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
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Midian Oppresses Israel
6 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.(A) So the Lord handed(B) them over to Midian for seven years, 2 and they oppressed Israel.(C) Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places(D) for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the east(E) came and attacked them. 4 They set up camp against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For the Midianites came with their cattle and their tents like a great swarm of locusts.(F) They and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to lay waste to it. 6 So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.(G)
7 When the Israelites cried out to him because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet(H) to them. He said to them, ‘This is what the Lord(I) God of Israel says: “I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery.(J) 9 I rescued you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed(K) you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you: I am the Lord your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in.(L) But you did not obey me.” ’
The Lord Calls Gideon
11 The angel of the Lord(M) came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah,(N) which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.’(O)
13 Gideon said to him, ‘Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about? They said, “Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt? ” But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.’
14 The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you! ’(P)
15 He said to him, ‘Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.’
16 ‘But I will be with you,’(Q) the Lord said to him. ‘You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.’
17 Then he said to him, ‘If I have found favour with you,(R) give me a sign(S) that you are speaking with me. 18 Please do not leave this place until I return to you. Let me bring my gift and set it before you.’
And he said, ‘I will stay until you return.’
19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from twenty-two litres[a] of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
20 The angel of God(T) said to him, ‘Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth on it.’ So he did that.
21 The angel of the Lord extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. 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 When Gideon realised that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, ‘Oh no, Lord God!(U) I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face! ’(V)
23 But the Lord said to him, ‘Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.’ 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.[b] It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites today.
Gideon Tears Down a Baal Altar
25 On that very night the Lord said to him, ‘Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal(W) that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this mound.(X) Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.’ 27 So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night.
28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built. 29 They said to each other, ‘Who did this? ’ After they made a thorough investigation, they said, ‘Gideon son of Joash did it.’
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, ‘Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.’
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, ‘Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.’ 32 That day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, ‘Let Baal contend with him,’ because he tore down his altar.
The Sign of the Fleece
33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Jezreel Valley.(Y)
34 The Spirit of the Lord enveloped[c] Gideon,(Z) and he blew the ram’s horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who also came to meet him.
36 Then Gideon said to God, ‘If you will deliver Israel by me, as you said, 37 I will put a wool fleece here on the threshing-floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that you will deliver Israel by me, as you said.’ 38 And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water.
39 Gideon then said to God, ‘Don’t be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground.’ 40 That night God did as Gideon requested: only the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the ground.
Judges 6
English Standard Version
Midian Oppresses Israel
6 (A)The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of (B)Midian seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and (C)the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and (D)the Amalekites and (E)the people of the East would come up against them. 4 They would encamp against them (F)and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come (G)like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel (H)cried out for help to the Lord.
7 When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: (I)I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and (J)drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; (K)you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”
The Call of Gideon
11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash (L)the Abiezrite, while his son (M)Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And (N)the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, (O)“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 (P)all his wonderful deeds (Q)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; (R)do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, (S)“Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, (T)my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, (U)“But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 17 And he said to him, (V)“If now I have found favor in your eyes, then (W)show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please (X)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 (Y)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 (Z)on this rock, and (AA)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. (AB)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, (AC)“Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, (AD)“Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, (AE)The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at (AF)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 (AG)the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the (AH)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 (AI)Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.
33 Now (AJ)all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in (AK)the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But (AL)the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, (AM)and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. 35 (AN)And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. (AO)And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
The Sign of the Fleece
36 (AP)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, (AQ)“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.
Footnotes
- Judges 6:14 Septuagint the angel of the Lord; also verse 16
- Judges 6:19 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
- Judges 6:32 Hebrew he
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2024 by Holman Bible Publishers.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
