1 Israel is oppressed of the Midianites for their wickedness. 14 Gideon is sent to be their deliverer. 37 He asketh a sign.

Afterward the children of Israel committed wickedness in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.

And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, [a]and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them dens in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds.

When Israel had sown, then came up the Midianites, the Amalekites, and they of the [b]East, and came upon them,

And camped by them, and destroyed the fruit of the earth, even till thou come unto [c]Gaza, and left no food for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

For they went up, and their cattle, and came with their tents as grasshoppers in multitude: so that they and their camels were without number: and they came into the land to destroy it.

So was Israel exceedingly impoverished by the Midianites: therefore the [d]children of Israel cried unto the Lord.

¶ And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites,

The Lord sent unto the children of Israel a Prophet, who said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have brought you up from Egypt, and have brought you out of the house of bondage,

And I have delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and have cast them out before you, and given you their land.

10 And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God: (A)fear not the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

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Footnotes

  1. Judges 6:2 For fear of the Midianites, they fled into the dens of the mountains.
  2. Judges 6:3 Or, of Kedem.
  3. Judges 6:4 Even almost the whole country.
  4. Judges 6:6 This is the end of God’s punishments, to call his to repentance, that they may seek for help of him.

Gideon

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) Because the power of Midian was so oppressive,(C) the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves(D) and strongholds.(E) Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites(F) and other eastern peoples(G) invaded the country. 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. 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. Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out(L) to the Lord for help.

When the Israelites cried out(M) to the Lord because of Midian, 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) 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.”

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