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Judges 6
Common English Bible
Judges 6
Common English Bible
Oppression by the Midianites
6 The Israelites did things that the Lord saw as evil, and the Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. 2 The power of the Midianites prevailed over Israel, and because of the Midianites, the Israelites used crevices and caves in the mountains as hidden strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted seeds, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other easterners would invade. 4 They would set up camp against the Israelites and destroy the land’s crops as far as Gaza, leaving nothing to keep Israel alive, not even sheep, oxen, or donkeys. 5 They would invade with their herds and tents, coming like a swarm of locusts, so that no one could count them or their camels. They came into the land to destroy it. 6 So Israel became very weak on account of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.
7 This time when the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent them a prophet, who said to them, “The Lord, Israel’s God, proclaims: I myself brought you up from Egypt, and I led you out of the house of slavery. 9 I delivered you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.’ But you have not obeyed me.”
Gideon’s commissioning
11 Then the Lord’s messenger came and sat under the oak at Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 The Lord’s messenger appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!”
13 But Gideon replied to him, “With all due respect, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his amazing works that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Didn’t the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and allowed Midian to overpower us.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “You have strength, so go and rescue Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not personally sending you?”
15 But again Gideon said to him, “With all due respect, my Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the youngest in my household.”
16 The Lord replied, “Because I’m with you, you’ll defeat the Midianites as if they were just one person.”[a]
17 Then Gideon said to him, “If I’ve gained your approval, please show me a sign that it’s really you speaking with me. 18 Don’t leave here until I return, bring out my offering, and set it in front of you.”
The Lord replied, “I’ll stay until you return.”
19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and used an ephah[b] of flour for unleavened bread. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them. 20 Then God’s messenger said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and set them on this rock, then pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 The Lord’s messenger reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and devoured the meat and the unleavened bread; and the Lord’s messenger vanished before his eyes. 22 Then Gideon realized that it had been the Lord’s messenger. Gideon exclaimed, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the Lord’s messenger face-to-face!”
23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Don’t be afraid! You won’t die.”
24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it “The Lord makes peace.” It still stands today in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old. Break down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah[c] that is beside it. 26 Build an altar to the Lord your God in the proper way on top of this high ground. Then take the second bull and offer it as an entirely burned offering with the wood of the Asherah that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did just as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his household and the townspeople to do it during the day, he did it at night.
28 When the townspeople got up early in the morning, there was the altar to Baal broken down, with the asherah image that had been beside it cut down, and the second bull offered on the newly built altar! 29 They asked each other, “Who did this?” They searched and investigated, and finally they concluded, “Gideon, Joash’s son, did this!” 30 The townspeople said to Joash, “Bring out your son for execution because he tore down the altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah that was beside it.”
31 But Joash replied to all who were lined up against him, “Will you make Baal’s complaint for him? Will you come to his rescue? Anyone who argues for him will be killed before morning. If he is a god, let him argue for himself, because it was his altar that was torn down.” 32 So on that day Gideon became known as Jerubbaal, meaning, “Let Baal argue with him,” because he tore down his altar.
Gideon seeks a sign
33 Some time later, all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other easterners joined together, came over, and set up camp in the Jezreel Valley. 34 Then the Lord’s spirit came over Gideon, and he sounded the horn and summoned the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers into all of Manasseh, and they were also summoned to follow him. Then he sent messengers into Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali too, and they marched up to meet them.
36 But then Gideon said to God, “To see if you really intend to rescue Israel through me as you have declared, 37 I’m now putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece but all the ground is dry, then I’ll know that you are going to rescue Israel through me, as you have declared.” 38 And that is what happened. When he got up early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung out enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water.
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Don’t be angry with me, but let me speak just one more time. Please let me make just one more test with the fleece: now let only the fleece be dry and let dew be on all the ground.” 40 And God did so that night. Only the fleece was dry, but there was dew on all the ground.
Footnotes
- Judges 6:16 Or each and every one of them
- Judges 6:19 An ephah is approximately twenty quarts.
- Judges 6:25 Heb asherah; perhaps an object or a pole devoted to the goddess Asherah
Judecători 6
Nouă Traducere În Limba Română
Judecători 6
Nouă Traducere În Limba Română
Oprimarea midianită
6 Israeliţii au făcut din nou ce este rău în ochii Domnului şi de aceea Domnul i-a dat pe mâna lui Midian timp de şapte ani. 2 Midianiţii i-au asuprit cu putere pe israeliţi. Din cauza lor, israeliţii şi-au făcut grote în munţi, peşteri şi fortăreţe. 3 Ori de câte ori semăna Israel, midianiţii împreună cu amalekiţii şi popoarele din răsărit porneau împotriva lui. 4 Ei îi invadau ţara şi distrugeau roadele pământului până aproape de Gaza. Nu lăsau în Israel nici hrană, nici oi, nici boi şi nici măgari, 5 căci ei veneau cu vitele şi corturile lor, sosind ca o mulţime de lăcuste. Ei şi cămilele lor erau fără număr şi intrau în ţară ca s-o distrugă. 6 Israel decăzuse foarte mult din cauza midianiţilor. Atunci israeliţii au strigat către Domnul.
