Judges 6:1-24

New American Standard Bible

Israel Oppressed by Midian

6 Then the sons of Israel ^(A)did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord handed them over to ^(B)Midian for seven years. ² The ^[a]power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves ^(C)the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. ³ For whenever Israel had sown, the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the ^[b]people of the east and ^[c]march against them. ⁴ So they would camp against them and ^(D)destroy the produce of the earth ^[d]as far as Gaza, and ^(E)leave no sustenance in Israel, nor a sheep, ox, or donkey. ⁵ For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in ^(F)like locusts in number, and both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to ruin it. ⁶ So Israel was brought ^(G)very low because of Midian, and the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.

⁷ Now it came about, when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of Midian, ⁸ that the Lord sent a prophet to the sons of Israel, and ^(H)he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘It was I who brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of ^[e]slavery. ⁹ And I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians, and from the hands of all your oppressors, and I drove them out from you and gave you their land, ¹⁰ and I said to you, “I am the Lord your God; you ^(I)shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.” But you have not ^[f]obeyed Me.’”

Gideon Is Visited

¹¹ Then ^(J)the angel of the Lord came and sat under the ^[g]oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the ^(K)Abiezrite, as his son ^(L)Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. ¹² And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” ¹³ Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did the Lord not bring us up from Egypt?’ But ^(M)now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” ¹⁴ And the Lord ^[h]looked at him and said, “^(N)Go in this strength of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” ^15 (O)But he said to Him, “O Lord, ^[i]how am I to save Israel? Behold, my family is the least in ^(P)Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” ^16 (Q)Yet the Lord said to him, “I will certainly be with you, and you will ^[j]defeat Midian as one man.” ¹⁷ So ^[k]Gideon said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then perform for me ^(R)a sign that it is You speaking with me. ¹⁸ Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You.” And He said, “I will remain until you return.”

¹⁹ Then Gideon went in and ^(S)prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from an ^[l]ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket ^[m]and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the ^[n]oak and presented them. ²⁰ And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so. ²¹ Then the angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and ^(T)fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord ^[o]vanished from his sight. ^22 (U)When Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord, ^[p]he said, “Oh, Lord ^[q]God! For I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” ²³ But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you, do not be afraid; you shall not die.” ²⁴ Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and named it ^[r]The Lord is Peace. To this day it is still ^(V)in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.