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Deborah and Barak Sing for the Lord

After the battle was over that day, Deborah and Barak sang this song:

We praise you, Lord!
Our soldiers volunteered,
    ready to follow you.
Listen, kings and rulers,
while I sing for the Lord,
    the God of Israel.

Our Lord, God of Israel,
when you came from Seir,
    where the Edomites live,
(A) rain poured from the sky,
the earth trembled,
    and mountains shook.

In the time of Shamgar
    son of Anath,
and now again in Jael's time,
roads were too dangerous
    for caravans.
Travelers had to take
    the back roads,
and villagers couldn't work
    in their fields.[a]
Then Deborah[b] took command,
protecting Israel as a mother
    protects her children.

The Israelites worshiped
    other gods,
and the gates of their towns
    were then attacked.[c]
But they had no shields
    or spears to fight with.
I praise you, Lord,
    and I am grateful
for those leaders and soldiers
    who volunteered.
10 Listen, everyone!
Whether you ride a donkey
    with a padded saddle
    or have to walk.
11 Even those who carry water[d]
    to the animals will tell you,
“The Lord has won victories,
    and so has Israel.”

Then the Lord's people marched
    down to the town gates
12 and said, “Deborah, let's go!
Let's sing as we march.
    Barak, capture our enemies.”

13 The Lord's people who were left
joined with their leaders
    and fought at my side.[e]
14 Troops came from Ephraim,
    where Amalekites once lived.
Others came from Benjamin;
officers and leaders came
    from Machir and Zebulun.
15 The rulers of Issachar
    came along with Deborah,
and Issachar followed Barak
    into the valley.

But the tribe of Reuben
    was no help at all![f]
16 Reuben, why did you stay
    among your sheep pens?[g]
Was it to listen to shepherds
    whistling for their sheep?
No one could figure out
    why Reuben wouldn't come.[h]
17 The people of Gilead stayed
    across the Jordan.
Why did the tribe of Dan
    remain on their ships
and the tribe of Asher
stay along the coast
    near the harbors?

18 But soldiers of Zebulun
    and Naphtali
risked their lives
    to attack the enemy.[i]
19 Canaanite kings fought us
at Taanach by the stream
    near Megiddo[j]
but they couldn't rob us
    of our silver.[k]
20 From their pathways in the sky
    the stars[l] fought Sisera,
21 and his soldiers were swept away
    by the ancient Kishon River.

I will march on and be brave.

22 Sisera's horses galloped off,
their hoofs thundering
    in retreat.

23 The Lord's angel said,
    “Put a curse on Meroz Town!
Its people refused
to help the Lord fight
    his powerful enemies.”

24 But honor Jael,
the wife of Heber
    from the Kenite clan.
Give more honor to her
than to any other woman
    who lives in tents.
Yes, give more honor to her
    than to any other woman.
25 Sisera asked for water,
but Jael gave him milk—
    cream in a fancy cup.
26 She reached for a tent-peg
and held a hammer
    in her right hand.
And with a blow to the head,
    she crushed his skull.
27 Sisera sank to his knees
    and fell dead at her feet.

28 Sisera's mother looked out
    through her window.
“Why is he taking so long?”
    she asked.
“Why haven't we heard
    his chariots coming?”
29 She and her wisest women
    gave the same answer:
30 “Sisera and his troops
are finding treasures
    to bring back—
a woman, or maybe two,
    for each man,
and beautiful dresses
    for those women to wear.”[m]

31 Our Lord, we pray
that all your enemies
    will die like Sisera.
But let everyone who loves you
shine brightly like the sun
    at dawn.

Midian Steals Everything from Israel

There was peace in Israel for about 40 years. Then once again the Israelites started disobeying the Lord, so he let the nation of Midian control Israel for seven years. The Midianites were so cruel that many Israelites ran to the mountains and hid in caves.

