And the sons of Yisra'el did the evil in the eyes of יהוה, and יהוה gave them into the hand of Midyan seven years.

And the hand of Midyan was strong against Yisra'el, because of Midyan the sons of Yisra'el made for themselves the caves which are in the mountains, and the dens, and the strongholds.

And it happened, when Yisra'el had sown, that Midyan and Amalek and the sons of the East came up against them.

And they encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land until you come to Azzah, and they left no sustenance in Yisra'el, neither sheep, nor oxen, nor donkeys.

For they and their livestock came up, and their tents, like locusts in abundance, and for them and their camels there was no number, and they came into the land to destroy it.

And Yisra'el was greatly impoverished because of Midyan, and the sons of Yisra'el cried out to יהוה.

And it happened, when the sons of Yisra'el cried out to יהוה concerning Midyan.

And יהוה sent a man, a prophet, to the sons of Yisra'el, and he said to them, 'Thus says יהוה, Elohim of Yisra'el: I myself brought you up from Mitsrayim, and I brought you out from the house of slaves.'

'And I delivered you from the hand of the Mitsrites, and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and I drove them out from before you, and I gave you their land.'

'And I said to you, I am יהוה your Elohim; you shall not fear the elohim of the Emori, in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed my voice.'

And the messenger of יהוה came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Yo'ash the Av'ezerite. And Gid'on his son was beating wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the face of Midyan.

And the messenger of יהוה appeared to him and said to him, 'יהוה is with you, mighty warrior.'

And Gid'on said to him, 'Oh, my Adonai, if יהוה is with us, then why has all this befallen us? And where are all His wonders which our fathers told us, saying, Did not יהוה bring us up from Mitsrayim? But now יהוה has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midyan.'

And יהוה turned to him and said, 'Go in this strength of yours, and you shall save Yisra'el from the hand of Midyan. Have I not sent you?'

And he said to him, 'Oh, my Adonai, with what shall I save Yisra'el? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Menashsheh, and I am the youngest in my father's house.'

And יהוה said to him, 'Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike down Midyan as one man.'

And he said to him, 'If now I have found favor in your eyes, then make me a sign that you are speaking with me.'

'Please do not depart from here until I come to you, and bring out my offering, and lay it before you.' And he said, 'I will remain until you return.'

And Gid'on went in and prepared a young goat and a measure of flour for unleavened cakes. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the terebinth tree and presented them.

And the messenger of Elohim said to him, 'Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.' And he did so.

And the messenger of יהוה stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes, and fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the messenger of יהוה went from his sight.

And Gid'on saw that it was the messenger of יהוה, and Gid'on said, 'Alas, Adonai יהוה! For because of this I have seen the messenger of יהוה face to face.'

And יהוה said to him, 'Peace be to you; do not fear; you shall not die.'

And Gid'on built an altar there to יהוה and called it יהוה-Shalom. It is still in Ophrah of the Av'ezerites today.

And it happened that night, and יהוה said to him, 'Take your father's bull, and the second bull, a seven-year-old, and tear down the altar of the Ba'al which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah which is on it.'

'And build an altar to יהוה your Elohim on this stronghold, in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you cut down.'

And Gid'on took ten men of his servants and did as יהוה had spoken to him. And it happened, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.

And the men of the city rose early in the morning, and behold, the altar of the Ba'al was torn down, and the Asherah which was on it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built.

And they said one to another, 'Who did this thing?' And they inquired and searched, and they said, 'Gid'on the son of Yo'ash did this thing.'

And the men of the city said to Yo'ash, 'Bring out your son, and he shall die, because he tore down the altar of the Ba'al, and because he cut down the Asherah which was on it.'

And Yo'ash said to all who stood against him, 'Will you contend for the Ba'al? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by the morning. If he is an elohim, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been torn down.'

And he called him that day Yeruba'al, saying, 'Let the Ba'al contend against him, because he tore down his altar.'

And all Midyan and Amalek and the sons of the East gathered together, and they crossed over and encamped in the valley of Yizre'el.

And the Spirit of יהוה clothed Gid'on, and he blew the shofar, and Avi'ezer was summoned after him.

And he sent messengers throughout all of Menashsheh, and he too was summoned after him. And he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zevulun, and to Naftali, and they came up to meet them.

And Gid'on said to Elohim, 'If you will save Yisra'el by my hand, as you have spoken.'

'Behold, I am placing a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If dew is on the fleece alone, and on all the ground there is dryness, then I shall know that you will save Yisra'el by my hand, as you have spoken.'

And it was so. And he rose the next morning and wrung the fleece, and he squeezed dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water.

And Gid'on said to Elohim, 'Do not let your anger burn against me, and let me speak just this once more. Please, let me test just once more with the fleece. Let there be dryness on the fleece alone, and on all the ground let there be dew.'

And Elohim did so that night. And there was dryness on the fleece alone, and on all the ground there was dew.