7 Când au strigat israeliţii către Domnul din cauza lui Midian, 8 Domnul le-a trimis un profet care le-a zis: „Aşa vorbeşte Domnul, Dumnezeul lui Israel: «Eu v-am scos din Egipt, Eu v-am smuls din casa sclaviei 9 şi v-am eliberat din mâna egiptenilor şi din mâna tuturor celor ce vă asupreau! I-am izgonit dinaintea voastră şi v-am dat vouă ţara lor! 10 V-am poruncit atunci că Domnul este Dumnezeul vostru şi de aceea să nu vă temeţi de zeii amoriţilor în a căror ţară locuiţi. Dar voi n-aţi ascultat de glasul Meu.»“
Chemarea lui Ghedeon
11 După aceea a venit Îngerul Domnului şi S-a aşezat sub terebintul din Ofra, care era al abiezritului[a] Ioaş. Fiul său, Ghedeon, treiera grâul în teasc, ca să-l ascundă de midianiţi. 12 Îngerul Domnului i S-a arătat şi i-a zis:
– Domnul este cu tine, războinic viteaz!
13 Ghedeon I-a răspuns:
– Nu te supăra, domnule[b], dar dacă Domnul este cu noi atunci de ce ni s-au întâmplat toate acestea? Şi unde sunt toate minunile pe care ni le-au istorisit părinţii noştri când ziceau: „Nu ne-a scos Domnul din Egipt?“ Dar acum Domnul ne-a părăsit şi ne-a dat în mâna midianiţilor.
14 Domnul S-a întors spre el şi i-a zis:
– Du-te cu puterea aceasta pe care o ai şi eliberează Israelul din mâna midianiţilor! Oare nu te trimit Eu?
15 El I-a răspuns:
– Iartă-mă, Stăpâne[c], dar cum să eliberez eu pe Israel? Iată că familia mea este cea mai mică în Manase, iar eu sunt cel mai tânăr în familia tatălui meu!
16 Atunci Domnul i-a zis:
– Vei învinge pe Midian ca pe un singur om, pentru că Eu voi fi cu tine!
17 El I-a răspuns:
– Te rog, dacă tot am găsit bunăvoinţă la Tine, atunci înfăptuieşte un semn pentru mine ca să ştiu că într-adevăr Tu eşti Cel Ce vorbeşti cu mine! 18 Te mai rog, nu Te depărta de aici până ce nu mă voi întoarce la Tine ca să-Ţi aduc darul meu şi să Ţi-l ofer!
– Voi rămâne până te vei întoarce! i-a zis El.
19 Ghedeon a intrat, a gătit un ied, iar dintr-o efă[d] de făină a făcut azime. Carnea iedului a pus-o într-un coş, iar zeama într-un vas; apoi s-a dus înspre El, sub terebint şi I le-a oferit.
20 Îngerul Domnului i-a zis:
– Ia carnea şi azimele şi pune-le pe stânca aceasta, iar zeama vars-o!
El a făcut aşa. 21 Îngerul Domnului a întins toiagul care era în mâna Lui şi a atins cu vârful carnea şi azimele. În acel moment a ieşit foc din stâncă, care a mistuit carnea şi azimele. Apoi Îngerul Domnului
S-a făcut nevăzut.
22 Atunci Ghedeon şi-a dat seama că fusese Îngerul Domnului şi a zis:
– Vai de mine, Stăpâne Doamne! Am văzut pe Îngerul Domnului faţă în faţă!
23 Dar Domnul i-a răspuns:
– Pace ţie! Să nu-ţi fie frică, căci nu vei muri!
24 Ghedeon a zidit acolo un altar Domnului şi l-a numit „Domnul este pace“[e]. Altarul mai este încă şi astăzi în Ofra, care aparţine abiezriţilor.
Ghedeon distruge altarul lui Baal
25 În aceeaşi noapte Domnul i-a zis:
– Ia cel de-al doilea bou tânăr al tatălui tău, boul care are şapte ani! Dărâmă altarul închinat de tatăl tău lui Baal şi taie stâlpul Aşerei[f] care este lângă el. 26 Zideşte apoi un altar potrivit[g] Domnului, Dumnezeul tău, pe vârful acestei înălţimi, ia boul şi adu o ardere de tot, folosind stâlpul Aşerei pe care-l vei tăia!