Every time the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites invaded Israel together with the Amalekites and other eastern nations. 4-5 They rode in on their camels, set up their tents, and then let their livestock eat the crops as far as the town of Gaza. The Midianites stole food, sheep, cattle, and donkeys. Like a swarm of locusts,[n] they could not be counted, and they ruined the land wherever they went.

6-7 The Midianites took almost everything that belonged to the Israelites, and the Israelites begged the Lord for help. 8-9 Then the Lord sent a prophet to them with this message:

I am the Lord God of Israel, so listen to what I say. You were slaves in Egypt, but I set you free and led you out of Egypt into this land. And when nations here made life miserable for you, I rescued you and helped you get rid of them and take their land. 10 I am your God, and I told you not to worship Amorite gods, even though you are living in the land of the Amorites. But you refused to listen.

The Lord Chooses Gideon

11 One day an angel from the Lord went to the town of Ophrah and sat down under the big tree that belonged to Joash, a member of the Abiezer clan. Joash's son Gideon was nearby, threshing grain in a shallow pit, where he could not be seen by the Midianites.

12 The angel appeared and spoke to Gideon, “The Lord is helping you, and you are a strong warrior.”

13 Gideon answered, “Please don't take this wrong, but if the Lord is helping us, then why have all of these awful things happened? We've heard how the Lord performed miracles and rescued our ancestors from Egypt. But those things happened long ago. Now the Lord has abandoned us to the Midianites.”

14 Then the Lord himself said, “Gideon, you will be strong, because I am giving you the power to rescue Israel from the Midianites.”

15 Gideon replied, “But how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest one in Manasseh, and everyone else in my family is more important than I am.”

16 “Gideon,” the Lord answered, “you can rescue Israel because I am going to help you! Defeating the Midianites will be as easy as beating up one man.”

17 Gideon said, “It's hard to believe that I'm actually talking to the Lord. Please do something so I'll know that you really are the Lord. 18 And wait here until I bring you an offering.”

“All right, I'll wait,” the Lord answered.

19 Gideon went home and killed a young goat, then started boiling the meat. Next, he opened a big sack of flour and made it into thin bread.[o] When the meat was done, he put it in a basket and poured the broth into a clay cooking pot. He took the meat, the broth, and the bread and placed them under the big tree.

20 God's angel said, “Gideon, put the meat and the bread on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” Gideon did as he was told. 21 The angel was holding a walking stick, and he touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick. Flames jumped from the rock and burned up the meat and the bread.

When Gideon looked, the angel was gone. 22 Gideon realized that he had seen one of the Lord's angels. “Oh!” he moaned. “Now I'm going to die.”[p]

23 “Calm down!” the Lord told Gideon. “There's nothing to be afraid of. You're not going to die.”

24 Gideon built an altar for worshiping the Lord and called it “The Lord Calms Our Fears.” It still stands there in Ophrah, a town in the territory of the Abiezer clan.

Gideon Tears Down Baal's Altar

25 That night the Lord spoke to Gideon again:

Get your father's second-best bull, the one that's seven years old. Use it to pull down the altar where your father worships Baal and cut down the sacred pole[q] next to the altar. 26 Then build an altar for worshiping me on the highest part of the hill where your town is built. Use layers of stones for my altar, not just a pile of rocks. Cut up the wood from the pole, make a fire, kill the bull, and burn it as a sacrifice to me.

27 Gideon chose ten of his servants to help him, and they did everything God had said. But since Gideon was afraid of his family and the other people in Ophrah, he did it all at night.

28 When the people of the town got up the next morning, they saw that Baal's altar had been knocked over, and the sacred pole next to it had been cut down. Then they noticed the new altar covered with the remains of the sacrificed bull.

29 “Who could have done such a thing?” they asked. And they kept on asking, until finally someone told them, “Gideon the son of Joash did it.”

30 The men of the town went to Joash and said, “Your son Gideon knocked over Baal's altar and cut down the sacred pole next to it. Hand him over, so we can kill him!”

