Judges 6:1-14

1The Israelites did things that the Lord saw were evil. So the Lord put them under the power of the Midianites for seven years.

2They used their power to be cruel to the Israelites. The Israelites built huts in the hills to live in. They hid themselves in caves and other safe places.

3When they planted seeds to grow food, their enemies would attack them. The Midianites, Amalekites and people from the east would come to rob them.

4They made their camps on Israel's land. They took all their crops, as far south as Gaza. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat. They took away their sheep, cows and donkeys.

5The groups of enemies came with their animals. They put up their tents all across the land. They came like a cloud of locusts. They were too many to count as they arrived on their camels. They took everything that grew on the land.

6Because of the Midianites, the Israelites became poor and weak. So they called out to the Lord for help.

7When the Israelites asked the Lord to rescue them from the Midianites,

8he sent a prophet to them. The prophet said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, Israel's God, says: “I brought you out of Egypt, where you were slaves.

9I saved you from the power of the Egyptians and all those who were cruel to you. I chased away your enemies and I gave their land to you.

10I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You are now living in the land of the Amorites, but you must not worship their gods.’ But you have not obeyed me.” ’

11The Lord's angel came to sit under a big oak tree in Ophrah. It belonged to Joash, from Abiezer's clan. When the angel arrived, Joash's son Gideon was threshing wheat. He was doing it in a winepress because he wanted to hide his food from the Midianites.

12The Lord's angel appeared to Gideon. He said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, brave fighter.’

13Gideon replied, ‘But sir, if the Lord is with us, why has all this trouble happened to us? Our ancestors told us about all the great things that the Lord did for them. They told us how he brought them safely out of Egypt. But the Lord has not helped us like that. He has turned away from us. He has put us under the power of the Midianites.’

14The Lord himself then said to Gideon, ‘Go now and use the strength that you have. Rescue Israel from the power of the Midianites. I myself am sending you to do this.’