Judges 6

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 The Israelites did what is evil in Yahweh's eyes, and for seven years Yahweh handed them over toMidian;	1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord: and he delivered them into the hand of Madian seven years.
2 and Midian bore down heavily on Israel. To escape from the Midianites the Israelites used the mountainclefts and the caves and shelters.
3 Whenever Israel sowed seed the Midianites would march up with Amalek and the sons of the East.They would march on Israel.	3 And they were grievously oppressed by them. And they made themselves dens and eaves in the mountains, and strong holds to resist.
4 They would pitch camp on their territory and destroy the produce of the country as far as Gaza. Theyleft Israel nothing to live on, not a sheep or an ox or a donkey,	4 And when Israel had sown, Madian and Amalec, and the rest of the eastern nations came up:
5 for they came up as thick as locusts with their cattle and their tents; they and their camels wereinnumerable, they invaded the country to pil age it.	5 And pitching their tents among them, wasted all things as they were in the blade even to the entrance of Gaza: and they left nothing at all in Israel for sustenance of life, nor sheep, nor oxen, nor asses.
6 Thus, Midian brought Israel to great distress, and the Israelites cried to Yahweh.	6 For they and all their flocks came with their tents, and like locusts filled all places, an innumerable multitude of men, and of camels, wasting whatsoever they touched.
7 When the Israelites cried to Yahweh because of Midian,	7 And Israel was humbled exceedingly in the sight of Madian.
8 Yahweh sent a prophet to the Israelites. He said to them, 'This is what Yahweh, God of Israel, says, "Itwas I who brought you out of Egypt, and led you out of the place of slave-labour.	8 And he cried to the Lord desiring help against the Madianites.
9 I rescued you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of al who oppressed you. I drovethem out before you and gave their country to you.	9 And he sent unto them a prophet, and he spoke: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I made you to come up out of Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage,
10 And I said to you: I am Yahweh your God. You are not to fear the gods of the Amorites in whosecountry you are now living. But you have not listened to my voice." '	10 And delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians, and of all the enemies that afflicted you: and I cast them out at your coming in, and gave you their land.
11 The Angel of Yahweh came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah which belonged to Joash ofAbiezer. Gideon his son was threshing wheat inside the wine-press, to keep it hidden from Midian,	11 dummy verses inserted by amos
12 and the Angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said, 'Yahweh is with you, valiant warrior!'	12 And an angel of the Lord came, and sat under an oak, that was in Ephra, and belonged to Joas the father of the family of Ezri. And when Gedeon his son was threshing and cleansing wheat by the winepress, to flee from Madian,
13 Gideon replied, 'Excuse me, my lord, but if Yahweh is with us, why is al this happening to us? Andwhere are al his miracles which our ancestors used to tel us about when they said, "Did not Yahweh bring usout of Egypt?" But now Yahweh has deserted us; he has abandoned us to Midian.'	13 The angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: The Lord is with thee, O most valiant of men.
14 At this, Yahweh turned to him and said, 'Go in this strength of yours, and you wil rescue Israel fromthe power of Midian. Am I not sending you myself?'	14 And Gedeon said to him: I beseech thee, my lord, if the Lord be with us, why have these evils fallen upon us? Where are his miracles, which our fathers have told us of, saying: The Lord brought us Out of Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the bands of Madian.
15 Gideon replied, 'Forgive me, my lord, but how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manassehand I am the least important of my father's family.'	15 And the Lord looked upon him, and said: Go in this thy strength, and then shalt deliver Israel out of the hand of Madian: know that I have sent thee.
16 Yahweh replied, 'I shal be with you and you wil crush Midian as though it were one man.'	16 He answered and said: I beseech thee, my lord, wherewith shall I deliver Israel? Behold my family is the meanest in Manasses, and I am the least in my father's house.
17 Gideon said, 'If I have found favour in your sight, give me a sign that you are speaking to me.	17 And the Lord said to him: I will be with thee: and thou shalt cut off Madian as one man.
18 Please do not go away from here until I come back to you, bringing you my offering and laying it beforeyou.' And he replied, 'I shal stay until you come back.'	18 And he said: If I have found grace before thee, give me a sign that it is thou that speakest to me,
19 Gideon went away, he prepared a young goat and from an ephah of flour he made unleavened cakes.He put the meat into a basket and the broth into a pot, then brought it all to him under the terebinth. As heapproached,	19 And depart not hence, till I return to thee, and bring a sacrifice, and offer it to thee. And he answered: I will wait thy coming.
20 the Angel of Yahweh said to him, 'Take the meat and unleavened cakes, put them on this rock andpour the broth over them.' Gideon did so.	20 So Gedeon went in, and boiled a kid, and made unleavened loaves of a measure of flour: and putting the flesh in a basket, and the broth of the flesh into a pot, he carried all under the oak, and presented to him.
21 The Angel of Yahweh then stretched out the tip of the staff which he was carrying, and touched themeat and unleavened cakes. Fire sprang from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened cakes, and theAngel of Yahweh vanished before his eyes.	21 And the angel of the Lord said to him: Take the flesh and the unleavened loaves, and lay them upon that rock, and pour out the broth thereon. And when he had done so,
22 Gideon then knew that this was the Angel of Yahweh, and he said, 'Alas, my Lord Yahweh! Now I haveseen the Angel of Yahweh face to face!'	22 The angel of the Lord put forth the tip of the rod, which he held in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened loaves: and there arose a fire from the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened loaves: and the angel of the Lord vanished out of his sight.