27 Ghedeon a luat zece oameni din slujitorii lui şi a făcut aşa cum îi poruncise Domnul, dar fiindcă i-a fost foarte frică de familia lui şi de oamenii din cetate, a făcut acest lucru noaptea, nu ziua.
28 Când oamenii din cetate s-au sculat dis-de-dimineaţă, au observat că altarul lui Baal era dărâmat, stâlpul Aşerei, care fusese lângă el, era tăiat, iar boul fusese jertfit pe un altar nou. 29 Atunci s-au întrebat unii pe alţii:
– Cine a făcut o asemenea faptă?
După ce au întrebat şi au cercetat li s-a răspuns:
– Ghedeon, fiul lui Ioaş, a făcut fapta aceasta!
30 Oamenii din cetate i-au zis lui Ioaş:
– Scoate-l afară pe fiul tău ca să moară, pentru că a dărâmat altarul lui Baal şi a tăiat stâlpul Aşerei de lângă el!
31 Ioaş le-a răspuns tuturor acelora care i-au stat împotrivă:
– Oare voi trebuie să-i ţineţi partea? Voi trebuie să-l apăraţi? Cine îl va răzbuna pe Baal să fie ucis până dimineaţă! Dacă este dumnezeu, atunci să se apere singur din cauză că i-a fost dărâmat altarul!
32 În ziua aceea au pus lui Ghedeon numele Ierub-Baal[h] şi au zis:
– Să se certe Baal cu el din cauză că i-a dărâmat altarul!
Semnul cu lâna
33 Toţi midianiţii, amalekiţii şi popoarele din răsărit s-au aliat, au traversat Iordanul şi şi-au aşezat tabăra în valea Izreel. 34 Ghedeon a fost îmbrăcat cu Duhul Domnului şi a sunat din corn. Abiezer a fost chemat să meargă după el. 35 A trimis soli prin tot teritoriul lui Manase şi manasiţii au fost chemaţi să-l însoţească.
A trimis soli în Aşer, în Zabulon şi în Neftali şi ei au venit să-l susţină.
36 Atunci Ghedeon I-a zis lui Dumnezeu: „Dacă într-adevăr vrei să-l eliberezi pe Israel, folosindu-te de mine precum ai spus, 37 iată, voi pune o învelitoare de lână în ogor. Dacă roua va apărea doar pe lână şi tot pământul va rămâne uscat, atunci voi înţelege că vrei să eliberezi Israelul prin mine, precum ai spus!“ 38 Şi aşa s-a şi întâmplat. Când s-a sculat a doua zi dis-de-dimineaţă, a stors învelitoarea, şi din ea a curs rouă; a umplut cu apă un vas întreg.
39 Atunci Ghedeon I-a zis din nou lui Dumnezeu: „Să nu te aprinzi de mânie împotriva mea, dar voi mai vorbi încă o dată! Te rog, îngăduie-mi să mai încerc o dată semnul cu învelitoarea! Fă ca numai învelitoarea să rămână uscată şi tot pământul să se acopere cu rouă!“ 40 Şi Dumnezeu a făcut aşa în noaptea aceea: învelitoarea a rămas uscată, iar tot pământul s-a acoperit cu rouă.
Footnotes
- Judecători 6:11 Din familia lui Abiezer (vezi Ios. 17:2); şi în v. 24
- Judecători 6:13 Ebr.: Adoni, al cărui corespondent modern ar fi domnule (domnul meu), diferit de Adonai, care de obicei este un apelativ cu referire la Dumnezeu
- Judecători 6:15 Ebr.: Adonai, cu referire la Dumnezeu; probabil în v. 13 Ghedeon nu şi-a dat seama cu cine vorbeşte, în versetul 15 realizând că vorbeşte cu Domnul
- Judecători 6:19 O efă măsura aproximativ 22 l
- Judecători 6:24 Ebr.: YHWH Şalom
- Judecători 6:25 Simbol din lemn al zeiţei canaanite Aşera sau ale zeiţei Aştoret (numită în greacă Astarte), împlântat pe o înălţime, sub un copac umbros, alături de un altar; stâlp sacru; crâng sacru; peste tot în Judecători
- Judecători 6:26 Sau: din rânduri de pietre
- Judecători 6:32 Ierub-Baal înseamnă Apere-se Baal
Judges 6
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
Judges 6
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
6 But the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years.
2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the Israelites made themselves the dens which are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds.
3 For whenever Israel had sown their seed, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came up against them.
4 They would encamp against them and destroy the crops as far as Gaza and leave no nourishment for Israel, and no ox or sheep or donkey.
5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came like locusts for multitude; both they and their camels could not be counted. So they wasted the land as they entered it.
6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the Israelites cried to the Lord.
7 And when they cried to the Lord because of Midian,
8 The Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites, who said to them, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt and brought you forth out of the house of bondage.
9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you and gave you their land.
