Shoftim - Chapter 6

1. And the children of Israel did that which displeased the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian (for) seven years.

2. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the children of Israel made for themselves the dens which are in the mountains and the caves, and the strongholds.

3. And it was, when Israel had sown, that Midian came up, and Amalek, and those of the east; and they came up upon it.

4. And they encamped against them, and they destroyed the produce of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They would leave no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey.

5. For they and their cattle came up, and their tents, and they came as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels without number, and they came into the land to destroy it.

6. And Israel was very impoverished because of Midian, and the children of Israel cried to the Lord.

7. Now it was when the children of Israel cried to the Lord concerning Midian,

8. that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, and he said to them, "Thus says the Lord, God of Israel; I brought you up from Egypt, and I brought you out of the house of bondage.

9. And I saved you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of all your oppressors; and I drove them out from before you, and I have given you their land.

10. And I said to you, 'I am the Lord your God, you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.' But you have not obeyed me."

11. And the angel of the Lord came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophra, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite; and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to be enabled to flee from Midian.

12. And the angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, "The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor."

13. And Gideon said to him, "Please my lord, if the Lord be with us, why then has all this befallen us? And where are all His wonders which our forefathers told us, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us, and He has delivered us into the hand of Midian."

14. And the Lord turned toward him and said, "Go, with this your strength, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?"

15. And he said to Him, "Please O Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my thousand is the poorest in Menasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's household."

16. And the Lord said to him, "Because I shall be with you, and you shall strike Midian as one man."

17. And he said to Him, "If I have now found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is You that speaks with me.

18. Do not move from here now until I come to you, and I shall bring out my offering, and lay it before you." And he said, "I shall tarry until you return."

19. And Gideon came and prepared a young goat, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal; the meat he put in the basket, and the broth he put in the pot. And he brought it out to him under the oak and presented it.

20. And the Angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and the broth pour out." And he did so.

21. And the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and he touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the fire went up out of the rock, and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes, and the angel of the Lord departed from before his eyes.

22. Now Gideon saw that he was an angel of the Lord, and Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord God! Because I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face."

23. And the Lord said to him, "Peace be to you, fear not, you shall not die."

24. And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there, and he called it, "Lord (who bestows upon us) peace." Until this day, it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25. Now it was on that night, that the Lord said to him, "Take the bullock that your father has, and the second bullock, seven years. And you shall destroy the altar of the Baal which belongs to your father, and the Asherah which is next to it shall you cut down.

26. And you shall build an altar to the Lord your God upon the top of this rock, in the proper place. And you shall take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down."

27. And Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had spoken to him. Now it was, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city, to do it by day, that he did it at night.

28. And the men of the city arose early in the morning, and behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah that was next to it, was cut down. And the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

29. And they said one to another, "Who has done this thing?" And they inquired and sought, and they said, "Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing."

30. And the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son that he may die, because he has broken the altar of the Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was next to it."

31. And Joash said to all that stood by him, "Will you contend for the Baal? Will you avenge him? He that will contend for him, shall be put to death; (tarry) until morning. If he be a god, let him contend for himself, because he has broken his altar."

32. And he called him on that day "Jerubbaal," saying, "Let Baal contend with him, because he has broken down his altar."

33. And all the Midianites and the Amalekites and those of the east assembled together. And they crossed and encamped in the valley of Jezreel.

34. And a spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, and Abiezer gathered following him.

35. And he sent messengers throughout all Menasseh, and they too gathered after him, and he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali, and they came up towards them.

36. And Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken,

37. behold, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there be dew only on the fleece, and upon all the ground it be dry, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken."

38. And it was so, (for) he rose up early on the morrow and pressed the fleece together, and he wrung dew out of the fleece; a bowl full of water.

39. And Gideon said to God, "Let not Your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Let me now experiment but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew."

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