Midian Oppresses Israel 1 UDB Again the Israelites did what Yahweh said was very evil. So he allowed the people of Midian to conquer them and rule them for seven years. BSB BSB: Again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; so He delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
2 UDB The people of Midian treated the Israelites so cruelly that the Israelites fled to the mountains. There they made places to live in caves and places to be safe. BSB BSB: and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.
3 UDB At the time when the Israelites planted their crops in the fields, the people of Midian and Amalek and people from the east attacked the Israelites. BSB BSB: Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east would come up and invade them,
4 UDB They set up tents in the area and then destroyed the crops as far south as Gaza. They did not leave anything for the Israelites to eat and took away the sheep, the cattle, and the donkeys. BSB BSB: encamping against them as far as Gaza and destroying the produce of the land. They left Israel with no sustenance, neither sheep nor oxen nor donkeys.
5 UDB They came into Israel with their tents and their livestock like a swarm of locusts. There were so many of them that arrived riding on their camels that no one could count them. They stayed so they could ruin the land. BSB BSB: For the Midianites came with their livestock and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were innumerable, and they entered the land to ravage it.
6 UDB The people of Midian took almost everything the Israelites owned. So finally the Israelites pleaded for Yahweh to help them. BSB BSB: Israel was greatly impoverished by Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD.
7 UDB When the Israelites pleaded with Yahweh to help them because of what the people from Midian had done to them, BSB BSB: Now when the Israelites cried out to the LORD because of Midian,
8 UDB Yahweh sent to them a prophet, who said, "This is what Yahweh the God of Israel says, 'I brought up your ancestors out of Egypt, out of the places where you all were slaves. BSB BSB: He sent them a prophet, who told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
9 UDB But I rescued them from the leaders of Egypt and from all the others who oppressed you. I expelled their enemies from this land and gave it to you. BSB BSB: I delivered you out of the hands of Egypt and all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.
10 UDB I told you and your ancestors, "I am Yahweh your God. You are now in the land of the Amorites, but you must not worship the gods they worship here in this land in which you are living." But you did not obey me.'" BSB BSB: And I said to you: ‘I am the LORD your God. You must not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.’ But you did not obey Me.”
The Call of Gideon 11 UDB One day the angel of Yahweh appeared and sat under a big oak tree at the town of Ophrah. (That tree belonged to Joash, who was from the clan of Abiezer.) Joash's son Gideon was threshing wheat in the pit where they pressed grapes to make wine. He was threshing the grain there in order to hide it from the people of Midian. BSB BSB: Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12 UDB Yahweh went over to Gideon and said to him, "You mighty warrior, Yahweh is helping you!" BSB BSB: And the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon and said, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
13 UDB Gideon replied, "Sir, if Yahweh is helping us, why have all these bad things happened to us? We heard about all the miracles that Yahweh performed for our ancestors. We heard people tell us about how he rescued them from being slaves in Egypt. But now Yahweh has abandoned us, and we are ruled by the people from Midian." BSB BSB: “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, ‘Has not the LORD brought us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
14 UDB Then Yahweh turned toward him and said, "You have the strength to rescue the Israelites from the people of Midian. I am sending you to do that!" BSB BSB: The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Am I not sending you?”
15 UDB Gideon replied, "But Lord, how can I rescue the Israelites? My clan is the least significant in the whole tribe descended from Manasseh, and I am the least significant person in my whole family!" BSB BSB: “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
16 UDB Yahweh said to him, "I will help you. So you will defeat the Midianite army as easily as if you were fighting only one man!" BSB BSB: “Surely I will be with you,” the LORD replied, “and you will strike down all the Midianites as one man.”
17 UDB Gideon replied, "If you are truly pleased with me, do something that will prove that you who are speaking to me are really Yahweh. BSB BSB: Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.
18 UDB But do not go away until I go and bring back an offering to you." Yahweh answered, "Very well, I will stay here until you return." BSB BSB: Please do not depart from this place until I return to You. Let me bring my offering and set it before You.” And the LORD said, “I will stay until you return.”
19 UDB Gideon hurried to his home. He killed a young goat and cooked it. Then he took about twenty-two liters of flour and baked some bread without yeast. Then he put the cooked meat in a basket and put the broth from the meat in a pot and took it to Yahweh, who was sitting under the tree. BSB BSB: So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread and an ephah of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to present to Him under the oak.
