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Judges 6:25-32
New English Translation
Judges 6:25-32
New English Translation
Gideon Destroys the Altar
25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take the bull from your father’s herd, as well as a second bull, one that is seven years old.[a] Pull down your father’s Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole. 26 Then build an altar for the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold according to the proper pattern.[b] Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt sacrifice on the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants[c] and did just as the Lord had told him. He was too afraid of his father’s family[d] and the men of the city to do it in broad daylight, so he waited until nighttime.[e]
28 When the men of the city got up the next morning, they saw[f] the Baal altar pulled down, the nearby Asherah pole cut down, and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar. 29 They said to one another,[g] “Who did this?”[h] They investigated the matter thoroughly[i] and concluded[j] that Gideon son of Joash had done it. 30 The men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, so we can execute him![k] He pulled down the Baal altar and cut down the nearby Asherah pole.” 31 But Joash said to all those who confronted him,[l] “Must you fight Baal’s battles?[m] Must you rescue him? Whoever takes up his cause[n] will die by morning![o] If he really is a god, let him fight his own battles![p] After all, it was his altar that was pulled down.”[q] 32 That very day Gideon’s father named him Jerub Baal,[r] because he had said, “Let Baal fight with him, for it was his altar that was pulled down.”
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- Judges 6:25 tn Or “Take a bull from your father’s herd, the second one, the one seven years old.” Apparently Gideon would need the bulls to pull down the altar.
- Judges 6:26 tn Possibly “in a row” or “in a layer,” perhaps referring to the arrangement of the stones used in the altar’s construction.
- Judges 6:27 tn Heb “men from among his servants.”
- Judges 6:27 tn Heb “house.”
- Judges 6:27 tn Heb “so he did it at night.”
- Judges 6:28 tn Heb “look!” The narrator uses this word to invite his audience/readers to view the scene through the eyes of the men.
- Judges 6:29 tn Heb “each one to his neighbor.”
- Judges 6:29 tn Heb “this thing.”
- Judges 6:29 tn Heb “they inquired and searched.” The synonyms are joined to emphasize the care with which they conducted their inquiry.
- Judges 6:29 tn Heb “and said.” Perhaps the plural subject is indefinite. If so, it could be translated, “they were told.”
- Judges 6:30 tn Heb “and let him die.” The jussive form with vav after the imperative is best translated as a purpose clause.
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “to all who stood against him.”
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “Do you fight for Baal?”
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fights for him.”
- Judges 6:31 sn Whoever takes up his cause will die by morning. This may be a warning to the crowd that Joash intends to defend his son and to kill anyone who tries to execute Gideon. Then again, it may be a sarcastic statement about Baal’s apparent inability to defend his own honor. Anyone who takes up Baal’s cause may end up dead, perhaps by the same hand that pulled down the pagan god’s altar.
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “fight for himself.”
- Judges 6:31 tn Heb “for he pulled down his altar.” The subject of the verb, if not Gideon, is indefinite (in which case a passive translation is permissible).
- Judges 6:32 tn Heb “He called him on that day Jerub Baal.” The name means, at least by popular etymology, “Let Baal fight” or “Let Baal defend himself.”
Judges 6:25-32
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Judges 6:25-32
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the sacred pole[a] that is beside it(A) 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, in proper order;[b] then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the sacred pole[c] that you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had told him, but because he was too afraid of his family and the townspeople to do it by day, he did it by night.
Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal
28 When the townspeople rose early in the morning, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the sacred pole[d] beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built.(B) 29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this?” After searching and inquiring, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” 30 Then the townspeople said to Joash, “Bring out your son so that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the sacred pole[e] beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who were arrayed against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you defend his cause? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been pulled down.” 32 Therefore on that day Gideon[f] was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he pulled down his altar.(C)
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Judges 6:25-32
New International Version
Judges 6:25-32
New International Version
25 That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one seven years old.[a] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole[b](A) beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of[c] 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[d] bull as a burnt offering.(B)”
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,(C) 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(D) 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(E) 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?(F) 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[e](G) that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”
Footnotes
- 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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New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)
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