²⁵ Now on that same night Yahweh said to him, “Take the bull of the cattle that belongs to your father, and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah^[a] that is beside it; ²⁶ and build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold in the proper arrangement, and take a second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah^[b] that you will cut down. ²⁷ Gideon took ten men from his servants, and he did just as Yahweh told him;^[c] and because he was too afraid of his father’s family^[d] and the men of the city to do it during the day, he did it during night.

Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal

²⁸ When the men of the city got up early in the morning, look, the altar of Baal and the Asherah^[e] that was beside it were cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. ²⁹ And they said to one another,^[f] “Who did this thing?” So they searched and inquired, and they said, “Gideon son of Jehoash did this thing.” ³⁰ And the men of the city said to Jehoash, “Bring out your son so that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah that was beside it.” ³¹ But Jehoash said to all who stood against him,^[g] “Will you contend for Baal? Will you rescue him? Whoever contends for him will be put to death by the morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself because his altar has been pulled down.”^{[h] 32} Thus, on that day he^[i] was called Jerub-Baal, which means,^[j] “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had pulled down his altar.