(NIV)
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 keep it from the Midianites.
Now the
angel of the
Lord came and
sat under the
terebinth at Ophrah,
which belonged to
Joash the
Abiezrite, while his
son Gideon was
beating out wheat in the
winepress to
hide it
from the
Midianites.
(NIV)
When the angel of the
Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The
Lord is with you, mighty warrior.’
And the
angel of the
Lord appeared to him and
said to him, “The
Lord is
with you, O
mighty man of
valor.”
(NIV)
‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but if the
Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, “Did not the
Lord bring us up out of Egypt?” But now the
Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.’
And
Gideon said to him, “
Please, my
lord,
if the
Lord is
with us,
why then has
all this happened to us? And
where are
all his
wonderful deeds that our
fathers recounted to us,
saying, ‘Did
not the
Lord bring us up from
Egypt?’ But
now the
Lord has
forsaken us and
given us into the
hand of
Midian.”
(NIV)
‘Pardon me, my lord,’ Gideon replied, ‘but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’
And he
said to him, “
Please,
Lord,
how can I
save Israel?
Behold,
my
clan is the
weakest in
Manasseh, and
I am the
least in
my father’s house.”
(NIV)
Gideon replied, ‘If now I have found favour in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.
And he
said to him, “
If now I have
found favor in your
eyes, then
show me a
sign that it is
you who
speak with me.
(NIV)
Gideon went inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
So
Gideon went into his house and
prepared a
young goat and
unleavened cakes from an
ephah of
flour. The
meat he
put in a
basket, and the
broth he
put in a
pot, and
brought them
to him
under the
terebinth and
presented them.
(NIV)
The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And Gideon did so.
And the
angel of
God said to him, “
Take the
meat and the
unleavened cakes, and
put them on
this rock, and
pour the
broth over them.” And he
did so.
(NIV)
When Gideon realised that it was the angel of the
Lord, he exclaimed, ‘Alas, Sovereign
Lord! I have seen the angel of the
Lord face to face!’
Then
Gideon perceived that he was the
angel of the
Lord. And
Gideon said,
“
Alas, O
Lord God!
For now I have
seen the
angel of the
Lord face to face.”
(NIV)
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.
Then
Gideon built an
altar there to the
Lord and
called it, The
Lord Is
Peace. To
this day it
still stands at
Ophrah, which belongs to the
Abiezrites.
(NIV)
So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the
Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.
So
Gideon took ten men of his
servants and
did as the
Lord had
told him. But
because he was too
afraid of his
family and the
men of the
town to
do it by
day, he
did it by
night.
(NIV)
They asked each other, ‘Who did this?’
When they carefully investigated, they were told, ‘Gideon son of Joash did it.’
And they
said to
one another, “
Who has
done this thing?” And after they had
searched and
inquired, they
said, “
Gideon the
son of
Joash has
done this thing.”
(NIV)
So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, ‘Let Baal contend with him.’
Therefore on that
day Gideon was
called Jerubbaal, that is to
say, “Let
Baal contend against him,”
because he broke
down his altar.
(NIV)
Then the Spirit of the
Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.
But the
Spirit of the
Lord clothed Gideon,
and he
sounded the
trumpet, and the
Abiezrites were
called out to
follow him.
(NIV)
Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised –
Then
Gideon said to God, “
If you
will save Israel by my
hand,
as you have
said,
(NIV)
And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew – a bowlful of water.
And it
was so. When he
rose early next morning and
squeezed the
fleece, he
wrung enough
dew from the
fleece to
fill a
bowl with
water.
(NIV)
Then Gideon said to God, ‘Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.’
Then
Gideon said to God,
“Let
not your
anger burn against me; let me
speak just once more.
Please let me
test just
once more with the
fleece.
Please let it be
dry on the
fleece only, and
on all the
ground let there
be dew.”
(NIV)
Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
Then
Jerubbaal (that is,
Gideon) and
all the
people who were with him
rose early and
encamped beside the spring of
Harod. And the
camp of
Midian was north of them,
by the
hill of
Moreh, in the
valley.
(NIV)
The
Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, “My own strength has saved me.”
The
Lord said to Gideon, “The
people with you are too
many for me to
give the
Midianites into their
hand,
lest Israel boast over me,
saying, ‘My own
hand has
saved me.’
(NIV)
But the
Lord said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, “This one shall go with you,” he shall go; but if I say, “This one shall not go with you,” he shall not go.’
And the
Lord said to Gideon, “The
people are
still too
many.
Take them down to the
water, and I will
test them for you
there, and anyone of
whom I
say to you, ‘
This one shall
go with you,’ shall
go with you, and
anyone of
whom I
say to you, ‘
This one shall
not go with you,’ shall
not go.”
(NIV)
So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the
Lord told him, ‘Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.’
So he
brought the
people down
to the
water. And the
Lord said to Gideon, “Every
one who laps the water with his
tongue, as a
dog laps, you shall
set by
himself. Likewise,
every one who kneels down to
drink.”
(NIV)
The
Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.’
And the
Lord said to Gideon,
“
With the
300 men who
lapped I will
save you and
give the
Midianites into your
hand, and let
all the
others go every
man to
his home.”
(NIV)
So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.
Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.
So the
people took provisions in their
hands, and their
trumpets. And he
sent all the
rest of
Israel every
man to his
tent, but
retained the
300 men. And the
camp of
Midian was below him
in the
valley.
(NIV)
During that night the
Lord said to Gideon, ‘Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.
That same
night the
Lord said to him, “
Arise,
go down against the
camp,
for I have
given it into
your hand.
(NIV)
Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. ‘I had a dream,’ he was saying. ‘A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.’
