Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Print Page Options Listen to Judges 6:11-8:32
Close NIV

Judges 6:11-8:32
New International Version

11 The angel of the Lord(A) came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah(B) that belonged to Joash(C) the Abiezrite,(D) where his son Gideon(E) was threshing(F) wheat in a winepress(G) to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you,(H) mighty warrior.(I)”

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

14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have(M) and save(N) 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(O) is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.(P)”

16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you(Q), 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(R) 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,(S) and from an ephah[a](T) 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.(U)

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

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

24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called(AC) it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah(AD) 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](AE) 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.(AF)”

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,(AG) 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(AH) 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(AI) 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?(AJ) 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](AK) that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”

33 Now all the Midianites, Amalekites(AL) and other eastern peoples(AM) joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.(AN) 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came on(AO) Gideon, and he blew a trumpet,(AP) summoning the Abiezrites(AQ) to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher,(AR) Zebulun and Naphtali,(AS) so that they too went up to meet them.(AT)

36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save(AU) Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece(AV) on the threshing floor.(AW) If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know(AX) 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.(AY) 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.(AZ)

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

7 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal(BA) (that is, Gideon(BB)) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod.(BC) The camp of Midian(BD) was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.(BE) 2 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(BF) has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.(BG)’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many(BH) 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.”

5 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.” 6 Three hundred of them(BI) drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.(BJ) Let all the others go home.”(BK) 8 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. 9 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.(BL) 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(BM) and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts.(BN) Their camels(BO) could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.(BP)

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,(BQ) 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.(BR) He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”(BS) 16 Dividing the three hundred men(BT) into three companies,(BU) he placed trumpets(BV) and empty jars(BW) in the hands of all of them, with torches(BX) 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,(BY) 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(BZ) that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches(CA) in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword(CB) 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.(CC)

22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded,(CD) the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other(CE) with their swords.(CF) The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah(CG) near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher(CH) and all Manasseh were called out,(CI) and they pursued the Midianites.(CJ) 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan(CK) 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(CL). They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb,(CM) and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites(CN) and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.(CO)

Zebah and Zalmunna

8 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon,(CP) “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?(CQ)”(CR) And they challenged him vigorously.(CS)

2 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?(CT) 3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb,(CU) the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

4 Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan(CV) and crossed it. 5 He said to the men of Sukkoth,(CW) “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out,(CX) and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna,(CY) the kings of Midian.”

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

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

8 From there he went up to Peniel[g](DD) and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. 9 So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”(DE)

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.(DF) 11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah(DG) and Jogbehah(DH) 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(DI) then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.(DJ) 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,(DK) the elders(DL) 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?(DM)’” 16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson(DN) by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel(DO) and killed the men of the town.(DP)

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

“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,(DR) 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(DS) 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(DT) over you.” 24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring(DU) from your share of the plunder.(DV)” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites(DW) 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,[h] not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains(DX) that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod,(DY) which he placed in Ophrah,(DZ) his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare(EA) to Gideon and his family.(EB)

Gideon’s Death

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

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

Footnotes

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

Judges 6:11-8:32
King James Version

11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.

20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

21 Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.

23 And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:

26 And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that 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 grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.

31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.

32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.

33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; 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 upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

7 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

9 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:

11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.

18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.

25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.

8 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.

2 And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.

8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure.

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?

16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.

24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.

26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Listen to Judges 6:11-8:32
Close NKJV

Judges 6:11-8:32
New King James Version

Gideon

11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash (A)the Abiezrite, while his son (B)Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the (C)Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is (D)with you, you mighty man of valor!”

13 Gideon said to Him, “O [a]my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And (E)where are all His miracles (F)which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has (G)forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, (H)“Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. (I)Have I not sent you?”

15 So he said to Him, “O [b]my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed (J)my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

16 And the Lord said to him, (K)“Surely I will be with you, and you shall [c]defeat the Midianites as one man.”

17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then (L)show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. 18 (M)Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.”

And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”

19 (N)So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. 20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and (O)lay them on this rock, and (P)pour out the broth.” And he did so.

21 Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and (Q)fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

22 Now Gideon (R)perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! (S)For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”

23 Then the Lord said to him, (T)“Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it [d]The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still (U)in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and (V)tear down the altar of (W)Baal that your father has, and (X)cut down the [e]wooden image that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this [f]rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the Lord had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.

Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal

28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, there was the altar of Baal, torn down; and the wooden image that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which had been built. 29 So they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it.”