31 The crowd pushed closer and closer, but Joash replied, “Are you trying to take revenge for Baal? Are you trying to rescue Baal? If you are, you will be the ones who are put to death, and it will happen before another day dawns. If Baal really is a god, let him take his own revenge on someone who tears down his altar.”

32 That same day, Joash changed Gideon's name to Jerubbaal, explaining, “He tore down Baal's altar, so let Baal take revenge himself.”[r]

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern nations got together and crossed the Jordan River. Then they invaded the land of Israel and set up camp in Jezreel Valley.

34 The Lord's Spirit took control of Gideon, and Gideon blew a trumpet as a signal for the men in the Abiezer clan to follow him. 35 He also sent messengers to the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, telling the men of these tribes to come and join his army. Then they set out toward the enemy camp.

36-37 Gideon prayed to God, “I know that you promised to help me rescue Israel, but I need proof. Tonight I'll spread a sheep skin on the stone floor of that threshing-place over there. If you really will help me rescue Israel, then tomorrow morning let there be dew on the skin, but let the stone floor be dry.”

38 And that's just what happened. Early the next morning, Gideon got up and checked the sheep skin. He squeezed out enough water to fill a bowl. 39 But Gideon prayed to God again. “Don't be angry with me,” Gideon said. “Let me try this just one more time, so I'll really be sure you'll help me. Only this time, let the skin be dry and the stone floor be wet.”

40 That night, God made the stone floor wet with dew, but he kept the sheep skin dry.

Early the next morning, Gideon and his army got up and moved their camp to Fear Spring.[s] The Midianite camp was to the north, in the valley at the foot of Moreh Hill.[t]

The Lord said, “Gideon, your army is too big. I can't let you win with this many soldiers. The Israelites would think that they had won the battle all by themselves and that I didn't have anything to do with it. (B) So call your troops together and tell them that anyone who is really afraid can leave Mount Gilead[u] and go home.”

Twenty-two thousand men returned home, leaving Gideon with only 10,000 soldiers.

“Gideon,” the Lord said, “you still have too many soldiers. Take them down to the spring and I'll test them. I'll tell you which ones can go along with you and which ones must go back home.”

When Gideon led his army down to the spring, the Lord told him, “Watch how each man gets a drink of water. Then divide them into two groups—those who lap the water like a dog and those who kneel down to drink.”

Three hundred men scooped up water in their hands and lapped it, and the rest knelt to get a drink. The Lord said, “Gideon, your army will be made up of everyone who lapped the water from their hands. Send the others home. I'm going to rescue Israel by helping you and your army of 300 defeat the Midianites.”

Then Gideon gave these orders, “You 300 men stay here. The rest of you may go home, but leave your food and trumpets with us.”

Gideon's army camp was on top of a hill overlooking the Midianite camp in the valley.

That night, the Lord said to Gideon. “Get up! Attack the Midianite camp. I am going to let you defeat them, 10 but if you're still afraid, you and your servant Purah should sneak down to their camp. 11 When you hear what the Midianites are saying, you'll be brave enough to attack.”

Gideon and Purah worked their way to the edge of the enemy camp, where soldiers were on guard duty. 12 The camp was huge. The Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern nations covered the valley like a swarm of locusts.[v] And it would be easier to count the grains of sand on a beach than to count their camels. 13 Gideon overheard one enemy guard telling another, “I had a dream about a flat[w] loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into our camp. It hit the headquarters tent,[x] and the tent flipped over and fell to the ground.”

14 The other soldier answered, “Your dream must have been about Gideon, the Israelite commander. It means God will let him and his army defeat the Midianite army and everyone else in our camp.”

15 As soon as Gideon heard about the dream and what it meant, he bowed down to praise God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Let's go! The Lord is going to let us defeat the Midianite army.”

