Midianite Oppression

6 Then Bnei-Yisrael did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes, so Adonai gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. ² Midian maintained an upper hand over Israel, and because of Midian Bnei-Yisrael made themselves hideouts in the mountains—caves and strongholds. ³ Whenever Israel had done their sowing, the Midianites, Amalekites and people from the east would come up and raid them. ⁴ They would set up camp by them, destroy the produce of the land as far as Gaza, and leave nothing in Israel to live on—not a sheep, ox or donkey. ⁵ For they would come up with their cattle and their tents, invade like a multitude of locusts. Both they and their camels were innumerable, and they would come to the land to ruin it. ⁶ So Israel was brought very low because of Midian, and Bnei-Yisrael cried out to Adonai.

⁷ Now it came about when Bnei-Yisrael cried out to Adonai because of Midian, ⁸ that Adonai sent a prophet to Bnei-Yisrael, and he said to them, “Thus says Adonai, God of Israel, ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage. ⁹ Then I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all your oppressors, and drove them out from before you and gave you their land. ¹⁰ Then I said to you, “I am Adonai your God. You are not to fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are dwelling. But you have not obeyed My voice.’”

Calling of Gideon

¹¹ Then the angel of Adonai came and sat under the terebinth that was at Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress—in order to hide it from the Midianites. ¹² Then the angel of Adonai appeared to him and said to him, “Adonai is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

¹³ But Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if Adonai is with us, then why has all this befallen us? So where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about saying ‘Didn’t Adonai bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Adonai has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

¹⁴ Then Adonai turned toward him and said, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have not I sent you?”^[a]

¹⁵ Then he said to him, “Me, my Lord? With what would I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

¹⁶ But Adonai said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you will strike down Midian as if it were one man.”

¹⁷ Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your eyes, then please, show me a sign that it is really You talking with me. ¹⁸ Please, don’t leave from here, until I come to You and bring out my offering and lay it before You.”

So He said, “I will stay until you come back.”

¹⁹ Then Gideon went in and prepared a kid and matzot from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to Him under the terebinth and presented them. ²⁰ Then the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the matzah and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” So he did so. ²¹ Then the angel of Adonai put out the end of the staff that was in His hand and touched the meat and the matzah. Fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the matzah. Then the angel of Adonai vanished from his sight.

²² When Gideon realized that He was the angel of Adonai, Gideon said, “Alas, my Lord Adonai! For I have seen the angel of Adonai face to face!”

²³ But Adonai said to him, “Shalom to you. Fear not, you will not die.” ²⁴ So Gideon built an altar there to Adonai and called it “Adonai-shalom.” To this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

²⁵ Now it came to pass the same night that Adonai said to him, “Take the young bull that belongs to your father and a second bull of seven years old, pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, cut down the Asherah that is beside it, ²⁶ build an altar to Adonai 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 pole that you will cut down.” ²⁷ So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as Adonai had spoken to him. But since he was too afraid of his father’s household and the townspeople to do it by day, he did it at night.

²⁸ Now when the townspeople arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, the Asherah pole that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered up on the altar that was built. ²⁹ So they said one to another, “Who did this thing?” And when they inquired and asked around, they said: “Gideon son of Joash did this thing.” ³⁰ Then the townspeople said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and even cut down the Asherah pole that was beside it.”

³¹ But Joash said to all who stood against him, “So you’re going to defend Baal? You’re going to rescue him? Whoever defends him will be put to death in the morning! If he is a god, let him defend himself—since someone has broken down his altar.” ³² So on that day he was called Jerubbaal saying, “Let Baal contend with him, since he broke down his altar.”

³³ Now all the Midianites, the Amalekites and the people of the east gathered together, crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ But the Ruach Adonai clothed Gideon, and he blew the shofar, and Abiezer rallied behind him. ³⁵ Then he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also rallied behind him. Then he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, and they came up to join them.

Signs of the Fleece

³⁶ Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to deliver Israel by my hand, as You have spoken, ³⁷ see, I am putting a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.” ³⁸ And it was so. When he rose up early next day, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.

³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Let not Your anger burn against me if I speak once more. Let me please test once more with the fleece—let it now be dry only on the fleece, but let there be dew over all the ground.” ⁴⁰ God did so that night, since it was dry only on the fleece, and there was dew over all the ground.

⁵⁴ Then they seized Yeshua and led Him away and brought Him into the house of the kohen gadol. But Peter was following from a distance.

Denied Three Times

⁵⁵ Now they had lit a fire in the center of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter was sitting among them. ⁵⁶ Then a servant girl saw him sitting at the fire. She looked straight at him and said, “This one was with Him too!”

⁵⁷ But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I don’t know Him!”

⁵⁸ A little later, another saw him and said, “You too are one of them.”

But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

⁵⁹ And about an hour later, another began to insist, saying, “Certainly this fellow was with Him, for he too is a Galilean!”

⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹ And the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.’

⁶² And Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Beaten by Roman Soldiers

⁶³ Now the men who were guarding Yeshua began mocking and beating Him. ⁶⁴ They blindfolded Him and kept asking Him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is the one who hit You?” ⁶⁵ And reviling Him, they were saying many other things against Him.

Brought Before the Council

⁶⁶ As it become day, the elders of the people gathered together, both ruling kohanim and Torah scholars, and they led Him away to their council, saying, ⁶⁷ “If You are Mashiach, tell us.”

But Yeshua said to them, “If I tell you, you will never believe; ⁶⁸ and if I ask you, you will never answer. ⁶⁹ But from now on, the Son of Man is seated at the right hand of the power of God.”^[a]

⁷⁰ Then they all said, “Are You then Ben-Elohim?”

And to them He said, “You say that I am.”

⁷¹ Then they said, “What further need do we have for testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth!”

Brought Before Pilate

23 Then the entire assembly got up and brought Yeshua to Pilate. ² And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow subverting our nation, forbidding payment of taxes to Caesar and saying that He Himself is Messiah—a king.”

³ So Pilate questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”

“As you say,” Yeshua replied.

⁴ Then Pilate said to the ruling kohanim and the crowds, “I find no case against this Man.”

⁵ But they kept insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, starting from the Galilee to as far as here.”

⁶ But when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the Man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that Yeshua was from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

Brought Before Herod

⁸ Now Herod was overjoyed when he saw Yeshua, for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had heard about Him and was hoping to see some miracle done by Him. ⁹ He was questioning Yeshua on many issues, but Yeshua did not answer at all. ^{[b] 10} And the ruling kohanim and the Torah scholars stood their ground, strongly accusing Him.

¹¹ Now Herod together with his soldiers were treating Him with contempt and mocking Him.^[c] They put splendid clothing on Him and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² And Herod and Pilate became friends with one another from that very day, for previously they had been enemies with one another.

Today, Hear His Voice

Psalm 95

Sing a New Song

Psalm 96