1 B ut the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years.

And the sons of Israel do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth them into the hand of Midian seven years,

2 A nd the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the Israelites made themselves the dens which are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.

and the hand of Midian is strong against Israel, from the presence of Midian have the sons of Israel made for themselves the flowings which in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

3 F or whenever Israel had sown their seed, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came up against them.

And it hath been, if Israel hath sowed, that Midian hath come up, and Amalek, and the sons of the east, yea, they have come up against him,

4 T hey would encamp against them and destroy the crops as far as Gaza and leave no nourishment for Israel, and no ox or sheep or donkey.

and encamp against them, and destroy the increase of the land till thine entering Gaza; and they leave no sustenance in Israel, either sheep, or ox, or ass;

5 F or they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came like locusts for multitude; both they and their camels could not be counted. So they wasted the land as they entered it.

for they and their cattle come up, with their tents; they come in as the fulness of the locust for multitude, and of them and of their cattle there is no number, and they come into the land to destroy it.

6 A nd Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the Israelites cried to the Lord.

And Israel is very weak from the presence of Midian, and the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah.

7 A nd when they cried to the Lord because of Midian,

And it cometh to pass when the sons of Israel have cried unto Jehovah, concerning Midian,

8 T he Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites, who said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt and brought you forth out of the house of bondage.

that Jehovah sendeth a man, a prophet, unto the sons of Israel, and he saith to them, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, I -- I have brought you up out of Egypt, and I bring you out from a house of servants,

9 A nd I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you and gave you their land.

and I deliver you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all your oppressors, and I cast them out from your presence, and I give to you their land,

10 A nd I said to you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed My voice.

and I say to you, I Jehovah your God, ye do not fear the gods of the Amorite in whose land ye are dwelling: -- and ye have not hearkened to My voice.'

11 N ow the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak (terebinth) at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon was beating wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

And the messenger of Jehovah cometh and sitteth under the oak which in Ophrah, which to Joash the Abi-Ezrite, and Gideon his son is beating out wheat in the wine-press, to remove from the presence of the Midianites;

12 A nd the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of courage.

and the messenger of Jehovah appeareth unto him, and saith unto him, `Jehovah with thee, O mighty one of valour.'

13 A nd Gideon said to him, O sir, if the Lord is with us, why is all this befallen us? And where are all His wondrous works of which our fathers told us, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.

And Gideon saith unto him, `O, my lord -- and Jehovah is with us! -- and why hath all this found us? and where all His wonders which our fathers recounted to us, saying, Hath not Jehovah brought us up out of Egypt? and now Jehovah hath left us, and doth give us into the hand of Midian.'

14 T he Lord turned to him and said, Go in this your might, and you shall save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?

And Jehovah turneth unto him and saith, `Go in this -- thy power; and thou hast saved Israel out of the hand of Midian -- have not I sent thee.'

15 G ideon said to Him, Oh Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.

And he saith unto him, `O, my lord, wherewith do I save Israel? lo, my chief weak in Manasseh, and I the least in the house of my father.'

16 T he Lord said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man.

And Jehovah saith unto him, `Because I am with thee -- thou hast smitten the Midianites as one man.'

17 G ideon said to Him, If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You Who talks with me.

And he saith unto Him, `If, I pray Thee, I have found grace in Thine eyes, then Thou hast done for me a sign that Thou art speaking with me.

18 D o not leave here, I pray You, until I return to You and bring my offering and set it before You. And He said, I will wait until you return.

Move not, I pray Thee, from this, till my coming in unto Thee, and I have brought out my present, and put it before Thee;' and he saith, `I -- I do abide till thy return.'

19 T hen Gideon went in and prepared a kid and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them to Him under the oak and presented them.

And Gideon hath gone in, and prepareth a kid of the goats, and of an ephah of flour unleavened things; the flesh he hath put in a basket, and the broth he hath put in a pot, and he bringeth out unto Him, unto the place of the oak, and bringeth nigh.

20 A nd the Angel of God said to him, Take the meat and unleavened cakes and lay them on this rock and pour the broth over them. And he did so.

And the messenger of God saith unto him, `Take the flesh and the unleavened things, and place on this rock -- and the broth pour out;' and he doth so.

21 T hen the Angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes, and there flared up fire from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.

And the messenger of Jehovah putteth forth the end of the staff which in His hand, and cometh against the flesh, and against the unleavened things, and the fire goeth up out of the rock and consumeth the flesh and the unleavened things -- and the messenger of Jehovah hath gone from his eyes.