16 Gideon divided his little army into three groups of 100 men, and he gave each soldier a trumpet and a large clay jar with a burning torch inside. 17-18 Gideon said, “When we get to the enemy camp, spread out and surround it. Then wait for me to blow a signal on my trumpet. As soon as you hear it, blow your trumpets and shout, ‘Fight for the Lord! Fight for Gideon!’ ”

19 Gideon and his group reached the edge of the enemy camp a few hours after dark, just after the new guards had come on duty.[y] Gideon and his soldiers blew their trumpets and smashed the clay jars that were hiding the torches. 20 The rest of Gideon's soldiers blew the trumpets they were holding in their right hands. Then they smashed the jars and held the burning torches in their left hands. Everyone shouted, “Fight with your swords for the Lord and for Gideon!”

21 The enemy soldiers started yelling and tried to run away. Gideon's troops stayed in their positions surrounding the camp 22 and blew their trumpets again. As they did, the Lord made the enemy soldiers pull out their swords and start fighting each other.

The enemy army tried to escape from the camp. They ran to Acacia Tree Town, toward Zeredah,[z] and as far as the edge of the land that belonged to the town of Abel-Meholah near Tabbath.[aa]

23 Gideon sent word for more Israelite soldiers to come from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and both halves of Manasseh[ab] to help fight the Midianites. 24 He also sent messengers to tell all the men who lived in the hill country of Ephraim, “Come and help us fight the Midianites! Put guards at every spring, stream, and well, as far as Beth-Barah before the Midianites can get to them. And guard the Jordan River.”

Troops from Ephraim did exactly what Gideon had asked, 25 and they even helped chase the Midianites on the east side of the Jordan River. These troops captured Raven and Wolf,[ac] the two Midianite leaders. They killed Raven at a large rock that has come to be known as Raven Rock, and they killed Wolf near a wine-pit that has come to be called Wolf Wine-Pit.[ad]

The men of Ephraim brought the heads of the two Midianite leaders to Gideon. But the men were really upset with Gideon and complained, “When you went to war with Midian, you didn't ask us to help! Why did you treat us like that?”

Gideon answered:

Don't be upset! Even though you came later, you were able to do much more than I did. It's just like the grape harvest: The grapes your tribe doesn't even bother to pick are better than the best grapes my family can grow. (C) Besides, God chose you to capture Raven and Wolf. I didn't do a thing compared to you.

By the time Gideon had finished talking, the men of Ephraim had calmed down and were no longer angry with him.

Gideon Finishes Destroying the Midianite Army

After Gideon and his 300 troops had chased the Midianites across the Jordan River, they were exhausted. The town of Succoth was nearby, so he went there and asked, “Please give my troops some food. They are worn out, but we have to keep chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the two Midianite kings.”

The town leaders of Succoth answered, “Why should we feed your army? We don't know if you really will defeat Zebah and Zalmunna.”

“Just wait!” Gideon said. “After the Lord helps me defeat them, I'm coming back here. I'll make a whip out of thorns and rip the flesh from your bones.”

After leaving Succoth, Gideon went to Penuel and asked the leaders there for some food. But he got the same answer as he did at Succoth. “I'll come back safe and sound,” Gideon said, “but when I do, I'm going to tear down your tower!”[ae]

10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor[af] with an army of 15,000 troops. They were all that was left of the army of the eastern nations, because 120,000 of their warriors had been killed in the battle.

11 Gideon reached the enemy camp by going east along Nomad[ag] Road past Nobah and Jogbehah. He made a surprise attack, 12 and the enemy panicked. Zebah and Zalmunna tried to escape, but Gideon chased and captured them.

13 After the battle, Gideon set out for home. As he was going through Heres Pass, 14 he caught a young man who lived in Succoth. Gideon asked him who the town officials of Succoth were, and the young man wrote down 77 names.

15 Gideon went to the town officials and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. Remember how you made fun of me? You said, ‘We don't know if you really will defeat those two Midianite kings. So why should we feed your worn-out army?’ ”

16 Gideon made a whip from thorn plants and used it to beat the town officials. 17 Afterwards he went to Penuel, where he tore down the tower and killed all the town officials.[ah]

18 Then Gideon said, “Zebah and Zalmunna, tell me about the men you killed at Tabor.”

“They were a lot like you,” the two kings answered. “They were dignified, almost like royalty.”

