Self-interpreting Bible

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Judges 6

1The Israelites for their sin are oppressed by Midian. 7They cry to God; a prophet is sent to reprove them. 11An angel sendeth Gideon to deliver them. 17Gideon asketh a sign; he bringeth flesh, broth, and bread, to the angel, which are all miraculously consumed with fire. 25Gideon destroyeth Baal's altar and grove, and sacrificeth upon an altar which he built unto the Lord. 28The men of his city require him to be put to death; his father defendeth him, and giveth him the name of Jerubbaal. 33Gideon gathereth an army to fight the Midianites. 36The double sign granted according to his prayer.

1 AND the children of Israel adid evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of bMidian seven years.

2 And cthe hand of Midian 1prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them dthe dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and ethe Amalekites, and fthe children of the east, even they came up against them;

4 And they gencamped against them, and hdestroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto iGaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither 2sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

5 For they came up with their cattle and their jtents, and they came as kgrasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and lthe children of Israel cried unto the LORD.

7 ¶And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,

    8 That the LORD sent 3a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, mThus saith the LORD God of Israel, nI brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;

    9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and *drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;

    • *: drave-drove.

    10 And I said unto you, oI am the LORD your God; fear not pthe gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: qbut ye have not obeyed my voice.

    11 ¶And there came an rangel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in sOphrah, that pertained unto Joash the tAbi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, 4to hide it from the Midianites.

    12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, uThe LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

    13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, vwhy then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles wwhich our fathers told us of, saying, xDid not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? ybut now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

    14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, zGo in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

    15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, awherewith shall I save Israel? behold, 5my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

    16 And the LORD said unto him, bSurely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

    17 And he said unto him, If now cI have found grace in thy sight, dthen shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

    18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth emy 6present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

    19 ¶fAnd Gideon went in, and made ready 7a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.

    20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and glay them upon this rock, and hpour out the broth. And he did so.

    21 ¶Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and ithere rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. jThen the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

    22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! kfor because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

    23 And the LORD said unto him, lPeace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

    24 Then mGideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it 8Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.

    25 ¶And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, nTake thy father's young bullock, 9even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the ogrove that is by it:

    26 And pbuild an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this 10rock, 11in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a qburnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

    27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and rdid as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he sfeared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

    28 ¶And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

      29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

        30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, tBring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.

        31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, uWill ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will vplead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.

        32 Therefore on that day he called him 12Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.

        • 12: That is, Let Baal plead. 1Sa. 12.11. (2Sa. 11.21, Jerubbesheth: that is, Let the shameful thing plead; Je. 11.13. Ho. 9.10.) , 1Sa. 12:11 , Je. 11:13 , Ho. 9:10

        33 ¶Then wall the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in xthe valley of Jezreel.

        34 But ythe Spirit of the LORD 13came upon Gideon, and zhe blew a trumpet; and aAbi-ezer 14was gathered after him.

        35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was 15gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

        • 15: Heb. called.

        36 ¶And Gideon said unto God, bIf thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

        37 cBehold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew dbe on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

        38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the *morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and *wringed the dew out of the fleece, a ebowl full of water.

        • *: morrow-morning. , wringed-wrung.
        • e: Ju. 5:25

        39 And Gideon said unto God, fLet not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me *prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be gdry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

        40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.