20 UDB Then the angel of God said to him, "Put the meat and the bread on this rock. Then pour the broth on top of it." So Gideon did that. BSB BSB: And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so.
21 UDB Then Yahweh reached out and touched the meat and bread with the walking stick that was in his hand. A fire flamed up from the rock and burned up the meat and the bread that Gideon had brought! And then the angel of Yahweh disappeared. BSB BSB: Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.
22 UDB When Gideon realized that it was the angel of Yahweh, he exclaimed, "O, Lord Yahweh, I have seen the face of the angel of Yahweh!" BSB BSB: When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
23 UDB But Yahweh called to him and said, "Do not be afraid! You will not die!" BSB BSB: But the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not be afraid, for you will not die.”
24 UDB Then Gideon built an altar to worship Yahweh there. He named it 'Yahweh is Peace.' That altar is still there at the town of Ophrah, in the land of the Abiezrites. BSB BSB: So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Gideon Destroys Baal’s Altar 25 UDB That night Yahweh said to Gideon, "Take the bull that belongs to your father and another bull, one that is seven years old, and tear down the altar that your father built to worship the god Baal. Also cut down the pole for worshiping the goddess Asherah that is there beside it. BSB BSB: On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
26 UDB Then build a stone altar to worship me, your God Yahweh, here on this hill. Take the wood from the Asherah pole you cut down and make a fire to burn the meat of these bulls as a burnt offering to me." BSB BSB: Then build a proper altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold. And with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down, take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering.”
27 UDB So Gideon and ten of his servants did what Yahweh commanded. But they did it at night because he was afraid what the other members of his family and the other men in town would do to him if they found out that he had done that. BSB BSB: So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city, he did it by night rather than in the daytime.
28 UDB Early the next morning, as soon as the men got up, they saw that the altar to Baal was in ruins and the Asherah pole was gone. They saw that there was a new altar there, and on it was what remained from the bulls they had sacrificed. BSB BSB: When the men of the city got up in the morning, there was Baal’s altar torn down, with the Asherah pole cut down beside it and the second bull offered up on the newly built altar.
29 UDB The people asked each other, "Who did this?" After they investigated, someone told them that it was Gideon son of Joash who had done it. BSB BSB: “Who did this?” they said to one another. And after they had investigated thoroughly, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30 UDB The men of the town said to Joash, "Bring your son out here! He must be put to death because he destroyed our god Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole where we worship!" BSB BSB: Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he has torn down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31 UDB But Joash replied to those who came against him, "Are you trying to defend Baal? Are you trying to argue his case? Anyone who tries to defend Baal should be executed by tomorrow morning! If Baal is truly a god, he ought to be able to defend himself when someone tears down his altar!" BSB BSB: But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Are you contending for Baal? Are you trying to save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal is a god, let him contend for himself with the one who has torn down his altar.”
The Sign of the Fleece 33 UDB Soon after that, the armies of the people of Midian and of Amalek and the people from the east gathered together. They crossed the Jordan River to attack the Israelites. They set up their tents in the Valley of Jezreel. BSB BSB: Then all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
34 UDB Then Yahweh's Spirit took control of Gideon. He blew a ram's horn to summon the men to prepare to fight. So the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him. BSB BSB: So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, who blew the ram’s horn and rallied the Abiezrites behind him.
35 UDB He also sent messengers throughout the tribes descended from Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to tell their soldiers to come, and all of them came. BSB BSB: Calling them to arms, Gideon sent messengers throughout Manasseh, as well as Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, so that they came up to meet him.
36 UDB Then Gideon said to God, "If you are truly going to enable me to rescue the Israelite people as you promised, BSB BSB: Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said,
37 UDB confirm it by doing this: Tonight I will put a dry wool fleece on the ground where I thresh the grain. Tomorrow morning, if the fleece is wet with dew but the ground is dry, then I will know that I am the one you will enable to rescue the people of Israel as you promised." BSB BSB: then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”
38 UDB And that is what happened. When Gideon got up the next morning, he picked up the fleece, and squeezed out a whole bowlful of water! BSB BSB: And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
39 UDB Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me, but let me ask you to do one more thing. Tonight I will put the fleece out again. This time, let the fleece remain dry while the ground is wet with the dew." BSB BSB: Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.”
40 UDB So that night, God did what Gideon asked him to do. The next morning the fleece was dry, but the ground was covered with dew. BSB BSB: And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew covered the ground.
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