31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you [g]plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!” 32 Therefore on that day he called him (Y)Jerubbaal,[h] saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”

33 Then all (Z)the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in (AA)the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But (AB)the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he (AC)blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to (AD)Asher, (AE)Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

The Sign of the Fleece

36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— 37 (AF)look, I shall 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 save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, (AG)“Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

Gideon’s Valiant Three Hundred

7 Then (AH)Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel (AI)claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, (AJ)‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, (AK)“By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his [i]place.” 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9 It happened on the same (AL)night that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 and you shall (AM)hear what they say; and afterward [j]your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, (AN)all the people of the East, were lying in the valley (AO)as numerous as locusts; and their camels were [k]without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”

14 Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand (AP)God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

15 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’ ”

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” 21 And (AQ)every man stood in his place all around the camp; (AR)and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred (AS)blew the trumpets, (AT)the Lord set (AU)every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to [l]Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of (AV)Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.

23 And the men of Israel gathered together from (AW)Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.

24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the (AX)mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and (AY)seized the watering places as far as (AZ)Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured (BA)two princes of the Midianites, (BB)Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the (BC)other side of the Jordan.

Gideon Subdues the Midianites

8 Now (BD)the men of Ephraim said to him, “Why have you done this to us by not calling us when you went to fight with the Midianites?” And they reprimanded him sharply.

2 So he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the [m]gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than [n]the vintage of (BE)Abiezer? 3 (BF)God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their (BG)anger toward him subsided when he said that.

4 When Gideon came (BH)to the Jordan, he and (BI)the three hundred men who were with him crossed over, exhausted but still in pursuit. 5 Then he said to the men of (BJ)Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”

6 And the leaders of Succoth said, (BK)“Are[o] the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that (BL)we should give bread to your army?”

7 So Gideon said, “For this cause, when the Lord has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, (BM)then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers!” 8 Then he went up from there (BN)to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 So he also spoke to the men of Penuel, saying, “When I (BO)come back in peace, (BP)I will tear down this tower!”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were at Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of (BQ)all the army of the people of the East; for (BR)one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword had fallen. 11 Then Gideon went up by the road of those who dwell in tents on the east of (BS)Nobah and Jogbehah; and he [p]attacked the army while the camp felt (BT)secure. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them; and he (BU)took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the whole army.

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle, from the Ascent of Heres. 14 And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and interrogated him; and he wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15 Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you (BV)ridiculed me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your weary men?’ ” 16 (BW)And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he [q]taught the men of Succoth. 17 (BX)Then he tore down the tower of (BY)Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at (BZ)Tabor?”

So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.”

19 Then he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.

21 So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and (CA)killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

Gideon’s Ephod

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, (CB)“Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have (CC)delivered us from the hand of Midian.”

23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; (CD)the Lord shall rule over you.” 24 Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to [r]make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, (CE)because they were Ishmaelites.

25 So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. 26 Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks. 27 Then Gideon (CF)made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, (CG)Ophrah. And all Israel (CH)played the harlot with it there. It became (CI)a snare to Gideon and to his house.

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. (CJ)And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.

Death of Gideon

29 Then (CK)Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30 Gideon had (CL)seventy sons who were his own offspring, for he had many wives. 31 (CM)And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 32 Now Gideon the son of Joash died (CN)at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, (CO)in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 6:13 Heb. adoni, used of man
  2. Judges 6:15 Heb. Adonai, used of God
  3. Judges 6:16 Lit. strike
  4. Judges 6:24 Heb. YHWH Shalom
  5. Judges 6:25 Heb. Asherah, a Canaanite goddess
  6. Judges 6:26 stronghold
  7. Judges 6:31 contend
  8. Judges 6:32 Lit. Let Baal Plead
  9. Judges 7:7 home
  10. Judges 7:11 you shall be encouraged
  11. Judges 7:12 innumerable
  12. Judges 7:22 Heb. Beth Shittah
  13. Judges 8:2 Few grapes left after the harvest
  14. Judges 8:2 The whole harvest
  15. Judges 8:6 Lit. Is the palm
  16. Judges 8:11 Lit. struck
  17. Judges 8:16 disciplined
  18. Judges 8:24 Lit. request a request
Listen to Judges 6:11-8:32
Close ESV

Judges 6:11-8:32
English Standard Version

The Call of Gideon

11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash (A)the Abiezrite, while his son (B)Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And (C)the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, (D)“The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are (E)all his wonderful deeds (F)that our fathers recounted to 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 And the Lord[a] turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; (G)do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, (H)“Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, (I)my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, (J)“But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 17 And he said to him, (K)“If now I have found favor in your eyes, then (L)show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please (M)do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”

19 So Gideon went into his house (N)and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah[b] of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them (O)on this rock, and (P)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. (Q)And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, (R)“Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, (S)“Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, (T)The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at (U)Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down (V)the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the (W)stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal

28 When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29 And they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken 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? 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 broken down.” 32 Therefore on that day Gideon[c] was called (X)Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.