23 Yahweh answered, 'Peace be with you; have no fear; you wil not die.'	23 And Gedeon seeing that it was the angel of the Lord, said: Alas, my Lord God: for I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.
24 Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh and called it Yahweh-Peace. This altar stands in our own day atOphrah of Abiezer.	24 And the Lord said to him: Peace be with thee: fear not, thou shalt not die.
25 Now that night, Yahweh said to Gideon, 'Take your father's bul , the seven-year-old bul , and pull downthe altar to Baal belonging to your father and cut down the sacred pole beside it.	25 And Gedeon built there an altar to the Lord, and called it the Lord's peace, until this present day. And when he was yet in Ephra, which is of the family of Ezri,
26 Then, on top of this strong-point, build a proper altar to Yahweh your God. Then take the bul and burnit as a burnt offering on the wood of the sacred pole which you have cut down.'	26 That night the Lord said to him: Take a bullock of thy father's, and another bullock of seven years, and thou shalt destroy the altar of Baal, which is thy father's: and cut down the grove that is about the altar:
27 Gideon then took ten of his servants and did as Yahweh had ordered him. But, being too frightened ofhis family and of the townspeople to do it in daylight, he did it at night.	27 And thou shalt build an altar to the Lord thy God in the top of this rock, whereupon thou didst lay the sacrifice before: and thou shalt take the second bullock, and shalt offer a holocaust upon a pile of the wood, which thou shalt cut down out of the grove.
28 Next morning, when the townspeople got up, they found that the altar to Baal had been destroyed, thesacred pole standing beside it had been cut down and the bull had been sacrificed as a burnt offering on thenewly built altar.	28 Then Gedeon taking ten men of his servants, did as the Lord had commanded him. But fearing his father's house, and the men of that city, he would not do it by day, but did all by night.
29 'Who has done this?' they asked one another. They searched, made enquiries and declared, 'Gideonson of Joash has done it.'	29 And when the men of that town were risen in the morning, they saw the altar of Baal destroyed, and the grove cut down, and the second bullock laid upon the altar, which then was built.
30 The townspeople then said to Joash, 'Bring out your son; he must die for having destroyed Baal's altarand cut down the sacred pole which stood beside it.'	30 And they said one to another: Who hath done this? And when they inquired for the author of the fact, it was said: Gedeon the son of Joas did all this.
31 To the people al crowding round him, Joash replied, 'Is it your job to plead for Baal? Is it your job tochampion his cause? (Anyone who pleads for Baal must be put to death before dawn.) If he is a god, let himplead for himself, now that Gideon has destroyed his altar.'	31 And they said to Joas: Bring out thy son hither, that he may die: because he hath destroyed the altar of Baal, and hath cut down his grove.
32 That day, Gideon was given the name Jerubbaal, because, they said, 'Baal must plead against him,because he has destroyed his altar!'	32 He answered them: Are you the avengers of Baal, that you fight for him? he that is his adversary, let him die before to morrow light appear: if he be a god, let him revenge himself on him that hath cast down his altar.
33 Al Midian and Amalek and the sons of the East joined forces and, having crossed the Jordan, pitchedcamp in the plain of Jezreel.	33 From that day Gedeon was called Jerobaal, because Joss had said: Let Baal revenge himself on him that hath cast down his altar.
34 And the spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon around; he sounded the horn and Abiezer ral ied behind him.	34 Now all Madian, and Amalec, and the eastern people were gathered together, and passing over the Jordan, camped in the valley of Jezrael.
35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and Manasseh too rallied behind him; he sentmessengers to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, and they marched out to meet him.	35 But the spirit of the Lord came upon Gedeon, and be sounded the trumpet and called together the house of Abiezer, to follow him.
36 Gideon said to God, 'If it is real y you delivering Israel by means of me, as you have said,	36 And he sent messengers into all Manasses, and they also followed him: and other messengers into Aser and Zabulon and Nephtali, and they came to meet him.
37 look, I am going to put a wool en fleece on the threshing-floor; if there is dew only on the fleece and althe ground stays dry, then I shall know that you wil deliver Israel by means of me, as you have said.'	37 And Gedeon said to God: If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said,
38 And so it happened. Early next morning, Gideon got up, squeezed the fleece and wrung enough dewout of the fleece to fill a cup.	38 I will put this fleece of wool on the floor: if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry on all the ground beside, I, shall know that by my hand, as thou hast said, thou wilt deliver Israel.
39 Gideon then said to God, 'Do not be angry with me if I speak just once more. Al ow me to make thefleece-test just once more: let the fleece alone be dry and there be dew al over the ground!'	39 And it was so. And rising before day wringing the fleece, he filled a vessel with the dew.
40 And God did so that night. The fleece alone stayed dry, and there was dew al over the ground.	40 And he said again to God: let not thy wrath be kindled against me if I try once more, seeking a sign in the fleece. I pray that the fleece only may be dry, and all the ground wet with dew.