22 A nd when Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face!

And Gideon seeth that He a messenger of Jehovah, and Gideon saith, `Alas, Lord Jehovah! because that I have seen a messenger of Jehovah face to face!'

23 T he Lord said to him, Peace be to you, do not fear; you shall not die.

And Jehovah saith to him, `Peace to thee; fear not; thou dost not die.'

24 T hen Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord is Peace. To this day it still stands in Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

And Gideon buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and calleth it Jehovah-Shalom, unto this day it yet in Ophrah of the Abi-Ezrites.

25 T hat night the Lord said to Gideon, Take your father’s bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down the Asherah that is beside it;

And it cometh to pass, on that night, that Jehovah saith to him, `Take the young ox which to thy father, and the second bullock of seven years, and thou hast thrown down the altar of Baal which to thy father, and the shrine which by it thou dost cut down,

26 A nd build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this stronghold with stones laid in proper order. Then take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.

and thou hast built an altar to Jehovah thy God on the top of this stronghold, by the arrangement, and hast taken the second bullock, and caused to ascend a burnt-offering with the wood of the shrine which thou cuttest down.'

27 T hen Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him, but because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.

And Gideon taketh ten men of his servants, and doth as Jehovah hath spoken unto him, and it cometh to pass, because he hath been afraid of the house of his father, and the men of the city, to do by day, that he doth by night.

28 A nd when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the Asherah was cut down that was beside it, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built.

And the men of the city rise early in the morning, and lo, broken down hath been the altar of Baal, and the shrine which is by it hath been cut down, and the second bullock hath been offered on the altar which is built.

29 A nd they said to one another, Who has done this thing? And when they searched and asked, they were told, Gideon son of Joash has done this thing.

And they say one to another, `Who hath done this thing?' and they inquire and seek, and they say, `Gideon son of Joash hath done this thing.'

30 T hen the men of the city commanded Joash, Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.

And the men of the city say unto Joash, `Bring out thy son, and he dieth, because he hath broken down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the shrine which by it.'

31 B ut Joash said to all who stood against him, Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? He who will contend for Baal, let him be put to death while it is still morning. If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself because one has pulled down his altar.

And Joash saith to all who have stood against him, `Ye, do ye plead for Baal? ye -- do ye save him? he who pleadeth for him is put to death during the morning; if he a god he himself doth plead against him, because he hath broken down his altar.'

32 T herefore on that day he called Gideon Jerubbaal, meaning, Let Baal contend against him, because he had pulled down his altar.

And he calleth him, on that day, Jerubbaal, saying, `The Baal doth plead against him, because he hath broken down his altar.'

33 T hen all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came together and, crossing the Jordan, encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.

And all Midian and Amalek and the sons of the east have been gathered together, and pass over, and encamp in the valley of Jezreel,

34 B ut the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with Himself and took possession of him, and he blew a trumpet, and Abiezer was gathered to him.

and the Spirit of Jehovah hath clothed Gideon, and he bloweth with a trumpet, and Abi-Ezer is called after him;

35 A nd he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and the Manassites were called to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, to Zebulun, and to Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

and messengers he hath sent into all Manasseh, and it also is called after him; and messengers he hath sent into Asher, and into Zebulun, and into Naphtali, and they come up to meet them.

36 A nd Gideon said to God, If You will deliver Israel by my hand as You have said,

And Gideon saith unto God, `If Thou art Saviour of Israel by my hand, as Thou hast spoken,

37 B ehold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have said.

lo, I am placing the fleece of wool in the threshing-floor: if dew is on the fleece alone, and on all the earth drought -- then I have known that Thou dost save Israel by my hand, as Thou hast spoken;'

38 A nd it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the dew out of the fleece, he wrung from it a bowlful of water.

and it is so, and he riseth early on the morrow, and presseth the fleece, and wringeth dew out of the fleece -- the fulness of the bowl, of water.

39 A nd Gideon said to God, Let not your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Let me make trial only this once with the fleece, I pray you; let it now be dry only upon the fleece and upon all the ground let there be dew.

And Gideon saith unto God, `Let not Thine anger burn against me, and I speak only this time; let me try, I pray Thee, only this time with the fleece -- let there be, I pray Thee, drought on the fleece alone, and on all the earth let there be dew.'

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

And God doth so on that night, and there is drought on the fleece alone, and on all the earth there hath been dew.