the people of Midian to conquer them and rule them for seven years.
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.
2 The people of Midian treated the Israelis so cruelly that the Israelis fled to the mountains. There they made places to live in caves and animal dens.
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.
3 Whenever the Israelis planted things in their fields, the people of Midian and Amalek and other groups from the east invaded Israel.
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.
4 They set up tents in the area, and then destroyed the crops as far south as Gaza. They did not leave anything for the Israelis’ sheep or cattle or donkeys to eat.
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.
5 They came into Israel with their tents and their livestock like a swarm of locusts. There were [so many of them that] arrived riding on their camels that no one could count them. They stayed and ruined the Israelis’ crops.
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.
6 The people of Midian took almost everything the Israelis owned. So finally the Israelis pleaded for Yahweh to help them.
And it became low Israel very because of Midian and they cried out [the] people of Israel to Yahweh.
7 When the Israelis pleaded with Yahweh to help them because of [what] the people from Midian [were doing to them],
And it was that they cried out [the] people of Israel to Yahweh on [the] causes of Midian.
8 he sent to them a prophet, who said, “Yahweh, the God we Israelis worship, says this: ‘Your ancestors were slaves in Egypt.
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.
9 But I rescued them from the leaders of Egypt and from all the others who oppressed them. I expelled their enemies from this land, and gave it to your ancestors.
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.
10 I told you all, “I am Yahweh, your God. You are now in the land where the descendants of Amor live, but you must not worship the gods whom they worship.” But you did not pay attention to me.’”
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.
11 One day Yahweh appeared [in the form of] an angel and sat underneath a big oak tree at Ophrah [town]. That tree belonged to Joash, who was from the clan of Abiezer. Joash’s son Gideon was threshing wheat in the pit where they pressed [grapes to make] wine. He was threshing the grain there in order to hide it from the people of Midian.
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.
12 Yahweh [went over] to Gideon and said to him, “You mighty warrior, Yahweh is helping you!”
And he appeared to him [the] angel of Yahweh and he said to him Yahweh [is] with you O mighty [man] of strength.
13 Gideon replied, “Sir, if Yahweh is helping us, why have all these [bad things] happened to us? We heard about [RHQ] all the miracles that Yahweh performed for our ancestors. We heard people tell us about how he rescued them from [being slaves in] Egypt. But now Yahweh has abandoned us, and we are ruled by the people from Midian.”
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.
14 Then Yahweh turned toward him and said, “I will give you strength to enable you to rescue the Israelis from the people of Midian. I am sending you [to do that]!”
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.
15 Gideon replied, “But Yahweh, how can I rescue the Israelis? My clan is the least significant in the whole tribe descended from Manasseh, and I am the least significant person in my whole family!”
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.
16 Yahweh said to him, “I will help you. So you will defeat the army of Midian [as easily] as if you were fighting only one man!”
And he said to him Yahweh that I will be with you and you will strike down Midian like a man one.
17 Gideon replied, “If you are truly pleased with me, do something which will prove that you who are speaking to me are really Yahweh.
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.
18 But do not go away until I go and bring back an offering to you.” Yahweh answered, “Okay, I will stay here until you return.”
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.
19 Gideon hurried to his home. He [killed] a young goat [and] cooked [it]. Then he took (a half a bushel/18 liters) of flour and baked some bread without yeast. Then he put the cooked meat in a basket, and put the broth [from the meat] in a pot, and took it to Yahweh, who was sitting under the tree.
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.
20 Then Yahweh said to him, “Put the meat and the bread on this rock. Then pour the broth on top of it.” So Gideon did that.
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.
21 Then Yahweh touched the meat and bread with the walking stick that was in his hand. A fire flamed up from the rock and burned up everything that Gideon had brought! And then Yahweh disappeared.
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.
22 When Gideon realized that it was really Yahweh [who had appeared in the form of an angel and talked with him], he exclaimed, “O, Yahweh, I have seen you face-to-face [when you had the form of] an angel! [So I will surely die]!”
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.
23 But Yahweh called to him and said, “Do not be afraid! You will not die [because of seeing me]!”
And he said to him Yahweh peace [be] to you may not you be afraid not you will die.
24 Then Gideon built an altar to [worship] Yahweh there. He named it ‘Yahweh gives us peace’. That altar is still there in Ophrah [town], in the land that belongs to the descendants of Abiezer.
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].
25 That night Yahweh said to Gideon, “Take the second-best/oldest bull from your father’s herd, the bull that is seven years old. [Kill it]. Then tear down the altar that your father built to [worship] the god Baal. Also cut down the pole for worshipping [the goddess] Astarte that is there beside it.
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.
26 Then build a [stone] altar to worship me, your God Yahweh, here on this hill. Take the wood from the pole you cut down and make a fire [to cook the meat of the bull] as a burnt offering to me.”
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.
27 So Gideon and his servants did what Yahweh commanded. But they did it at night, because he was afraid what the other members of his family and the other men in town would do to him if they found out that he had done that.
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.
28 Early the next morning, as soon as the men got up, they saw that the altar to Baal had been torn down, and the pole for worshiping Astarte was gone. They saw that there was a new altar there, and on it was what remained from the bull they had sacrificed.
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.
29 The people asked each other, “Who did this?” After they investigated, someone told them that it was Gideon, the son of Joash, [who had done it].
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.
30 They went to Joash and said to him, “Bring your son out here! (He must be executed/We must kill him), because he destroyed our god Baal’s altar and cut down the pole for our goddess Astarte!”
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.
31 But Joash replied, “Are you trying to defend Baal? Are you trying to argue his case? Anyone who tries to defend Baal should be executed by tomorrow morning! If Baal is truly a god, he ought to be able to defend himself, and to get rid of the person who tore down his altar!”
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.
32 From that time, people called Gideon Jerub-Baal, which means ‘Baal should defend himself’, because he tore down Baal’s altar.
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.
33 Soon after that, the armies of the people of Midian and of Amalek and the people from the east gathered together. They crossed the Jordan River [to attack the Israelis]. They set up their tents in Jezreel Valley.
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.
34 Then Yahweh’s Spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a ram’s horn to summon the men to prepare to fight. So the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.
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.
35 He also sent messengers throughout the tribes descended from [the four tribes of] Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali [to tell their soldiers to come], and all of them came.
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.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you are truly going to enable me to rescue the Israeli people as you promised,
And he said Gideon to God if there you [are] about to deliver by hand my Israel just as you have spoken.
37 confirm it by doing this: Tonight I will put a dry wool fleece on the ground where I thresh the grain. Tomorrow morning, if the fleece is wet with dew but the ground is dry, then I will know that I am the one you will enable to rescue the people of Israel as you promised.”
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.
38 And that is what happened. When Gideon got up the next morning, he picked up the fleece, and squeezed out a whole bowlful of water!
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.
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me ask you to do one more thing. Tonight I will put the fleece out again. This time, let the fleece remain dry, while the ground is wet with the dew.”
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.
40 So that night, God did what Gideon asked him to do. The next morning the fleece was dry, but the ground was covered with dew.
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.
