01 April - Judges 6-7

Jude Sat Dec 08, 2018 11:21 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

JUDGES 6

1And the children of Yisra’ĕl did evil in the eyes of יהוה, and יהוה gave them into the hand of Miḏyan for seven years,

2and the hand of Miḏyan was strong against Yisra’ĕl. And before the faces of the Miḏyanites the children of Yisra’ĕl made for themselves the refuges which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds.

3And it came to be, whenever Yisra’ĕl had sown, that Miḏyan would come up, and Amalĕq and the people of the East would come up against them,

4and encamp against them and destroy the increase of the soil as far as Azzah, and leave no food in Yisra’ĕl, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.

5For they came up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts. And they and their camels were without number. And they came into the land to destroy it.

6Thus Yisra’ĕl was brought very low because of Miḏyan, and the children of Yisra’ĕl cried out to יהוה.

7And it came to be, when the children of Yisra’ĕl cried out to יהוה because of Miḏyan,

8that יהוה sent a prophet to the children of Yisra’ĕl, who said to them, “Thus said יהוה Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, ‘I have brought you up from Mitsrayim and I brought you out of the house of bondage,

9and I delivered you out of the hand of the Mitsrites and out of the hand of all your oppressors, and drove them out before you and gave you their land.

10‘And I said to you, “I am יהוה your Elohim, do not fear the mighty ones of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. And you have not obeyed My voice.” ’ ”

11And the Messenger of יהוה came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Yo’ash the Aḇi‛ezerite, while his son Giḏ‛on threshed wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the eyes of the Miḏyanites.

12And the Messenger of יהוה appeared to him, and said to him, “יהוה is with you, you mighty brave one!”

13And Giḏ‛on said to Him, “O my master, if יהוה is with us, why has all this come upon us? And where are all His wonders which our fathers related to us, saying, ‘Did not יהוה bring us up from Mitsrayim?’ But now יהוה has left us and given us into the hands of Miḏyan.”

14And יהוה turned to him and said, “Go in this strength of yours, and you shall save Yisra’ĕl from the hand of the Miḏyanites. Have I not sent you?”

15And he said to Him, “O יהוה, with what do I save Yisra’ĕl? See, my clan is the weakest in Menashsheh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

16And יהוה said to him, “Because I am with you, you shall smite the Miḏyanites as one man.”

17And he said to Him, “Please, if I have found favour in Your eyes, then show me a sign that it is You who are speaking with me.

18“Please do not move away from here, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.” And He said, “I shall stay until you return.”

19And Giḏ‛on went in, and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ĕphah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot. And he brought them out to Him, under the terebinth tree, and presented it.

20And the Messenger of Elohim said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.

21And the Messenger of יהוה put forth the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Messenger of יהוה went from his sight.

22And when Giḏ‛on saw that He was a Messenger of יהוה, Giḏ‛on said, “Oh Master יהוה! For I have seen a Messenger of יהוה face to face.”

23And יהוה said to him, “Peace be with you! Do not fear, you do not die.”

24And Giḏ‛on built an altar there to יהוה, and called it: יהוה Shalom. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Aḇi‛ezerites.

25And the same night it came to be that יהוה said to him, “Take the young bull of your father, and the second bull of seven years old, and you shall throw down the altar of Ba‛al that your father has, and cut down the Ashĕrah that is beside it.

26“And you shall build an altar to יהוה your Elohim on top of this rock in an orderly way, and shall take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the image which you cut down.”

27And Giḏ‛on took ten men from among his servants and did as יהוה had said to him. And it came to be, because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, that he did it by night.

28And the men of the city arose early in the morning and saw the altar of Ba‛al was broken down, and the Ashĕrah that was beside it had been cut down, and the second bull was being offered on the altar which was built.

29And they said to each other, “Who has done this deed?” And when they had inquired and asked, they said, “Giḏ‛on son of Yo’ash has done this deed.”

30And the men of the city said to Yo’ash, “Bring out your son, so that he dies, for he has broken down the altar of Ba‛al, and because he has cut down the Ashĕrah that was beside it.”

31And Yo’ash said to all who stood against him, “You, would you plead for Ba‛al? You, would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a mighty one, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been broken down!”

32So that day he called him Yerubba‛al, saying, “Let Ba‛al plead against him, because he has broken down his altar.”

33Now all Miḏyan and Amalĕq and the people of the East, were gathered together. And they passed over and encamped in the Valley of Yizre‛ĕl.