33 Now (Y)all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in (Z)the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But (AA)the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, (AB)and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. 35 (AC)And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. (AD)And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.

The Sign of the Fleece

36 (AE)Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, (AF)“Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

Gideon's Three Hundred Men

7 Then (AG)Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside (AH)the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, (AI)by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, (AJ)lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, (AK)‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, (AL)“With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him (AM)in the valley.

9 That same (AN)night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, (AO)for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 (AP)And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” (AQ)Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and (AR)all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, (AS)as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”

15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with (AT)torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, (AU)‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

Gideon Defeats Midian

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. (AV)And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, (AW)and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 (AX)When they blew the 300 trumpets, (AY)the Lord set (AZ)every man's sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,[d] as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.

24 (BA)Gideon sent messengers throughout (BB)all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as (BC)Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. 25 And they captured (BD)the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb (BE)at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon (BF)across the Jordan.

Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna

8 (BG)Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. 2 And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not (BH)the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? 3 (BI)God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” (BJ)Then their anger[e] against him subsided when he said this.

4 And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and (BK)the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. 5 So he said to the men of (BL)Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 And the officials of Succoth said, (BM)“Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, (BN)that we should give bread to your army?” 7 So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, (BO)I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” 8 And from there he went up to (BP)Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 And he said to the men of Penuel, (BQ)“When I come again in peace, (BR)I will break down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of (BS)the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men (BT)who drew the sword. 11 And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of (BU)Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt (BV)secure. 12 And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them (BW)and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic.

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. 14 And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. 15 And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, (BX)‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’” 16 And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson. 17 (BY)And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where are the men whom you killed at (BZ)Tabor?” They answered, “As you are, so were they. Every one of them resembled the son of a king.” 19 And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. (CA)As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.” 20 So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise and kill them!” But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man. 21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength.” And Gideon arose and (CB)killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took (CC)the crescent ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

Gideon's Ephod

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.” 23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; (CD)the Lord will rule over you.” 24 And Gideon said to them, “Let me make a request of you: every one of you give me the earrings from his spoil.” (For they had golden earrings, (CE)because they were Ishmaelites.) 25 And they answered, “We will willingly give them.” And they spread a cloak, and every man threw in it the earrings of his spoil. 26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels[f] of gold, besides (CF)the crescent ornaments and (CG)the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and besides the collars that were around the necks of their camels. 27 And Gideon (CH)made an ephod of it and put it in his city, (CI)in Ophrah. And all Israel (CJ)whored after it there, and it became a (CK)snare to Gideon and to his family. 28 So Midian was subdued before the people of Israel, and they raised their heads no more. (CL)And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

The Death of Gideon

29 (CM)Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had (CN)seventy sons, his own offspring,[g] for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine (CO)who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he called his name Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died (CP)in a good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, (CQ)at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 6:14 Septuagint the angel of the Lord; also verse 16
  2. Judges 6:19 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
  3. Judges 6:32 Hebrew he
  4. Judges 7:22 Some Hebrew manuscripts Zeredah
  5. Judges 8:3 Hebrew their spirit
  6. Judges 8:26 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
  7. Judges 8:30 Hebrew who came from his own loins
Listen to Judges 6:11-8:32
Close NASB

Judges 6:11-8:32
New American Standard Bible

Gideon Is Visited

11 Then (A)the angel of the Lord came and sat under the [a]oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the (B)Abiezrite, as his son (C)Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” 13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But (D)now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 And the Lord [b]looked at him and said, “(E)Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 (F)But he said to Him, “O Lord, [c]how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in (G)Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 (H)Yet the Lord said to him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will [d]defeat Midian as one man.” 17 So [e]Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then perform for me (I)a sign that it is You speaking with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”

19 Then Gideon went in and (J)prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an [f]ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket [g]and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the [h]oak and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and (K)fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord [i]vanished from his sight. 22 (L)When Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord, [j]he said, “Oh, Lord [k]God! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you, do not be afraid; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it [l]The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still (M)in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 Now on the same night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull [m]and a second bull seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the [n](N)Asherah that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly way, and take a second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.” 27 Then Gideon took ten men from his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and 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.