When
Gideon came,
behold, a
man was
telling a
dream to his
comrade. And he
said, “
Behold, I
dreamed a
dream, and behold, a
cake of
barley bread tumbled into the
camp of
Midian and
came to the
tent and
struck it so that it
fell and turned it
upside down,
so that the
tent lay flat.”
(NIV)
His friend responded, ‘This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.’
And his
comrade answered, “
This is
no other than the
sword of
Gideon the
son of
Joash, a
man of
Israel;
God has
given into his
hand Midian and
all the
camp.”
(NIV)
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshipped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, ‘Get up! The
Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.’
As soon as
Gideon heard the
telling of the
dream and its
interpretation, he
worshiped. And he
returned to the
camp of
Israel and
said, “
Arise,
for the
Lord has
given the
host of
Midian into your
hand.”
(NIV)
When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all round the camp blow yours and shout, “For the
Lord and for Gideon.”’
When I
blow the
trumpet,
I and
all who are
with me, then
blow the
trumpets also on every
side of
all the
camp and
shout,
‘
For the
Lord and for
Gideon.’”
(NIV)
Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.
So
Gideon and the
hundred men who were with him
came to the
outskirts of the
camp at the
beginning of the
middle watch, when they had
just set the
watch. And they
blew the
trumpets and
smashed the
jars that were in
their hands.
(NIV)
The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, ‘A sword for the
Lord and for Gideon!’
Then the
three companies blew the
trumpets and
broke the
jars. They
held in their
left hands the
torches, and in their
right hands the
trumpets to
blow.
And they cried
out, “A
sword for the
Lord and for
Gideon!”
(NIV)
Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, ‘Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.’
So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah.
Gideon sent messengers throughout
all the
hill country of
Ephraim,
saying, “
Come down against the
Midianites and
capture the
waters against them, as
far as Beth-barah, and also the
Jordan.” So
all the
men of
Ephraim were
called out, and they
captured the
waters as
far as Beth-barah, and also the
Jordan.
(NIV)
They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.
And they
captured the
two princes of
Midian,
Oreb and
Zeeb. They
killed Oreb at the
rock of
Oreb, and
Zeeb they
killed at the
winepress of
Zeeb. Then they
pursued Midian, and they
brought the
heads of
Oreb and
Zeeb to Gideon across the
Jordan.
(NIV)
Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, ‘Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?’ And they challenged him vigorously.
Then the
men of
Ephraim said to him, “
What is
this that you have
done to us,
not to
call us when you
went to
fight against
Midian?” And they
accused him
fiercely.
(NIV)
Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.
And
Gideon came to the
Jordan and
crossed over,
he and the
300 men who were
with him,
exhausted yet
pursuing.
(NIV)
Then Gideon replied, ‘Just for that, when the
Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.’
So
Gideon said, “
Well then, when the
Lord has
given Zebah and
Zalmunna into my
hand,
I will
flail your
flesh with the
thorns of the
wilderness and
with briers.”
(NIV)
Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army.
And
Gideon went up by the
way of the
tent dwellers east of
Nobah and
Jogbehah and
attacked the
army, for the
army felt
secure.
(NIV)
Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.
Then
Gideon the
son of
Joash returned from the
battle by the
ascent of
Heres.
(NIV)
Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, ‘Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?”’
And he
came to the
men of
Succoth and
said, “
Behold Zebah and
Zalmunna, about
whom you
taunted me,
saying,
‘Are the
hands of
Zebah and
Zalmunna already in your
hand,
that we should
give bread to your
men who are
exhausted?’”
(NIV)
Gideon replied, ‘Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the
Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.’
And he
said, “They were my
brothers, the
sons of my
mother.
As the
Lord lives,
if you had
saved them alive, I would
not kill you.”
(NIV)
Zebah and Zalmunna said, ‘Come, do it yourself. “As is the man, so is his strength.”’ So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks.
Then
Zebah and
Zalmunna said, “
Rise yourself and
fall upon us,
for as the
man is, so is his
strength.” And
Gideon arose and
killed Zebah and
Zalmunna, and he
took the
crescent ornaments that were on the
necks of
their camels.
(NIV)
The Israelites said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us – you, your son and your grandson – because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.’
Then the
men of
Israel said to Gideon, “
Rule over us,
you and your
son and your
grandson also,
for you have
saved us from the
hand of
Midian.”
(NIV)
But Gideon told them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The
Lord will rule over you.’
Gideon said to them, “I will
not rule over you, and my
son will
not rule over you; the
Lord will
rule over
you.”
(NIV)
And he said, ‘I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.’ (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)
And
Gideon said to them, “Let me
make a
request of you: every
one of you
give me the
earrings from his
spoil.” (For they had
golden earrings,
because they were
Ishmaelites.)
(NIV)
Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.
And
Gideon made an
ephod of it and
put it in his
city,
in Ophrah. And
all Israel whored after it
there, and it became a
snare to
Gideon and to his
family.
(NIV)
Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace for forty years.
So
Midian was
subdued before the
people of
Israel, and they
raised their
heads no more.
And the
land had
rest forty years in the
days of
Gideon.
(NIV)
He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives.
Now
Gideon had
seventy sons, his own
offspring,
for he had many wives.
(NIV)
Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
And
Gideon the
son of
Joash died in a
good old age and was
buried in the
tomb of
Joash his
father,
at Ophrah of the
Abiezrites.
(NIV)
No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god
As soon
as Gideon died, the
people of
Israel turned again and
whored after the
Baals and
made Baal-berith their
god.
(NIV)
They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.
and they did
not show steadfast love to the
family of
Jerubbaal (that is,
Gideon) in return for
all the
good that he had
done to
Israel.
(NIV)
And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,
And what more shall I
say?
For time would
fail me to
tell of Gideon,
Barak,
Samson,
Jephthah, of
David and Samuel and the
prophets—
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