19 “They were my very own brothers!” Gideon said. “I swear by the living Lord that if you had let them live, I would let you live.”

20 Gideon turned to Jether, his oldest son. “Kill them!” Gideon said.

But Jether was young,[ai] and he was too afraid to even pull out his sword.

21 “What's the matter, Gideon?” Zebah and Zalmunna asked. “Do it yourself, if you're not too much of a coward!”

Gideon jumped up and killed them both. Then he took the gold ornaments from the necks of their camels.

The Israelites Ask Gideon To Be Their King

22 After the battle with the Midianites, the Israelites said, “Gideon, you rescued us! Now we want you to be our king. Then after your death, your son and then your grandson will rule.”

23 “No,” Gideon replied, “I won't be your king, and my son won't be king either. Only the Lord is your ruler. 24 But I will ask you to do one thing: Give me all the earrings you took from the enemy.”

The enemy soldiers had been Ishmaelites,[aj] and they wore gold earrings.

25 The Israelite soldiers replied, “Of course we will give you the earrings.” Then they spread out a robe on the ground and tossed the earrings on it. 26 The total weight of this gold was nearly 20 kilograms. In addition, there was the gold from the camels' ornaments and from the beautiful jewelry worn by the Midianite kings. Gideon also took their purple robes.

27-29 Gideon returned to his home in Ophrah and had the gold made into a statue, which the Israelites soon started worshiping. They were unfaithful to God, and even Gideon and his family were trapped into worshiping the statue.[ak]

The Midianites had been defeated so badly that they were no longer strong enough to attack Israel. And so Israel was at peace for the remaining 40 years of Gideon's life.

Gideon Dies

30 Gideon had many wives and 70 sons. 31 He even had a wife[al] who lived at Shechem.[am] They had a son, and Gideon named him Abimelech.

32 Gideon lived to be an old man. And when he died, he was buried in the family tomb in his hometown of Ophrah, which belonged to the Abiezer clan.

33 Soon after Gideon's death, the Israelites turned their backs on God again. They set up idols of Baal and worshiped Baal Berith[an] as their god. 34 The Israelites forgot that the Lord was their God, and that he had rescued them from the enemies who lived around them. 35 Besides all that, the Israelites were unkind to Gideon's family, even though Gideon had done so much for Israel.

