rd

Judges 6

1 Israél is oppressed of the Midianites for their wickednes. 14 Gideón is sent to be their deliverer. 37 He asketh a signe.
1.Afterward the children of Israél committed wickednes in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the handes of Midián seven yeres.
2.And the hand of Midián prevailed against Israél, aand because of the Midianites the children of Israél made them dennes in the mountaines, and caves, and strong holdes.
3.When Israél had sowen, then came up the Midianites, the Amalekites, and they of the ^East, and came upon them,
4.And camped by them, and destroyed the frute of the earth, even til thou come unto bAzzáh, & left no foode for Israél, nether shepe, nor oxe, nor asse.
5.For they went up, and their cattel, and came with their tentes as greshoppers in multitude: so that they and their camels were without nomber: and they came into the land to destroy it.
6.So was Israél excedingly impoverished by the Midianites: therefore the cchildren of Israél cryed unto the Lord.
7.¶ And when the children of Israél cryed unto the Lord because of the Midianites,
8.The Lord sent unto the children of Israel a Prophet, who said unto them, Thus sayeth the Lord God of Israél, I have broght you up from Egypt and have broght you out of the house of bondage,
9.And I have delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and have cast them out before you, and given you their land.
10.And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God: *feare not the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell: but you have not obeyed my voyce. Baals altar. Judges 6:
12.Then the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou valiant man.
13.To whome Gideón answered, dAh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this come upon us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers tolde us of, and said, Did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt? but now the Lord hathe forsaken us, and delivered us into the hand of the Midianites.
14.And the eLord loked upon him, and said, Go in this thy fmight, and thou shalt save Israél out of the hands of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
15.And he answered him, Ah my Lord, whereby shal I save Israél? beholde, my ^father is poore in Manasséh, and I am the least in my fathers house.
16.Then the Lord said unto him, I wil therefore be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites, as one man.
17.And he answered him, I pray thee, if I have founde favour in thy sight, then shewe me ga signe, that thou talkest with me.
18.Departe not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring mine offring, and lay it before thee. And he said, I wil tary until thou come againe.
19.¶ Then Gideón went in, & made ready a kid, and unleavened bread of an hEpháh of floure, and put the flesh in a basket, and put the broth in a pot, and broght it out unto him under the oke, and presented it.
20.And the Angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened bread, and lay them upon this stone, and powre out the broth: and he did so.
21.¶ Then the Angel of the Lord put forthe the end of the staffe that he held in his hand, & touched the flesh and the unleavened bread: and there arose up fire iout of the stone, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened bread: so the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
22.And when Gideón perceived that it was an Angel of the Lord, Gideón then said, Alas, my Lord God: *for because I have sene an Angel of the Lord face to face, I shal dye.
23.And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee: feare not, thou shalt not dye.
24.Then Gideón made an altar there unto the Lord, and called it, ^Jehováh shalóm: unto this day it is in Ophráh, of the father of the Ezrites.
25.¶ And the same night the Lord said unto him, Take thy fathers yong bullocke, and another bullocke kof seven yeres olde, and destroy the altar of Báal that thy father hathe, and cut downe the grove that is by it,
26.And buylde an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rocke, in a plaine place: and take the seconde bullocke, and offer a burnt offring with the wood of the lgrove, which thou shalt cut downe.
27.Then Gideón toke ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord bade him: but because he feared to do it by day for his fathers housholde and the men of the citie, he did it by night.
28.¶ And when the men of the citie arose early in the morning, beholde, the altar of Báal was broken, and the grove cut downe that was by it, and the mseconde bullocke offred upon the altar that was made.
29.Therefore they said one to another, Who hathe done this thing? and when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideón the sonne of Joásh hathe done this thing.
30.Then the men of the citie said unto Joásh, Bring out thy sonne, that he may dye: for he hathe destroyed the altar of Báal, and hathe also cut downe the grove that was by it.
31.And Joásh said unto all that stode by him, Wil ye pleade Báals cause? or wil ye save him? nhe that wil contend for him, let him dye or the morning. If he be God, let him pleade for him selfe against him that hathe cast downe his altar.
32.And in that day was Gideón called Jerubbáal, that is, Let Báal plead for him selfe because he hathe broken downe his altar.
33.Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and they of the East, were gathered together, and went and pitched in the valley of Jzreél.
34.But the Spirit of the Lord ^came upon Gideón, *and he blewe a trumpet, and oAbiézer was joyned with him.
35.And he sent messengers through out all Manasséh, which also was joyned with him, and he sent messengers unto Ashér, and to Zebulún and to Naphtali, and they came up to mete them.
36.Then Gideón said unto God, pIf thou wilt save Israél by mine hand, as thou hast said,
37.Beholde, I wil put a fleece of wolle in the threshing place: if the dewe come on the fleece onely, and it be drye upon all the earth, then shal I be sure, that thou wilt save Israél by mine hand, as thou hast said.
38.And so it was: for he rose up early on the morowe, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dewe out of the fleece, and filled a bowle of water.
39.Againe Gideón said unto God, Be not angry with me, that *I may speake once more: let me prove once againe, I pray thee, with the fleece: let it now be drye onely upon the fleece, and let dewe be upon all the grounde.
40.And God did so that same night: for it was qdrye upon the fleece onely and there was dewe on all the grounde.

Notes

2-a.
For fear of the Midianites they fled into the dens of the mountains.
3-^.
Or, of Kedem.
4-b.
Even almost the whole country.
6-c.
This is the end of God’s punishments, to call his to repentance that they may seek for help of him.
10-*.
2 Kings 17.38, Jer. 10.2.
11-^.
Or, to prepare his flight.
13-d.
This came not of distrust, but of weakness of faith, which is in the most perfect: for no man in this life can have a perfect faith, but the children of God have a true faith, whereby they be justified.
14-e.
That is, Christ appearing in visible form.
14-f.
Which I have given you.
15-^.
Or, family.
17-g.
So that we see how the flesh is enemy unto God’s vocation, which cannot be persuaded without signes.
19-h.
Of Ephah read Ex. 16.36.
21-i.
By the power of God only, as in the sacrifice of Helias, 1 King 18.38.
22-*.
Exod. 33.20, chap. 13.22.
24-^.
Or, the Lord of peace.
25-k.
That is, as the Chalde text writes, fed seven years.
26-l.
Which grew above Baal’s altar. 6 Geneva Bible 1560
28-m.
Meaning, the fat bull, which was kept to be offered unto Baal.
31-n.
Thus we ought to justify them, that are zealous of God’s cause, though all the multitude be against us.
34-*.
Num. 10.3, chap. 3.27.
34-^.
Ebr., clad Gideon.
34-o.
The family of Abiezer, whereof he was.
36-p.
This request proceeded not of infidelity, but that he might be confirmed in his vocation.
39-*.
Gen. 18.32.
40-q.
Whereby he was assured that it was a miracle of God.