The Altar of Baal Destroyed

28 When the people of the city got up early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal had been torn down, and the Asherah which had been beside it had been cut down, and the second bull had been offered on the altar which had been built. 29 So they said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash did this thing.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal, or will you save him? Whoever will contend for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, since someone has torn down his altar!” 32 Therefore on that day he named [o]Gideon (O)Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar.

33 Then all the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the [p]people of the east assembled together; and they crossed over and camped in (P)the Valley of Jezreel. 34 So (Q)the Spirit of the Lord [q]covered Gideon like clothing; and he (R)blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, (S)Zebulun, and Naphtali, and (T)they came up to meet them.

Sign of the Fleece

36 Then Gideon said to God, “(U)If You are going to save Israel [r]through me, as You have spoken, 37 behold, I am putting 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 will know that You will save Israel [s]through me, as You have spoken.” 38 And it was so. When he got up early the next morning and wrung out the fleece, he wrung the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “(V)Do not let Your anger burn against me, so that I may speak only one more time; please let me put You to the test only one more time with the fleece: let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” 40 And God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.

Gideon’s Three Hundred Chosen Men

7 Then (W)Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him got up early, and camped beside [t]the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of [u]them by the hill of (X)Moreh in the valley.

2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to hand Midian over to them, (Y)otherwise Israel would [v]become boastful, saying, ‘My own [w]power has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘(Z)Whoever is afraid and worried, is to return and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand from the people returned, but ten thousand remained.

4 (AA)Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. So it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “You shall put everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps [x]in one group, and everyone who kneels down to drink in another.” 6 Now the number of those who lapped, [y]putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people kneeled down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “I will save you (AB)with the three hundred men who lapped, and will hand the Midianites over to you; so have all the other people go, each man to his [z]home.” 8 So [aa]the three hundred men took the people’s provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And [ab]Gideon dismissed all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9 Now on the same night it came about that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, (AC)for I have handed it over to you. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant down to the camp, 11 so that you will hear what they say; and (AD)afterward [ac]you will have the courage to go down against the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the [ad]outposts of the army that was in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the [ae]people of the east were lying in the valley (AE)as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, (AF)as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I [af]had a dream; [ag]a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it [ah]upside down so that the tent collapsed.” 14 And his friend replied, “This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has (AG)handed over to him Midian and all the camp.”

15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has handed over to you the camp of Midian!” 16 And he divided the three hundred men into three [ai]units, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers. 17 Then he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, [aj]do as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets around the entire camp and say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”

Confusion of the Enemy

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle night watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 When the three [ak]units blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 And each stood in his place around the camp; and (AH)all the [al]army ran, crying out as they fled. 22 And when they blew the three hundred trumpets, the (AI)Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the entire [am]army; and the [an]army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of (AJ)Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were summoned from (AK)Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian.

24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down [ao]against Midian and (AL)take control of the waters ahead of them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they took control of the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured the two leaders of Midian, (AM)Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb, while they pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon (AN)from across the Jordan.

Zebah and Zalmunna Routed

8 Then the men of Ephraim said to [ap]Gideon, “(AO)What is this thing that you have done to us, not calling upon us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they quarreled with him vehemently. 2 But he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim not better than the vintage of Abiezer? 3 God has handed over to you the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their [aq]anger toward him subsided when he said [ar]that.

4 Then Gideon and the three hundred men who were with him came (AP)to the Jordan and crossed over, exhausted yet still pursuing. 5 And he said to the men of (AQ)Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are [as]following me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 But the leaders of Succoth said, “[at](AR)Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” 7 So Gideon said, “For this answer, (AS)when the Lord has handed over to me Zebah and Zalmunna, I will [au]thrash your [av]bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” 8 Then he went up from there to [aw](AT)Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 So he said also to the men of [ax]Penuel, “When I return safely, (AU)I will tear down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their [ay]armies with them, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of the entire [az]army of the [ba]people of the east; (AV)for the fallen were 120,000 [bb]swordsmen. 11 Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he [bc]attacked the camp when the camp was unsuspecting. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the entire [bd]army.

