Judges 6
Evangelical Heritage Version
The Fifth Judge: Gideon Versus the Midianites
6 Again the people of Israel committed evil in the eyes of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. 2 The hand of Midian was heavy upon Israel. Because of Midian, the people of Israel made hidden shelters[a] for themselves, in the mountains, in caves, and other hideouts. 3 Whenever Israel planted crops, Midian and Amalek and the people of the East[b] would go up against Israel. 4 They would set up camp against them and ruin the crops all the way to Gaza, so there was no source of livelihood left in Israel—not even a sheep, an ox, or a donkey. 5 When the Midianites would invade with their herds of cattle and their tents, they were as numerous as locusts, so it was impossible to count them and their camels. This is how they came up against the land to ruin it. 6 So Israel was laid low because of Midian, and the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.
7 When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a man, a prophet, to the people of Israel. The prophet said this to them:
This is what the Lord God of Israel says: It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and I brought you out from the house of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors, and I drove them out before you, and I gave you their land. 10 I said to Israel, “I am the Lord your God. Do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live,” but you did not listen to my voice.
11 The Angel of the Lord[c] came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
13 Gideon said to him, “Please tell me this, my lord: If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the wonderful acts our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Is it not the Lord who brought us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us, and he has given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go forward in this strength that is now yours, and you will deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”
15 He said to the Angel, “Pardon me, my lord,[d] but how can I deliver Israel? Look! My clan is the lowliest in Manasseh, and I—I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 But the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you will strike down Midian as one man.”
17 Gideon said to him, “If I have now found grace in your eyes, offer me a sign that it is you who are speaking with me. 18 Please do not leave this spot until I come back to you. I will bring my gift and set it before you.”
He said, “I will sit here until you return.”
19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat, and he made unleavened bread from a half bushel[e] of flour. He put the meat into a basket and the broth into a pot. He then brought them out to the Angel under the oak, where he presented them.
20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and set them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” So that is what he did. 21 The Angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread, and fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the Angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
22 Gideon realized that this was the Angel of the Lord, and he said, “Oh, no! It is the Lord God! Yes, I have seen the Angel of the Lord face-to-face!”
23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid. You will not die.”
24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there, and he named it “The Lord Is Peace.” To this day it stands at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 On that same night the Lord said to him, “Take a bull from your father’s herd of cattle, the second bull, the one that is seven years old.[f] Tear down your father’s altar to Baal. Then cut down the Asherah pole that is next to it. 26 In its place, build an altar to the Lord your God in the proper way, on top of this stronghold.[g] Then take the second bull and send up a burnt offering using the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and carried out the word of the Lord. Yet because he was too afraid of the household of his father and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
28 When the men of the city got up early in the morning, they were surprised to see that the altar of Baal had been thrown down, the Asherah pole next to it had been cut down, and the second bull was being offered up as a sacrifice upon the altar that had been built there.
29 The people were asking each other, “Who did this?” They searched and investigated until they concluded, “Gideon son of Joash did this.”
30 So the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he broke down the altar of Baal and because he cut down the Asherah pole next to it.”
31 But Joash said to all those who opposed him, “Will you contend for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever contends for him will be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself if someone broke down his altar.” 32 From that day on they called Gideon “Jerubbaal,”[h] saying, “Let Baal contend with him, if he broke down his altar.”
33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites and the people of the East gathered together. They crossed over to Israelite territory and set up camp in the Valley of Jezre’el. 34 The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon. He blew the ram’s horn, and the clan of Abiezer was called out to follow him. 35 Gideon also sent messengers into all Manasseh, so Manasseh assembled behind Gideon. He also sent messengers into Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet the others.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have said, 37 look here, I am placing a woolen fleece on the threshing floor. If dew is found only on the fleece, but all the ground around it is dry, then I will know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said.”
38 And that is exactly what happened! Gideon got up early in the morning and squeezed the fleece and wrung out dew from it—a bowlful of water!
39 But again Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more. Please let me conduct just one more test with the fleece: This time let the fleece be dry, but let there be dew on the ground all around.” 40 That night God did that very thing! Only the fleece was dry, and there was dew on the ground all around.
Footnotes
- Judges 6:2 The meaning of this word is uncertain.
- Judges 6:3 This term usually refers to nomadic or semi-nomadic people.
- Judges 6:11 In the title Angel of the Lord the word Angel is capitalized when the context makes it clear that it is God himself who is speaking rather than a created angel. Angel means messenger or envoy.
- Judges 6:15 In the main Hebrew text the word lord is pointed as the special divine name Adonai, which means Lord, but verse 22 indicates that Gideon did not yet recognize the Angel of the Lord at this time. Hence, the translation lord, which is supported by some Hebrew manuscripts and versions.