Footnotes

  1. 5.7 villagers … fields: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  2. 5.7 Deborah: Or “I, Deborah.”
  3. 5.8 The Israelites … attacked: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  4. 5.11 Even … water: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  5. 5.13 side: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 13.
  6. 5.15 But … at all: Or “But the people of Reuben couldn't make up their minds.”
  7. 5.16 sheep pens: Or “campfires.”
  8. 5.16 No … come: Or “The people of Reuben couldn't make up their minds.”
  9. 5.18 to attack the enemy: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  10. 5.19 stream near Megiddo: Probably refers to one of the streams that flow into the Kishon River.
  11. 5.19 rob us of our silver: The army that won a battle would take everything of value from the dead enemy soldiers.
  12. 5.20 stars: In ancient times, the stars were sometimes regarded as supernatural beings.
  13. 5.30 and beautiful … wear: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text.
  14. 6.4,5 locusts: Insects like grasshoppers that travel in swarms and cause great damage to crops.
  15. 6.19 thin bread: Bread made without yeast, since there was no time for the dough to rise.
  16. 6.22 Now I'm going to die: The Hebrew text has “I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.” Some people believed that if they saw one of the Lord's angels, they would die (see 13.22).
  17. 6.25 sacred pole: Or “sacred tree,” used as a symbol of Asherah, the Canaanite goddess of fertility.
  18. 6.32 Jerubbaal … take revenge himself: In Hebrew, “Jerubbaal” means “Let Baal take revenge.”
  19. 7.1 Fear Spring: Or “Harod Spring.”
  20. 7.1 Moreh Hill: About eight kilometers north of Fear Spring.
  21. 7.3 Mount Gilead: Usually “Gilead” refers to an area east of the Jordan River, but in this verse it refers to a place near Jezreel Valley west of the Jordan.
  22. 7.12 locusts: See the note at 6.4,5.
  23. 7.13 flat: Or “moldy.”
  24. 7.13 the headquarters tent: Or “a tent.”
  25. 7.19 a few hours after dark, just … duty: The Hebrew text has “at the beginning of the second watch, just … duty.” The night was divided into three periods called “watches,” each about four hours long, and different guards would come on duty at the beginning of each watch. The first watch began at sunset, so the beginning of the second watch would have been shortly after 10:00 p.m.
  26. 7.22 Zeredah: Some Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts “Zererah”; these may be different names for the town of Zarethan in the Jordan River valley.
  27. 7.22 Acacia Tree Town … Zeredah … Abel-Meholah near Tabbath: These were places east of the Jordan River.
  28. 7.23 both halves of Manasseh: Half of Manasseh lived east of the Jordan River, and the other half lived on the west.
  29. 7.25 Raven and Wolf: Or “Oreb and Zeeb.”
  30. 7.25 Raven Rock … Wolf Wine-Pit: Or “Oreb Rock … Zeeb Wine-Pit.”
  31. 8.9 tower: Towers were often part of a town wall.
  32. 8.10 Karkor: About 160 kilometers east of the Dead Sea.
  33. 8.11 Nomad: A person who lives in a tent and moves from place to place.
  34. 8.17 all … officials: Or “every man in town.”
  35. 8.20 young: Gideon wanted to insult the kings by having a young boy kill them.
  36. 8.24 Ishmaelites: According to Genesis 25.1,2, 12, both Ishmaelites and Midianites were descendants of Abraham. It is possible that in this passage “Ishmaelites” has the meaning “nomadic traders,” while “Midianites” (verses 22,26-29) refers to their ethnic origin.
  37. 8.27-29 statue … statue: Or “sacred priestly vest … vest.”
  38. 8.31 wife: This translates a Hebrew word for a woman who was legally bound to a man, but without the full privileges of a wife.
  39. 8.31 who lived at Shechem: Sometimes marriages were arranged so that the wife lived with her parents, and the husband visited her from time to time.
  40. 8.33 Baal Berith: Or “Baal of the Agreement” or “the Lord of the Agreement.”

The Song of Deborah

On that day Deborah(A) and Barak son of Abinoam(B) sang this song:(C)

“When the princes in Israel take the lead,
    when the people willingly offer(D) themselves—
    praise the Lord!(E)

“Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers!
    I, even I, will sing to[a] the Lord;(F)
    I will praise the Lord, the God of Israel, in song.(G)

“When you, Lord, went out(H) from Seir,(I)
    when you marched from the land of Edom,
the earth shook,(J) the heavens poured,
    the clouds poured down water.(K)
The mountains quaked(L) before the Lord, the One of Sinai,
    before the Lord, the God of Israel.

“In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,(M)
    in the days of Jael,(N) the highways(O) were abandoned;
    travelers took to winding paths.(P)
Villagers in Israel would not fight;
    they held back until I, Deborah,(Q) arose,
    until I arose, a mother in Israel.
God chose new leaders(R)
    when war came to the city gates,(S)
but not a shield or spear(T) was seen
    among forty thousand in Israel.
My heart is with Israel’s princes,
    with the willing volunteers(U) among the people.
    Praise the Lord!

10 “You who ride on white donkeys,(V)
    sitting on your saddle blankets,
    and you who walk along the road,
consider 11 the voice of the singers[b] at the watering places.
    They recite the victories(W) of the Lord,
    the victories of his villagers in Israel.

