6:1 And the children of Israel did evil in
the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Madiam seven
years.
6:2 And the hand of Madiam prevailed against Israel: and the children of
Israel made for themselves because f Madiam the caves in the mountains, and
the dens, and the holes in the rocks.
6:3 And it came to pass when the children of Israel sowed, that Madiam and
Amalec went up, and the children of the east went up together with them.
6:4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed their fruits until they
came to Gaza; and they left not the support of life in the land of Israel,
not even ox or ass among the herds.
6:5 For they and their stock came up, and their tents were with them, as the
locust in multitude, and there was no number to them and their camels; and
they came to the land of Israel, and laid it waste.
6:6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of Madiam.
6:7 And the children of Israel cried to the Lord because of Madiam.
6:8 And the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel; and he said to
them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I am he that brought you up out of
the land of Egypt, and I brought you up out of the house of your bondage.
6:9 And I delivered you out of the hand of Egypt, and out of the hand of all
that afflicted you, and I cast them out before you; and I gave you their
land.
6:10 And I said to you, I [am] the Lord your God: ye shall not fear the gods
of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but ye hearkened not to my voice.
6:11 And an angel of the Lord came, and sat down under the fir tree, which
was in Ephratha in the land of Joas father of Esdri; and Gedeon his son
[was] threshing wheat in a wine-press in order to escape from the face of
Madiam.
6:12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord
[is] with thee, thou mighty in strength.
6:13 And Gedeon said to him, [Be gracious] with me, my Lord: but if the Lord
is with us, why have these evils found us? and where are all his miracles,
which our fathers have related to us, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up
out of Egypt? and now he has cast us out, and given us into the hand of
Madiam.
6:14 And the angel of the Lord turned to him, and said, Go in this thy
strength, and thou shalt save Israel out of the hand of Madiam: behold, I
have sent thee.
6:15 And Gedeon said to him, [Be gracious] with me, my Lord: whereby shall I
save Israel? behold, my thousand is weakened in Manasse, and I am the least
in my father's house.
6:16 And the angel of the Lord said to him, The Lord shall be with thee, and
thou shalt smite Madiam as one man.
6:17 And Gedeon said to him, If now I have found mercy in thine eyes, and
thou wilt do this day for me all that thou hast spoken of with me,
6:18 depart not hence until I come to thee, and I will bring forth an
offering and offer it before thee: and he said, I will remain until thou
return.
6:19 And Gedeon went in, and prepared a kid of the goats, and an ephah of
fine flour unleavened; and he put the flesh in the basket, and poured the
broth into the pot, and brought them forth to him under the turpentine tree,
and drew nigh.
6:20 And the angel of God said to him, Take the flesh and the unleavened
cakes, and put them on that rock, and pour out the broth close by: and he
did so.
6:21 And the angel of the Lord stretched out the end of the rod that was in
his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened bread; and fire came up
out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened bread, and the
angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
6:22 And Gedeon saw that he was an angel of the Lord; and Gedeon said, Ah,
ah, Lord my God! for I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.
6:23 And the Lord said to him, Peace be to thee, fear not, thou shalt not
die.
6:24 And Gedeon built there an altar to the Lord, and called it The peace of
the Lord, until this day, as it is still in Ephratha of the father of Esdri.
6:25 And it came to pass in that night, that the Lord said to him, Take the
young bullock which thy father has, even the second bullock of seven years
old, and thou shalt destroy the altar of Baal which thy father has, and the
grove which is by it thou shalt destroy.
6:26 And thou shalt build an altar to the Lord thy God on the top of this
Maozi in the ordering [it], and thou shalt take the second bullock, and
shalt offer up whole-burnt-offerings with the wood of the grove, which thou
shalt destroy.
6:27 And Gedeon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord spoke to
him: and it came to pass, as he feared the house of his father and the men
of the city if he should do it by day, that he did it by night.
6:28 And the men of the city rose up early in the morning; and behold, the
altar of Baal had been demolished, and the grove by it had been destroyed;
and they saw the second bullock, which Gedeon offered on the altar that had
been built.
6:29 And a man said to his neighbour, Who has done this thing? and they
enquired and searched, and learnt that Gedeon the son of Joas had done this
thing.
6:30 And the men of the city said to Joas, Bring out thy son, and let him
die, because he has destroyed the altar of Baal, and because he has
destroyed the grove that is by it.
6:31 And Gedeon the son of Joas said to all the men who rose up against him,
Do ye now plead for Baal, or will ye save him? whoever will plead for him,
let him be slain this morning: if he be a god let him plead for himself,
[because] one has thrown down his altar.
6:32 And he called it in that day Jerobaal, saying, Let Baal plead thereby,
because his altar has been thrown down.
6:33 And all Madiam, and Amalek, and the sons of the east gathered
themselves together, and encamped in the valley of Jezrael.
6:34 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gedeon, and he blew with the horn,
and Abiezer came to help after him.
6:35 And [Gedeon] sent messengers into all Manasse, and into Aser, and into
Zabulon, and into Nephthali; and he went up to meet them.
6:36 And Gedeon said to God, If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou
hast said,
6:37 behold, I put the fleece of wool in the threshing-floor: if there be
dew on the fleece only, and drought on all the ground, I shall know that
thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said.
6:38 And it was so: and he rose up early in the morning, and wrung the
fleece, and dew dropped from he fleece, a bowl full of water.
6:39 And Gedeon said to God, Let not, I pray thee, thine anger be kindled
with me, and I will speak yet once; I will even yet make one trial more with
the fleece: let now the drought be upon the fleece only, and let there be
dew on all the ground.
6:40 And God did so in that night; and there was drought on the fleece only,
and on all the ground there was dew. |
6:1 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.
6:2 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.
6:3 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;
6:4 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.
6:5 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.
6:6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the
children of Israel cried unto the LORD.
6:7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD
because of the Midianites,
6:8 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;
6:9 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;
6:10 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.
6:11 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.
6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The
LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.
6:13 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.
6:14 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?
6:15 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.
6:16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt
smite the Midianites as one man.
6:17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then show
me a sign that thou talkest with me.
6:18 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.
6:19 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.
6:20 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.
6:21 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.
6:22 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.
6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt
not die.
6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it
Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
6:25 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:
6:26 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.
6:27 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.
6:28 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.
6:29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they
inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
6:30 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.
6:31 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.
6:32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead
against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
6:33 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.
6:34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and
Abiezer was gathered after him.
6:35 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.
6:36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as
thou hast said,
6:37 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.
6:38 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.
6:39 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.
6:40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and
there was dew on all the ground. |