The Lord God Speaks to Gideon |
Judges 6:1-40 The Book of Judges [in Smaller Chunks] |
[Again,] the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord & the Lord delivered them into the hand of [the] Midian [for] 7 years. [Judges 2:11-13 And the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord & served Baalim. |
And they [abandoned] the Lord God of their [forefathers, Who] brought them out of the land of Egypt & followed other gods, of the gods of the people [who] were [around] them, & provoked the Lord to anger. They [abandoned] the Lord & served Baal & Ashtaroth.] |
And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, & because of the Midianites, the [people] of Israel made [themselves:] dens, caves & strong holds, [a.k.a. fortified places, that] are in the mountains. |
And it was [this way,] [until] Israel had sown [their crops,] that the Midianites, Amalekites, & even the [people] of the East, came up against them. And they [set up camp] against them & destroyed the increase of [their produce from] the [ground, all the way until] you come to Gaza. And [these tribes] left no [food] for Israel, [or for:] sheep, [oxen, or donkeys.] |
For they came up with their: cattle, [a.k.a. livestock;] & tents. They came [like a] multitude [of] grasshoppers. For both they & their camels were without number, [a.k.a. beyond being able to count them,] & they entered into the land to destroy it. The [people] of Israel cried [out] to the Lord, because of the Midianites & Israel was [extremely poor.] |
And it [happened,] when the [people] of Israel cried [out] to the Lord, because of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the [people] of Israel, [who] said to them, The Lord God of Israel [says this,] I brought you up from Egypt, out [from] the house of bondage; & I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians; & out of the hand of all [who] oppressed you. |
And [I,] [drove] them out before you & gave you their land. And I said to you, I Am the Lord your God; [don’t] fear, [ra.k.a. respect,] the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell, but you haven’t obeyed My voice. |
And an Angel of the Lord, came there, & sat under an oak in Ophrah, that [belonged] to Joash, the Abiezrite. And his son, Gideon, threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. |
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to [Gideon,] & said to him, You mighty man of valor, the Lord is with you. And Gideon said to him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord [is] with us, then why has all this [happened to] us? |
And where [are] all His miracles [that] our [forefathers] told us [about,] saying, Didn’t the Lord bring us up, [out] from Egypt? But now the Lord [has abandoned] us, & delivered us into the hand of the Midianites. |
The Lord looked upon Gideon & said, Go in your [strength] & you [shall] save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Haven't I sent you? And [Gideon] said [to the Lord,] Oh, my Lord, [with what] shall I save Israel? |
[See,] my family is poor in Manasseh, & I am the least, [a.k.a. the smallest,] in my father’s house. The Lord said to [Gideon,] Surely, I will be with you, & you shall [attack] the Midianites, [united] [like] 1 man. |
[Gideon] said to [the Lord,] If I have now found grace in Your sight, then [show] me a sign that you [talked] with me. I pray You [don’t go from here,] until I come [back] to You, & bring my present [out,] & [put] it [in front of] You. [The Lord said,] I will [wait] until you come again. |
Gideon went in & [prepared] a kid [goat] & unleavened cakes [made] of an ephah of [fine] flour, & put the [meat] in a basket, & [Gideon] put the broth in a pot, & brought it out to [the Lord] under the oak & presented it [to Him.] |
The Angel of God said to [Gideon,] Take the [meat] & unleavened cakes, & lay them on this rock, & pour out the broth & he did so. Then, the Angel of the Lord put [out] the end of the staff in His hand, & touched the [meat,] & the unleavened cakes, & fire rose up out of the rock & consumed the [meat] & the unleavened cakes. |
Then, the Angel of the Lord departed out of [Gideon’s] sight. When Gideon [realized] that he was the Angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! Because I have seen an Angel of the Lord face to face. |
And the Lord said to [Gideon,] Peace be to you. [Don’t be fearful;] you [shall] not die. Then, Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, & called it Jehovah Shalom, [a.k.a. The Lord is Peace,] & is [still] [called this] to this day in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. |
And it [happened] the same night, the Lord said to [Gideon,] Take your father’s young [bull,] & even a 2nd [bull] 7 years old, & [tear] down the altar of Baal that your father [has,] & cut down the grove that is by it. |
[Deuteronomy 12:2-3 You shall [totally] destroy all the places, [where] the nations you shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, hills & under every green tree. And you shall [tear] down their altars & break their pillars & burn their groves with fire. And you shall [cut] down the [carved] images of their gods & destroy the names of them out of that place.] |
And build an altar to the Lord God on top of this rock [with its proper arrangement,] & take the 2nd [bull,] & offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood from the grove [that] you [shall cut down. |
Then, Gideon took 10 of his [male] servants, & did [like] the Lord had said to him. and it was so, because [Gideon was fearful of] his father’s household, & the men of the city, [so Gideon] couldn't do it [during the] day] & he did it [at] night. |
And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, & [saw,] the altar of Baal was, [thrown] down, & the grove that was by it was cut down, & the 2nd [bull] was offered upon the altar that was built [to the Lord God,] they said to 1 another, Who [has] done this thing? |
And when they [inquired] & asked [around,] & they said, Gideon, the son of Joash, [has] done this thing. Then, the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out your son, [so] that he may die, because he [has thrown] down the altar of Baal & he [has] cut down the grove that was by it. |
And Joash said to all [who] stood against him, Will you plead for Baal? Will you save him? Let him, [who pleads] for [Baal,] be put to death [while] it’s [still] morning. |
If [Baal is] [supposed] to be a god, let him plead for himself, because [someone] [has thrown] down his altar. Therefore, on that day, [Joab's father,] called [Gideon] Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against [Gideon,] because he [has] thrown down his altar. |
Then, all the Midianites, Amalekites & the children, [a.k.a. people,] of the East were gathered together, & went over, & pitched, [a.k.a. set up camp], in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon & he blew a trumpet, & [the Abiezrites were] gathered [behind] him. |
And [Gideon] sent messengers throughout all [of the tribe of] Manasseh; who was also gathered [behind Gideon.] And he sent messengers to: Asher, Zebulun, & Naphtali & they came to [join] them. |
And Gideon said to God, If You [will] save Israel by my hand, [like] You [have] said, [See,] I will put wool fleece [on] the floor, & if the dew [is] only on the fleece, & the [ground next to it is] dry, then I shall know that You [will] save Israel by [my] hand, as You [have] said, & it was so. |
For [Gideon] rose up early the [next morning] & [squeezed] the fleece together & [wrung] out a bowl full of dew water out of the fleece. |
And Gideon said to God, [Don’t] let Your anger be hot against me, & I will speak, this [one time.] But I pray [that] You, let me prove, [a.k.a. test,] You, this [one time,] with the fleece. Let it now be dry only upon the fleece, & let there be dew upon all the ground. And God did so that night. For it was dry only upon the fleece & there was dew on all the ground. |