“Then the people of the Lord
    went down to the city gates.(X)
12 ‘Wake up,(Y) wake up, Deborah!(Z)
    Wake up, wake up, break out in song!
Arise, Barak!(AA)
    Take captive your captives,(AB) son of Abinoam.’

13 “The remnant of the nobles came down;
    the people of the Lord came down to me against the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim,(AC) whose roots were in Amalek;(AD)
    Benjamin(AE) was with the people who followed you.
From Makir(AF) captains came down,
    from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s[c] staff.
15 The princes of Issachar(AG) were with Deborah;(AH)
    yes, Issachar was with Barak,(AI)
    sent under his command into the valley.
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
16 Why did you stay among the sheep pens[d](AJ)
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?(AK)
In the districts of Reuben
    there was much searching of heart.
17 Gilead(AL) stayed beyond the Jordan.
    And Dan, why did he linger by the ships?
Asher(AM) remained on the coast(AN)
    and stayed in his coves.
18 The people of Zebulun(AO) risked their very lives;
    so did Naphtali(AP) on the terraced fields.(AQ)

19 “Kings came(AR), they fought,
    the kings of Canaan fought.
At Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo,(AS)
    they took no plunder of silver.(AT)
20 From the heavens(AU) the stars fought,
    from their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The river Kishon(AV) swept them away,
    the age-old river, the river Kishon.
    March on, my soul; be strong!(AW)
22 Then thundered the horses’ hooves—
    galloping, galloping go his mighty steeds.(AX)
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord.
    ‘Curse its people bitterly,
because they did not come to help the Lord,
    to help the Lord against the mighty.’

24 “Most blessed of women(AY) be Jael,(AZ)
    the wife of Heber the Kenite,(BA)
    most blessed of tent-dwelling women.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk;(BB)
    in a bowl fit for nobles she brought him curdled milk.
26 Her hand reached for the tent peg,
    her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera, she crushed his head,
    she shattered and pierced his temple.(BC)
27 At her feet he sank,
    he fell; there he lay.
At her feet he sank, he fell;
    where he sank, there he fell—dead(BD).

28 “Through the window(BE) peered Sisera’s mother;
    behind the lattice she cried out,(BF)
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
    Why is the clatter of his chariots delayed?’
29 The wisest of her ladies answer her;
    indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoils:(BG)
    a woman or two for each man,
colorful garments as plunder for Sisera,
    colorful garments embroidered,
highly embroidered garments(BH) for my neck—
    all this as plunder?(BI)

31 “So may all your enemies perish,(BJ) Lord!
    But may all who love you be like the sun(BK)
    when it rises in its strength.”(BL)

Then the land had peace(BM) forty years.

Gideon

The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord,(BN) and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.(BO) Because the power of Midian was so oppressive,(BP) the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves(BQ) and strongholds.(BR) Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites(BS) and other eastern peoples(BT) invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops(BU) all the way to Gaza(BV) and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts.(BW) It was impossible to count them or their camels;(BX) they invaded the land to ravage it. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out(BY) to the Lord for help.

When the Israelites cried out(BZ) to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet,(CA) who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt,(CB) out of the land of slavery.(CC) I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors;(CD) I drove them out before you and gave you their land.(CE) 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship(CF) the gods of the Amorites,(CG) in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”

11 The angel of the Lord(CH) came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah(CI) that belonged to Joash(CJ) the Abiezrite,(CK) where his son Gideon(CL) was threshing(CM) wheat in a winepress(CN) to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you,(CO) mighty warrior.(CP)

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(CQ) that our ancestors told(CR) us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned(CS) us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have(CT) and save(CU) 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(CV) is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.(CW)

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you(CX), 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(CY) 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,(CZ) and from an ephah[e](DA) 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.(DB)

20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock,(DC) and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread(DD) with the tip of the staff(DE) 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(DF) that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”(DG)

23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid.(DH) You are not going to die.”(DI)