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle [be]by the ascent of Heres. 14 And he captured a youth from [bf]Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15 And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘[bg](AW)Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?’” 16 Then he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he [bh]disciplined the men of Succoth with them. 17 (AX)And he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where were the men whom you killed at Tabor?” But they said, “You and they were alike, each one [bi]resembling the son of a king.” 19 And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if only you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 20 So he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them.” But the youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a youth. 21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise up yourself, and attack us; for as the man, so is his strength.” (AY)So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and (AZ)took the crescent amulets which were on their camels’ necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, your son’s son as well, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian!” 23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; (BA)the Lord shall rule over you.” 24 Yet Gideon said to them, “I would [bj]request of you, that each of you give me [bk]an earring from his plunder.” (For they had gold earrings, because they were (BB)Ishmaelites.) 25 And they said, “We will certainly give them to you.” So they spread out a garment, and every one of them tossed an earring there from his plunder. 26 The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, apart from the crescent amulets, the ear pendants, and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and apart from the neck chains that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made it into (BC)an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah; but all Israel [bl]committed infidelity with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

Forty Years of Peace

28 So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 Then (BD)Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had (BE)seventy sons who [bm]were his direct descendants, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he [bn]named him Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 6:11 Or terebinth
  2. Judges 6:14 Or turned toward
  3. Judges 6:15 Lit with what
  4. Judges 6:16 Lit strike
  5. Judges 6:17 Lit he
  6. Judges 6:19 About 1 cubic foot or 0.03 cubic meters
  7. Judges 6:19 Lit and he put
  8. Judges 6:19 Or terebinth
  9. Judges 6:21 Lit departed
  10. Judges 6:22 Lit Gideon
  11. Judges 6:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
  12. Judges 6:24 Heb Yahweh-shalom
  13. Judges 6:25 Or even
  14. Judges 6:25 I.e., wooden symbol of a female deity; also vv 26, 28, 30
  15. Judges 6:32 Lit him
  16. Judges 6:33 Lit sons
  17. Judges 6:34 Lit clothed
  18. Judges 6:36 Lit by my hand
  19. Judges 6:37 Lit by my hand
  20. Judges 7:1 Or En-Harod
  21. Judges 7:1 Lit him
  22. Judges 7:2 Lit boast against me
  23. Judges 7:2 Lit hand
  24. Judges 7:5 Lit by himself
  25. Judges 7:6 Lit with their
  26. Judges 7:7 Lit place
  27. Judges 7:8 Lit they took
  28. Judges 7:8 Lit he
  29. Judges 7:11 Lit your hand will be strengthened
  30. Judges 7:11 Lit extremity of the battle formation
  31. Judges 7:12 Lit sons
  32. Judges 7:13 Lit dreamed
  33. Judges 7:13 Lit and behold, a loaf
  34. Judges 7:13 Lit upward
  35. Judges 7:16 Lit heads
  36. Judges 7:17 Lit it shall come about that just as I do, so you shall do
  37. Judges 7:20 Lit heads
  38. Judges 7:21 Or camp
  39. Judges 7:22 Or camp
  40. Judges 7:22 Or camp
  41. Judges 7:24 Lit to meet
  42. Judges 8:1 Lit him
  43. Judges 8:3 Lit spirit
  44. Judges 8:3 Lit this thing
  45. Judges 8:5 Lit at my feet
  46. Judges 8:6 Lit Is the palm of...; i.e., are you so sure of victory that
  47. Judges 8:7 Or trample
  48. Judges 8:7 Lit flesh
  49. Judges 8:8 In Gen 32:30, Peniel
  50. Judges 8:9 Lit Penuel, saying,
  51. Judges 8:10 Or camps
  52. Judges 8:10 Or camp
  53. Judges 8:10 Lit sons
  54. Judges 8:10 Lit men who drew the sword
  55. Judges 8:11 Lit struck
  56. Judges 8:12 Or camp
  57. Judges 8:13 Or from
  58. Judges 8:14 Lit the men of
  59. Judges 8:15 Lit Is the palm of...; i.e., are you so sure of victory
  60. Judges 8:16 Lit taught
  61. Judges 8:18 Lit like the form of the sons
  62. Judges 8:24 Lit request a request
  63. Judges 8:24 Or a nose ring
  64. Judges 8:27 I.e., against God
  65. Judges 8:30 Lit came from his loins
  66. Judges 8:31 Lit appointed his name
Next
Judges 5
Judges 9
Next
dropdown
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Learn the Bible in 30 days
English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

ESV Study Bible
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation