Judges Chapter 6
Gideon Judges Israel
1 Israel did what Yahveh considered evil; so he gave them over to Midian for 7 years. 2 Because of Midian, the Israelites made dens and caves and barricades in the mountains. 3 Whenever they sowed anything, the Midianites, Amalekites, and people from the east would come up and attack them. 4 They’d camp against them and destroy their crops as far as the territory around Gaza. They wouldn’t leave any sustenance in Israel—sheep, oxen, or donkeys. 5 They’d come up with their livestock, camels, and tents like locusts in number. They trashed the land 6 and brought Israel low. The people appealed to Yahveh, Jud 6:1-6
[7 ] 8 and he sent a prophet,
“Yahveh God of Israel says,’ I led you out of slavery in Egypt, 9 and delivered you from other oppressors. I drove them out and gave you their land. 10 I told you, “I’m Yahveh your God. Don’t be afraid of the Amorites’ gods where you’re living.” But you ignored me.’”
11 Now the angel of Yahveh came and sat under the terebinth tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12 The angel appeared to him, “Yahveh is with you, brave soldier!” Jud 6:7-12
13 Gideon said,
“Sir, if he’s with us, why is this happening? Where are his wonderful deeds our ancestors talked about when he brought us up from Egypt?’ He’s thrown us away now and delivered us to Midian.”
14 “Take your strength and deliver Israel from them. Haven’t I sent you?”
15 “Yahveh, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the least in my family.”
16 “l’ll be with you. You’ll strike the Midianites as if they were one man.”
17 “If I’m pleasing to you, give me a sign that it’s you speaking to me. 18 Don’t leave till I come back with your present.”
“I’ll wait.” Jud 6:13-18
19 Gideon went into the house and fixed a kid and cakes without yeast from 1.1 bushels 1 ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and took them to him under the terebinth tree. 20 God’s angel said, “Put the meat and cakes on this rock and pour the broth over them.” When he did that, 21 the angel touched the meat and cakes with the tip of his staff. Fire flared up from the rock and consumed them, and he vanished. 22 Then Gideon surmised that he was the angel of Yahveh, “Lord Yahveh! I’ve seen the angel of Yahveh directly.” 23 But Yahveh said, Don’t be afraid. You won’t die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar to him and called it Yahveh Is Peace [Yahveh Shalom]. It’s still standing at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
25 That night Yahveh told him,
“Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down your father’s altar to Baal. Cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Build an altar to Yahveh your God on top of the fortress here, with stones laid in order. Offer the second bull as a burnt offering with the wood from the Asherah pole you cut down.”
27 Gideon took ten servants and did that. He was too afraid of family and townspeople to do it in the daytime, so he did it at night. Jud 6:19-27
28 When people in town got up early, Baal’s altar was pulled down, the Asherah pole was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar Gideon built. 29 They asked one another who did it. After they asked around, people said, “Gideon Ben-Joash.” 30 They told Joash, “Bring your son out to die. He pulled down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole.” 31 Joash said to everybody lined up against him,
“Will you defend Baal or his cause? Whoever fights for him will be put to death by morning. If he’s a god, he can defend himself. It’s his altar that Gideon tore down!” Jud 6:28-31
32 That day he called him Jerubbaal (“Let Baal fight him.”) because he tore down his altar.
33 Then the Midianites, Amalekites, and people east of the Jordan joined forces, crossed the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 The Spirit of Yahveh stirred up Gideon. He blew the ram’s horn and called the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers all over Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to follow him too. They went up to meet them.
36 Then Gideon said to God,
“If you’re going to deliver Israel by me, 37 I’m laying a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there’s dew on it but the ground around it’s dry, I’ll know you’ll deliver Israel by me.”
38 That’s what happened. When he got up early, he wrung out enough dew to fill a bowl. 39 Then he said to God,
“Don’t be angry with me. Let me test you one more time with the fleece. Let it be dry and the ground around it have dew on it.”
40 That’s what God did that night. It was dry just on the fleece; the ground was wet. Jud 6:32-40