34Then the Spirit of יהוה came upon Giḏ‛on, and he blew the ram’s horn, and the Aḇi‛ezerites gathered behind him.

35And he sent messengers throughout all Menashsheh, who also gathered behind him. And he sent messengers to Ashĕr, and to Zeḇulun, and to Naphtali. And they came up to meet them.

36And Giḏ‛on said to Elohim, “If You are saving Yisra’ĕl by my hand as You have said,

37see, I am placing a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You are saving Yisra’ĕl by my hand, as You have said.”

38And it was so, and he rose early the next morning and pressed the fleece, and wrung dew out of the fleece, to fill a bowl with water.

39And Giḏ‛on said to Elohim, “Do not be displeased with me, and let me speak only this time: Please let me try only this time with the fleece, please let it be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.”

40And Elohim did so that night, and it was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.

JUDGES 7

1And Yerubba‛al, that is Giḏ‛on, and all the people who were with him rose up early and encamped by the fountain of Ḥaroḏ, so that the camp of Miḏyan was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2And יהוה said to Giḏ‛on, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Miḏyan into their hands, lest Yisra’ĕl boast against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

3“And now, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him turn back, and leave Mount Gil‛aḏ.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people turned back, while ten thousand remained.

4And יהוה said to Giḏ‛on, “The people are still too many. Bring them down to the water, and let Me prove them for you there. And it shall be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one goes with you,’ let him go with you. And of whomever I say to you, ‘This one does not go with you,’ let him not go.”

5So he brought the people down to the water. And יהוה said to Giḏ‛on, “Everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, separate him from everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.”

6And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men, and all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water.

7And יהוה said to Giḏ‛on, “By the three hundred men who lapped I save you, and shall give Miḏyan into your hand. Let all the other people go, each to his place.”

8And the people took food and their ram’s horns in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Yisra’ĕl, each to his tent, but kept those three hundred men. Now the camp of Miḏyan was below him in the valley.

9And it came to be, on that night, that יהוה said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.

10“But if you are afraid to go down, go down, you and Purah your servant, to the camp.

11“And you shall hear what they say, and after that let your hands be strengthened. And you shall go down against the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the edge of the formation of fives who were in the camp.

12And Miḏyan and Amalĕq, and all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as many as locusts. And their camels were as numerous as the sand by the seashore.

13And Giḏ‛on came, and see, a man was relating a dream to his companion, and said, “See I had a dream, and see, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Miḏyan, and it came to a tent and smote it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent fell down.”

14And his companion answered and said, “This is nil else than the sword of Giḏ‛on son of Yo’ash, a man of Yisra’ĕl. Elohim has given Miḏyan and all the camp into his hand.”

15And it came to be, when Giḏ‛on heard this dream related, and its interpretation, that he bowed himself down. And he returned to the camp of Yisra’ĕl, and said, “Arise, for יהוה has given the camp of Miḏyan into your hand.”

16And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a ram’s horn into the hands of all of them, with empty jars, and torches inside the jars.

17And he said to them, “Watch me and do likewise. And see, when I come to the edge of the camp do as I do.

18“And I shall blow the ram’s horn, I and all those with me, then you shall also blow the ram’s horns round about all the camp, and say, ‘For יהוה and for Giḏ‛on!’ ”

19And Giḏ‛on and the hundred men who were with him came to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, as they had but newly posted the watch. And they blew the ram’s horns and broke the jars that were in their hands.

20And the three companies blew the ram’s horns and broke the jars, and held the torches in their left hands and the ram’s horns in their right hands for blowing. And they cried, “For יהוה and for Giḏ‛on!”

21And each stood in his place, round about the camp. And all the army ran and cried out and fled,

22and the three hundred blew the ram’s horns, and יהוה set the sword of each one against the other throughout all the camp. And the army fled to Bĕyth Shittah, toward Tserĕrah, as far as the border of Aḇĕl Meḥolah, by Tabbath.

23And the men of Yisra’ĕl were called from Naphtali, and from Ashĕr, and from all Menashsheh, and pursued Miḏyan.

24Then Giḏ‛on sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephrayim, saying, “Come down to meet Miḏyan, and capture from them the watering places as far as Bĕyth Barah and the Yardĕn.” So all the men of Ephrayim were called and captured the watering places as far as Bĕyth Barah and the Yardĕn.

25And they captured two princes of Miḏyan, Orĕḇ and Ze’ĕḇ, and slew Orĕḇ at the rock of Orