Judges 6:1-14

1Then the sons of Israel 1did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord handed them over to 2Midian for seven years. 2The 3power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves 4the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3For whenever Israel had sown, the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the 5people of the east and 6march against them. 4So they would camp against them and 7destroy the produce of the earth 8as far as Gaza, and 9leave no sustenance in Israel, nor a sheep, ox, or donkey. 5For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in 10like locusts in number, and both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to ruin it. 6So Israel was brought 11very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.

7Now it came about, when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of Midian, 8that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and 12he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of 13slavery. 9And I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians, and from the hands of all your oppressors, and I drove them out from you and gave you their land, 10and I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; you 14shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.” But you have not 15obeyed Me.’”

11Then 16the angel of the Lord came and sat under the 17oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the 18Abiezrite, as his son 19Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” 13Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But 20now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14And the Lord 21looked at him and said, “22Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”