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called(DJ) it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah(DK) 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.[f] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole[g](DL) beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of[h] 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[i] bull as a burnt offering.(DM)

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,(DN) 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(DO) 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(DP) 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?(DQ) 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[j](DR) that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites(DS) and other eastern peoples(DT) joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.(DU) 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on(DV) Gideon, and he blew a trumpet,(DW) summoning the Abiezrites(DX) to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher,(DY) Zebulun and Naphtali,(DZ) so that they too went up to meet them.(EA)

36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save(EB) Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece(EC) on the threshing floor.(ED) If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know(EE) 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.(EF) 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.(EG)

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal(EH) (that is, Gideon(EI)) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod.(EJ) The camp of Midian(EK) was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.(EL) The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength(EM) has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.(EN)’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many(EO) men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred of them(EP) drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.(EQ) Let all the others go home.”(ER) So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.(ES) 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites(ET) and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts.(EU) Their camels(EV) could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.(EW)

13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

14 His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash,(EX) the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped.(EY) He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”(EZ) 16 Dividing the three hundred men(FA) into three companies,(FB) he placed trumpets(FC) and empty jars(FD) in the hands of all of them, with torches(FE) inside.

17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets,(FF) then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars(FG) that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches(FH) in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword(FI) for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.(FJ)

22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded,(FK) the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other(FL) with their swords.(FM) The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah(FN) near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher(FO) and all Manasseh were called out,(FP) and they pursued the Midianites.(FQ) 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan(FR) ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.”

So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25 They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb(FS). They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb,(FT) and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites(FU) and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.(FV)

Zebah and Zalmunna

Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon,(FW) “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?(FX)(FY) And they challenged him vigorously.(FZ)

But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?(GA) God gave Oreb and Zeeb,(GB) the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan(GC) and crossed it. He said to the men of Sukkoth,(GD) “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out,(GE) and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna,(GF) the kings of Midian.”

But the officials of Sukkoth(GG) said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread(GH) to your troops?”(GI)

Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna(GJ) into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”

From there he went up to Peniel[k](GK) and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”(GL)

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.(GM) 11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah(GN) and Jogbehah(GO) and attacked the unsuspecting army. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

13 Gideon son of Joash(GP) then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.(GQ) 14 He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth,(GR) the elders(GS) of the town. 15 Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?(GT)’” 16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson(GU) by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel(GV) and killed the men of the town.(GW)

18 Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?(GX)

“Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.”

19 Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives,(GY) if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” 20 Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments(GZ) off their camels’ necks.

Gideon’s Ephod

22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule(HA) over you.” 24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring(HB) from your share of the plunder.(HC)” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites(HD) to wear gold earrings.)

25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels,[l] not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains(HE) that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod,(HF) which he placed in Ophrah,(HG) his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare(HH) to Gideon and his family.(HI)

Gideon’s Death

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head(HJ) again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace(HK) forty years.

29 Jerub-Baal(HL) son of Joash(HM) went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons(HN) of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine,(HO) who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek.(HP) 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age(HQ) and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals.(HR) They set up Baal-Berith(HS) as their god(HT) 34 and did not remember(HU) the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal(HV) (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.(HW)

Footnotes

  1. Judges 5:3 Or of
  2. Judges 5:11 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  3. Judges 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  4. Judges 5:16 Or the campfires; or the saddlebags
  5. Judges 6:19 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  6. Judges 6:25 Or Take a full-grown, mature bull from your father’s herd
  7. Judges 6:25 That is, a wooden symbol of the goddess Asherah; also in verses 26, 28 and 30
  8. Judges 6:26 Or build with layers of stone an
  9. Judges 6:26 Or full-grown; also in verse 28
  10. Judges 6:32 Jerub-Baal probably means let Baal contend.
  11. Judges 8:8 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel; also in verses 9 and 17
  12. Judges 8:26 That is, about 43 pounds or about 20 kilograms