¹¹ The angel of the Lord^(A) came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah^(B) that belonged to Joash^(C) the Abiezrite,^(D) where his son Gideon^(E) was threshing^(F) wheat in a winepress^(G) to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you,^(H) mighty warrior.^(I)”

¹³ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders^(J) that our ancestors told^(K) us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned^(L) us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

¹⁴ The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have^(M) and save^(N) Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

¹⁵ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan^(O) is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.^(P)”

¹⁶ The Lord answered, “I will be with you^(Q), and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

³⁶ Gideon said to God, “If you will save^(A) Israel by my hand as you have promised— ³⁷ look, I will place a wool fleece^(B) on the threshing floor.^(C) If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know^(D) that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” ³⁸ And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request.^(E) Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” ⁴⁰ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.^(F)

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,^(A) Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace^(B) be with you!”^{(C) 20} After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.^(D) The disciples were overjoyed^(E) when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!^(F) As the Father has sent me,^(G) I am sending you.”^{(H) 22} And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.^{(I) 23} If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”^(J)

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ Now Thomas^(K) (also known as Didymus^[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side,^(L) I will not believe.”^(M)

²⁶ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace^(N) be with you!”^{(O) 27} Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”^(P)

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;^(Q) blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”^(R)

The Purpose of John’s Gospel

³⁰ Jesus performed many other signs^(S) in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.^{(T) 31} But these are written that you may believe^[b](U) that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,^(V) and that by believing you may have life in his name.^(W)