Judges 6:1-14

1The people of Israel did what the Lord considered evil. So the Lord handed them over to Midian for seven years.

2Midian’s power was too strong for Israel. The Israelites made hiding places in the mountains, caves, and mountain strongholds ⌞to protect themselves⌟ from Midian.

3Whenever Israel planted crops, Midian, Amalek, and Kedem came and damaged the crops.

4The enemy used to camp on the land and destroy the crops all the way to Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to live on—not one sheep, cow, or donkey.

5Like swarms of locusts, they came with their livestock and their tents. They and their camels could not be counted. They came into the land only to ruin it.

6So the Israelites became very poor because of Midian and cried out to the Lord for help.

7When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help because of what the Midianites had done to them,

8the Lord sent a prophet to them. He said, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I brought you out of Egypt. I took you away from slavery.

9I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of those who oppressed you. I forced people out of your way. I gave you their land.

10I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You must never fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you will live.’ But you have not obeyed me.”

11The Messenger of the Lord came and sat under the oak tree in Ophrah that belonged to Joash from Abiezer’s family. Joash’s son Gideon was beating out wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

12The Messenger of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, brave man.”

13Gideon responded, “Excuse me, sir! But if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracles our ancestors have told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and has handed us over to Midian.”

14The Lord turned to him and said, “You will rescue Israel from Midian with the strength you have. I am sending you.”