Judges 6

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The Israelites did what is evil in Yahweh's eyes, and for seven years Yahweh handed them over toMidian;	1 The Israelites offended the LORD, who therefore delivered them into the power of Midian for 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.	2 so that Midian held Israel subject. For fear of Midian the Israelites established the fire signals on the mountains, the caves for refuge, and the strongholds.
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 it used to be that when the Israelites had completed their sowing, Midian, Amalek and the Kedemites would come up,
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 encamp opposite them, and destroy the produce of the land as far as the outskirts of Gaza, leaving no sustenance in Israel, nor sheep, oxen or asses.
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 For they would come up with their livestock, and their tents would become as numerous as locusts; and neither they nor their camels could be numbered, when they came into the land to lay it waste.
6 Thus, Midian brought Israel to great distress, and the Israelites cried to Yahweh.	6 Thus was Israel reduced to misery by Midian, and so the Israelites cried out to the LORD.
7 When the Israelites cried to Yahweh because of Midian,	7 When Israel cried out to the LORD because of Midian,
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 he sent a prophet to the Israelites who said to them, "The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I led you up from Egypt; I brought you out of the place of slavery.
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 I rescued you from the power of Egypt and of all your other oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.
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 I said to you: I, the LORD, am your God; you shall not venerate the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are dwelling. But you did not obey me."
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 Then the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. While his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press to save it from the Midianites,
12 and the Angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said, 'Yahweh is with you, valiant warrior!'	12 the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, "The LORD is with you, O champion!"
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 "My Lord," Gideon said to him, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are his wondrous deeds of which our fathers told us when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' For now the LORD has abandoned us and has delivered us into the power of Midian."
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 The LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have and save Israel from the power of Midian. It is I who send you."
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 But he answered him, "Please, my lord, how can I save Israel? My family is the meanest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father's house."
16 Yahweh replied, 'I shal be with you and you wil crush Midian as though it were one man.'	16 "I shall be with you," the LORD said to him, "and you will cut down Midian to the last man."
17 Gideon said, 'If I have found favour in your sight, give me a sign that you are speaking to me.	17 He answered him, "If I find favor with you, give me a sign that you are speaking with me.
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 Do not depart from here, I pray you, until I come back to you and bring out my offering and set it before you." He answered, "I will await your return."
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 So Gideon went off and prepared a kid and an ephah of flour in the form of unleavened cakes. Putting the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, he brought them out to him under the terebinth and presented them.
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 The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and unleavened cakes and lay them on this rock; then pour out the broth." When he had done so,
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 the angel of the LORD stretched out the tip of the staff he held, and touched the meat and unleavened cakes. Thereupon a fire came up from the rock which consumed the meat and unleavened cakes, and the angel of the LORD disappeared from sight.
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 Gideon, now aware that it had been the angel of the LORD, said, "Alas, Lord GOD, that I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
23 Yahweh answered, 'Peace be with you; have no fear; you wil not die.'	23 The LORD answered him, "Be calm, do not fear. You shall not die."
24 Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh and called it Yahweh-Peace. This altar stands in our own day atOphrah of Abiezer.	24 So Gideon built there an altar to the LORD and called it Yahweh-shalom. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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 That same night the LORD said to him, "Take the seven-year-old spare bullock and destroy your father's altar to Baal and cut down the sacred pole that is by it.
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 You shall build, instead, the proper kind of altar to the LORD, your God, on top of this stronghold. Then take the spare bullock and offer it as a holocaust on the wood from the sacred pole you have cut down."
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 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had commanded him. But through fear of his family and of the townspeople, he would not do it by day, but did it at night.
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 Early the next morning the townspeople found that the altar of Baal had been destroyed, the sacred pole near it cut down, and the spare bullock offered on the altar that was built.
29 'Who has done this?' they asked one another. They searched, made enquiries and declared, 'Gideonson of Joash has done it.'	29 They asked one another, "Who did this?" Their inquiry led them to the conclusion that Gideon, son of Joash, had done it.
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 So the townspeople said to Joash, "Bring out your son that he may die, for he has destroyed the altar of Baal and has cut down the sacred pole that was near it."
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 But Joash replied to all who were standing around him, "Do you intend to act in Baal's stead, or be his champion? If anyone acts for him, he shall be put to death by morning. If he whose altar has been destroyed is a god, let him act for himself!"
32 That day, Gideon was given the name Jerubbaal, because, they said, 'Baal must plead against him,because he has destroyed his altar!'	32 So on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, because of the words, "Let Baal take action against him, since he destroyed 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 Then all Midian and Amalek and the Kedemites mustered and crossed over into the valley of Jezreel, where they encamped.
34 And the spirit of Yahweh clothed Gideon around; he sounded the horn and Abiezer ral ied behind him.	34 The spirit of the LORD enveloped Gideon; he blew the horn that summoned Abiezer to follow him.
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 He sent messengers, too, throughout Manasseh, which also obeyed his summons; through Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, likewise, he sent messengers and these tribes advanced to meet the others.
36 Gideon said to God, 'If it is real y you delivering Israel by means of me, as you have said,	36 Gideon said to God, "If indeed you are going to save Israel through me, as you promised,
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 I am putting this woolen fleece on the threshing floor. If dew comes on the fleece alone, while all the ground is dry, I shall know that you will save Israel through me, as you promised."
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 That is what took place. Early the next morning he wrung the dew from the fleece, squeezing out of it a bowlful of water.
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 Gideon then said to God, "Do not be angry with me if I speak once more. Let me make just one more test with the fleece. Let the fleece alone be dry, but let there be dew on all the ground."
40 And God did so that night. The fleece alone stayed dry, and there was dew al over the ground.	40 That night God did so; the fleece alone was dry, but there was dew on all the ground.