Judges 6:3-33

3For whenever Israel had sown, the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the 1people of the east and 2march against them. 4So they would camp against them and 3destroy the produce of the earth 4as far as Gaza, and 5leave 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 6like locusts in number, and both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to ruin it. 6So Israel was brought 7very 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 8he 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 9slavery. 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 10shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.” But you have not 11obeyed Me.’”

11Then 12the angel of the Lord came and sat under the 13oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the 14Abiezrite, as his son 15Gideon 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 16now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14And the Lord 17looked at him and said, “18Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 1519But he said to Him, “O Lord, 20how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in 21Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 1622Yet the Lord said to him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will 23defeat Midian as one man.” 17So 24Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then perform for me 25a sign that it is You speaking with me. 18Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”

19Then Gideon went in and 26prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an 27ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket 28and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the 29oak and presented them. 20And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and 30fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord 31vanished from his sight. 2232When Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord, 33he said, “Oh, Lord 34God! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you, do not be afraid; you shall not die.” 24Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it 35The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still 36in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25Now on the same night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull 37and a second bull seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the 3839Asherah that is beside it; 26and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly way, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.” 27Then Gideon took ten men from his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and 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.

28When the people of the city got up early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal had been torn down, and the Asherah which had been beside it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar which had been built. 29So they said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.” 30Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.” 31But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you save him? Whoever will contend for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, since someone has torn down his altar!” 32Therefore on that day he named 40Gideon 41Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar.

33Then all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the 42people of the east assembled together; and they crossed over and camped in 43the Valley of Jezreel.