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)