10 And I said to you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed My voice.
11 Now the [a]Angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak (terebinth) at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, and his son Gideon was beating wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of [fearless] courage.
13 And Gideon said to him, O sir, if the Lord is with us, why is all this befallen us? And where are all His wondrous works of which our fathers told us, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.
14 The Lord turned to him and said, Go in this your might, and you shall save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?
15 Gideon said to Him, Oh Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
16 The Lord said to him, Surely I will be with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man.
17 Gideon said to Him, If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You Who talks with me.
18 Do not leave here, I pray You, until I return to You and bring my offering and set it before You. And He said, I will wait until you return.
19 Then Gideon went in and prepared a kid and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them to Him under the oak and presented them.
20 And the Angel of God said to him, Take the meat and unleavened cakes and lay them on this rock and pour the broth over them. And he did so.
21 Then the Angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes, and there flared up fire from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
22 And when Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face!
23 The Lord said to him, Peace be to you, do not fear; you shall not die.
24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord is Peace. To this day it still stands in Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
25 That night the Lord said to Gideon, Take your father’s bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down the Asherah [symbol of the goddess Asherah] that is beside it;
26 And build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this stronghold with stones laid in proper order. Then take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him, but 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.
28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the Asherah was cut down that was beside it, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built.
29 And they said to one another, Who has done this thing? And when they searched and asked, they were told, Gideon son of Joash has done this thing.
30 Then the men of the city commanded Joash, Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? He who will contend for Baal, let him be put to death while it is still morning. If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself because one has pulled down his altar.
32 Therefore on that day he called Gideon Jerubbaal, meaning, Let Baal contend against him, because he had pulled down his altar.
33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east came together and, crossing the Jordan, encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with Himself and took possession of him, and he blew a trumpet, and [the clan of] Abiezer was gathered to him.
35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and the Manassites were called to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, to Zebulun, and to Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.
36 And Gideon said to God, If You will deliver Israel by my hand as You have said,
37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have said.
38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the dew out of the fleece, he wrung from it a bowlful of water.
39 And Gideon said to God, Let not your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Let me make trial only this once with the fleece, I pray you; let it now be dry only upon the fleece and upon all the ground let there be dew.
40 And God did so that night, for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Footnotes
- Judges 6:11 See footnote on Gen. 16:7.
Judges 6
New International Version
Judges 6
New International Version
Gideon
6 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,(A) and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.(B) 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive,(C) the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves(D) and strongholds.(E) 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites(F) and other eastern peoples(G) invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops(H) all the way to Gaza(I) and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts.(J) It was impossible to count them or their camels;(K) they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out(L) to the Lord for help.
7 When the Israelites cried out(M) to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet,(N) who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt,(O) out of the land of slavery.(P) 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors;(Q) I drove them out before you and gave you their land.(R) 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship(S) the gods of the Amorites,(T) in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”
11 The angel of the Lord(U) came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah(V) that belonged to Joash(W) the Abiezrite,(X) where his son Gideon(Y) was threshing(Z) wheat in a winepress(AA) to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you,(AB) mighty warrior.(AC)”
13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders(AD) that our ancestors told(AE) us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned(AF) us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have(AG) and save(AH) Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan(AI) is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.(AJ)”
16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you(AK), and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign(AL) that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”
And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”
19 Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat,(AM) and from an ephah[a](AN) of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.(AO)
20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock,(AP) and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread(AQ) with the tip of the staff(AR) that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized(AS) that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”(AT)
23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid.(AU) You are not going to die.”(AV)
24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called(AW) it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah(AX) of the Abiezrites.
25 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.[b] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole[c](AY) beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of[d] altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second[e] bull as a burnt offering.(AZ)”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
28 In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baal’s altar,(BA) demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!
29 They asked each other, “Who did this?”
When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash(BB) did it.”
30 The people of the town demanded of Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal’s altar(BC) and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31 But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, “Are you going to plead Baal’s cause?(BD) Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar.” 32 So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal[f](BE) that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”
33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites(BF) and other eastern peoples(BG) joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.(BH) 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on(BI) Gideon, and he blew a trumpet,(BJ) summoning the Abiezrites(BK) to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher,(BL) Zebulun and Naphtali,(BM) so that they too went up to meet them.(BN)
36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save(BO) Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece(BP) on the threshing floor.(BQ) If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know(BR) that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request.(BS) Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.(BT)
Footnotes
- Judges 6:19 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
- Judges 6:25 Or Take a full-grown, mature bull from your father’s herd
- Judges 6:25 That is, a wooden symbol of the goddess Asherah; also in verses 26, 28 and 30
- Judges 6:26 Or build with layers of stone an
- Judges 6:26 Or full-grown; also in verse 28
- Judges 6:32 Jerub-Baal probably means let Baal contend.
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