Midianites Oppress Israel

6 Then the children of Israel did ^(A)evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of ^(B)Midian for seven years, ² and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, ^(C)the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains. ³ So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the ^(D)people of the East would come up against them. ⁴ Then they would encamp against them and ^(E)destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor ^(F)donkey. ⁵ For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were ^[a]without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. ⁶ So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel ^(G)cried out to the Lord.

⁷ And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, ⁸ that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the ^(H)house of ^[b]bondage; ⁹ and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and ^(I)drove them out before you and gave you their land. ¹⁰ Also I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; ^(J)do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My ^(K)voice.’ ”