- Judges 6:19 An ephah
- Judges 6:25 Translators disagree whether Gideon was to offer one bull or two.
- Judges 6:26 Or, following a Hebrew variant, dwelling place
- Judges 6:32 Jerubbaal means let Baal contend.
Judges 6
New King James Version
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.’ ”
Gideon
11 Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash (L)the Abiezrite, while his son (M)Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the (N)Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is (O)with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O [c]my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And (P)where are all His miracles (Q)which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has (R)forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, (S)“Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. (T)Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O [d]my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed (U)my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the Lord said to him, (V)“Surely I will be with you, and you shall [e]defeat the Midianites as one man.”
17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then (W)show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. 18 (X)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 (Y)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 (Z)lay them on this rock, and (AA)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 (AB)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 (AC)perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! (AD)For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.”
23 Then the Lord said to him, (AE)“Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it [f]The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still (AF)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 (AG)tear down the altar of (AH)Baal that your father has, and (AI)cut down the [g]wooden image that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of this [h]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 [i]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 (AJ)Jerubbaal,[j] saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”
33 Then all (AK)the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in (AL)the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But (AM)the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he (AN)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 (AO)Asher, (AP)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 (AQ)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, (AR)“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.
Footnotes
- Judges 6:5 innumerable
- Judges 6:8 slavery
- Judges 6:13 Heb. adoni, used of man
- Judges 6:15 Heb. Adonai, used of God
- Judges 6:16 Lit. strike
- Judges 6:24 Heb. YHWH Shalom
- Judges 6:25 Heb. Asherah, a Canaanite goddess
- Judges 6:26 stronghold
- Judges 6:31 contend
- Judges 6:32 Lit. Let Baal Plead
Judges 6
Legacy Standard Bible
Midian Prevails Against Israel
6 Then the sons of Israel (A)did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; and Yahweh gave them into the hands of (B)Midian seven years. 2 And the [a]power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves (C)the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 And it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would go up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go up against them. 4 So they would camp against them and (D)ruin the produce of the earth [b]as far as Gaza and (E)leave no sustenance in Israel as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they would go up with their livestock and their tents; they would come in (F)like locusts for number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to make it a ruin. 6 So Israel was brought (G)very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh.
7 Now it happened when the sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh on account of Midian, 8 that Yahweh sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and (H)he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt and brought you out from the house of slavery. 9 I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and from the hands of all your oppressors and drove them out before you and gave you their land, 10 and I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God; you (I)shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not listened to My voice.”’”
Yahweh Sends Gideon to Save Israel
11 Then (J)the angel of Yahweh came and sat under the [c]oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the (K)Abiezrite as his son (L)Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to [d]preserve it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wondrous deeds which our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But (M)now Yahweh has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 Then Yahweh turned to him and said, “(N)Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” 15 (O)But he said to Him, “O Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the least in (P)Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 (Q)But Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike down Midian as one man.” 17 So [e]Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your eyes, then do (R)a sign for me that it is You who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and I bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”
19 So Gideon went in and (S)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 Yahweh put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and (T)fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of Yahweh went away from before his eyes. 22 (U)And Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh, so [i]he said, “Alas, O Lord Yahweh! For now I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.” 23 And Yahweh said to him, “Peace to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh and named it [j]Yahweh is Peace. To this day it is still (V)in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 Now it happened on the same night that Yahweh said to him, “Take your father’s bull [k]and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the [l](W)Asherah that is beside it, 26 and build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as Yahweh had spoken to him; and now it happened that 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.
Gideon Tears Down the Altar of Baal
28 Then the men of the city arose early in the morning, and behold, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built. 29 And they said to one another, “Who did this thing?” And when they searched about 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, because someone has torn down his altar.” 32 Therefore on that day he named him (X)Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had torn down his altar.
33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in (Y)the valley of Jezreel. 34 But (Z)the Spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon; and he (AA)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, (AB)Zebulun, and Naphtali, and (AC)they came up to meet them.
The Test of the Fleece
36 Then Gideon said to God, “(AD)If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken, 37 behold, I will 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 will know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.” 38 And it was so. Indeed he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece. And he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “(AE)Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more 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. So it was dry only on the fleece, but dew was on all the ground.
Footnotes
- Judges 6:2 Lit hand
- Judges 6:4 Lit until your coming to
- Judges 6:11 Or terebinth
- Judges 6:11 Lit cause to escape
- Judges 6:17 Lit he
- Judges 6:19 An ephah was approx. 21 qt. or 23 l
- Judges 6:19 Lit and he put
- Judges 6:19 Or terebinth
- Judges 6:22 Lit Gideon
- Judges 6:24 Heb Yahweh-shalom
- Judges 6:25 Or even
- Judges 6:25 A wooden symbol of a female deity, also vv 26, 28, 30
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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