1 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord handed them over to Midian for 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 Midian's power overwhelmed Israel, and because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and 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 Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the east would come up and attack 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 They camped against them and destroyed the crops of the land all the way to Gaza, leaving nothing for the Israelites to live on—not even sheep, cattle, or donkeys.

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

5 For they came with their livestock and tents, like swarms of locusts in number. Both they and their camels were too many to count, and they invaded the land to devastate it.

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 So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.

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

7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian,

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

8 the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites, who said to them, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt and out of the house of slavery.

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

9 I delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.

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

10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.’ But you did not listen to my voice.

And I said unto 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 the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.'

And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

13 Gideon said to him, 'Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about, saying, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.'

And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be 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 The Lord turned to him and said, 'Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?'

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 But Gideon said to him, 'Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house.'

And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

16 The Lord said to him, 'I will be with you, and you will strike down Midian as if it were one man.'

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

17 Gideon replied, 'If I have found favor in your sight, give me a sign that it is really you speaking to me.'

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

18 Please do not leave here until I return to you and bring my offering and set it before you.' And the Lord said, 'I will stay until you return.'

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

19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and from an ephah of flour made unleavened bread. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out and offered them under the terebinth tree.

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 unto him under the oak, and presented it.

20 The angel of God said to him, 'Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.' And Gideon did so.

And the angel of God said unto 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 angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared from 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 up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, 'Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord 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 But the Lord said to him, 'Peace be with you. Do not be afraid; you will not die.'

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

24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it 'The Lord is Peace.' To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 That same night the Lord said to him, 'Take the second bull from your father's herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.'

And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto 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 build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold, laying the stones in an orderly way. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering using the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.

And build an altar unto 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 of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the city, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto 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 When the men of the city got up early in the morning, they saw that the altar of Baal had been torn down, the Asherah pole was cut down, and the second bull offered on the newly built altar.

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 They asked one another, 'Who did this?' When they investigated and inquired, they were told, 'Gideon son of Joash did it.'

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

30 The men of the city said to Joash, 'Bring out your son! He must die, because he has torn down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.'

Then the men of the city said unto 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 But Joash replied to all who stood against him, 'Will you plead Baal’s case? Will you save him? If Baal really is a god, let him defend himself when someone tears down his altar.'

And Joash said unto 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 be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.

32 So that day, Gideon was called Jerubbaal, saying, 'Let Baal contend with him,' because he tore down Baal's 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, Amalekites, and the people of the east joined forces, crossed the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.

Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew the trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.

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

35 He also sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, calling them to arms, and to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. They too came up to meet him.

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

36 Gideon said to God, 'If you are truly going to use me to save Israel as you have promised,

And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

37 Look, I am placing a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and the ground remains dry, then I will know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said.

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

38 And that is exactly what happened. When Gideon rose early the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung enough dew from it to fill a bowl with water.

And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, 'Please do not be angry with me, but let me make one more request. Allow me to test just once more with the fleece. Let the fleece remain dry, while dew covers the ground around it.'

And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, 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 That night, God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and the ground around it was covered with dew.

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