1
And the sons of Yisra’el did what was evil in the eyes of Yahuah, and Yahuah gave them into the hand of Midyan seven years.
2
And the hand of Midyan became strong against Yisra’el. Because of Midyan, the sons of Yisra’el made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.
3
And it came to pass, whenever Yisra’el had sown, that Midyan would come up, and Amaleq, and the sons of the east; and they would come up against them.
4
And they encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land as far as Azzah, and left no sustenance in Yisra’el, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey.
5
For they and their livestock came up, and their tents, and they came like locusts for multitude; both they and their camels were without number. And they came into the land to destroy it.
6
And Yisra’el became exceedingly impoverished because of Midyan, and the sons of Yisra’el cried out to Yahuah.
7
And it came to pass, when the sons of Yisra’el cried out to Yahuah because of Midyan,
8
that Yahuah sent an ish, a prophet, to the sons of Yisra’el. And he said to them, “Thus says Yahuah, Elohim of Yisra’el: I brought you up from Mitzrayim, and I brought you out from the house of slavery.
9
And I delivered you from the hand of Mitzrayim and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before your face and gave you their land.
10
And I said to you, ‘I am Yahuah your Elohim. You shall not fear the elohim of the Emori in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not listened to My voice.”
11
And the messenger of Yahuah came and sat beneath the terebinth that was in Ofrat, which belonged to Yoash the Aviezri. And Gid’on his son was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the face of Midyan.
12
And the messenger of Yahuah appeared to him and said to him, “Yahuah is with you, mighty ish of strength.”
13
And Gid’on said to him, “Please, my master, if Yahuah is with us, then why has all this found us? And where are all His wonders that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahuah bring us up from Mitzrayim?’ But now Yahuah has forsaken us and given us into the palm of Midyan.”
14
And Yahuah turned toward him and said, “Go in this strength of yours, and you shall save Yisra’el from the palm of Midyan. Have I not sent you?”
15
And he said to Him, “Please, Adonai, with what shall I save Yisra’el? See, my clan is the weakest in Menasheh, and I am the least in the house of my father.”
16
And Yahuah said to him, “Because I will be with you, you shall strike Midyan as one ish.”
17
And he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your eyes, then make for me a sign that it is You who speak with me.
18
Please do not depart from here until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before Your face.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”
19
And Gid’on went in and prepared a young goat, and an ephah of flour as unleavened bread. The flesh he placed in a basket, and the broth he placed in a pot, and he brought them out to Him beneath the terebinth and brought them near.
20
And the messenger of Elohim said to him, “Take the flesh and the unleavened bread and place them upon this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
21
And the messenger of Yahuah stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the flesh and the unleavened bread. And fire went up from the rock and consumed the flesh and the unleavened bread. And the messenger of Yahuah went from his eyes.
22
And Gid’on saw that he was the messenger of Yahuah, and Gid’on said, “Ah, Adonai Yahuah! For I have seen the messenger of Yahuah face to face.”
23
And Yahuah said to him, “Shalom to you. Do not fear. You shall not die.”
24
And Gid’on built there an altar to Yahuah and called it Yahuah-Shalom. To this day it is still in Ofrat of the Aviezri.
25
And it came to pass that night that Yahuah said to him, “Take the young bull that belongs to your father, and the second bull, seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it.
26
And build an altar to Yahuah your Elohim upon the top of this stronghold, in proper order. And take the second bull and cause it to go up as an ascending offering with the wood of the Asherah that you cut down.”
27
And Gid’on took ten men from among his servants and did according to what Yahuah had spoken to him. And it came to pass, because he feared the house of his father and the men of the city too much to do it by day, that he did it by night.
28
And the men of the city rose early in the morning, and see, the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah that had been beside it was cut down, and the second bull had been caused to go up upon the altar that had been built.
29
And they said, ish to his neighbor, “Who has done this thing?” And they searched and inquired, and they said, “Gid’on son of Yoash has done this thing.”
30
And the men of the city said to Yoash, “Bring out your son, and he shall die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal and because he has cut down the Asherah that was beside it.”
31
And Yoash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is an elohim, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been torn down.”
32
And on that day he called him Yerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal contend against him, because he tore down his altar.”
33
And all Midyan and Amaleq and the sons of the east gathered together, and crossed over and encamped in the valley of Yizre’el.
34
And the Ruach of Yahuah clothed Gid’on, and he blew the shofar, and Aviezer was called together after him.
35
And he sent messengers throughout all Menasheh, and they also were called together after him. And he sent messengers through Asher, and through Zevulun, and through Naftali, and they went up to meet them.
36
And Gid’on said to Elohim, “If You are saving Yisra’el by my hand, according to what You have spoken,
37
see, I am placing a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If dew is upon the fleece alone, and upon all the ground there is dryness, then I shall know that You will save Yisra’el by my hand, according to what You have spoken.”
38
And it was so. And he rose early on the next day and squeezed the fleece, and wrung dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39
And Gid’on said to Elohim, “Do not let Your anger burn against me, and I will speak only this once. Please let me test only this once with the fleece. Please let there be dryness upon the fleece alone, and upon all the ground let there be dew.”
40
And Elohim did so that night. And there was dryness upon the fleece alone, and upon all the ground there was dew.