Judges 6:11-24
World English Bible
11 Yahweh’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Yahweh’s angel appeared to him, and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
14 Yahweh looked at him, and said, “Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”
15 He said to him, “O Lord,[a] how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
17 He said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me. 18 Please don’t go away until I come to you, and bring out my present, and lay it before you.”
He said, “I will wait until you come back.”
19 Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes of an ephah[b] of meal. He put the meat in a basket and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.
20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.”
He did so. 21 Then Yahweh’s angel stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then Yahweh’s angel departed out of his sight.
22 Gideon saw that he was Yahweh’s angel; and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Because I have seen Yahweh’s angel face to face!”
23 Yahweh said to him, “Peace be to you! Don’t be afraid. You shall not die.”
24 Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it “Yahweh is Peace.”[c] To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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Judges 6:11-24
International Standard Version
Gideon is Visited by the Angel of the Lord
11 After this, the angel of the Lord arrived and sat down in the shade of[a] the oak tree in Ophrah that belonged to Joash, a descendant of Abiezer, while his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press in order to safeguard it[b] from the Midianites. 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him, “The Lord is with you, you valiant warrior!”
13 But Gideon replied, “Right… Sir, if the Lord is with us, then why has all of this happened to us? And where are all of his miraculous works that our ancestors recounted to us when they said, ‘The Lord brought us up from Egypt, didn’t he?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us over to Midian!”
14 The Lord looked straight at him and replied, “Go with this determination[c] of yours and deliver Israel from Midian’s domination. I’ve directed[d] you, haven’t I?”
15 “Right…,” Gideon[e] responded. “Sir, how will I deliver Israel? Look—my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the youngest in my father’s household.”
16 The Lord told him, “Because I’ll be with you, and you’ll defeat Midian—every single one of them!”
17 So Gideon asked him, “Please, if I have received favor from you, then do a miracle for me that shows that you’re making this[f] promise to me. 18 And please don’t leave here until I’ve come back to you, brought my offering, and set it down in front of you.”
The Lord[g] replied, “I’ll stay until you return.”
19 Then Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and poured the broth into a pot, and brought them to the angel[h] right under the oak tree. Then he made his offering. 20 The angel, who was God,[i] replied, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this boulder. Then pour out the broth.” 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 unleavened bread. Fire broke out from inside the boulder, consuming the meat and unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished in front of him.[j]
God Reassures Gideon
22 When Gideon realized that he had seen the angel of the Lord himself, he cried out, “Oh no! Lord God! I’ve been looking right at the angel of the Lord—and face-to-face at that!”
23 “Calm down![k] Don’t be afraid.” the Lord replied. “You’re not going to die!” 24 So Gideon built an altar right there to the Lord and called it “The Lord is peace.” (To this very day it still stands in Ophrah, which belongs to the descendants of Abiezer.)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Judges 6:11 The Heb. lacks the shade of
- Judges 6:11 The Heb. lacks it
- Judges 6:14 Or strength
- Judges 6:14 Or sent
- Judges 6:15 Lit. he
- Judges 6:17 The Heb. lacks this
- Judges 6:18 Lit. So he
- Judges 6:19 Lit. to him
- Judges 6:20 Or angel of God
- Judges 6:21 Lit. Lord left his eyes
- Judges 6:23 Lit. Peace to you!
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