1: And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of
the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven
years. |
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2: And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because
of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in
the mountains, and caves, and strong holds. |
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3:
And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came
up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up
against them; |
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4: And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of
the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel,
neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. |
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5: For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they
came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were
without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it. |
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6: And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites;
and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. |
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7: And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto
the LORD because of the Midianites, |
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8: That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel,
which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you
up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; |
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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; |
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10: And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my
voice. |
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11: And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak
which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his
son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the
Midianites. |
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12: And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto
him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. |
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13: And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us,
why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which
our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?
but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of
the Midianites. |
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14: And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might,
and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I
sent thee? |
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15: And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save
Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my
father's house. |
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16: And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and
thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. |
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17: And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight,
then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. |
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18: Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and
bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will
tarry until thou come again. |
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19: And Gideon went in, and made ready a 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. |
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20: And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the
unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth.
And he did so. |
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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 there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the
unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
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22: And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD,
Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the
LORD face to face. |
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23: And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not:
thou shalt not die. |
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24: Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it
Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.
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25: And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto
him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven
years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and
cut down the grove that is by it: |
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26: And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this
rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a
burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
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27: Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD
had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's
household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that
he did it by night. |
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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. |
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29: And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And
when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath
done this thing. |
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30: Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring 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. |
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31: And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead
for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead 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. |
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32: Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let
Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar. |
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33: Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children
of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the
valley of Jezreel. |
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34: But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a
trumpet; and Abi-ezer was gathered after him. |
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35: And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was
gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun,
and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. |
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36: And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel
by mine hand, as thou hast said, |
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37: Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the
dew be 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.
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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 bowl full
of water. |
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39: And Gideon said unto God, Let 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 dry only upon the fleece, and upon
all the ground let there be dew. |
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40: And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece
only, and there was dew on all the ground. |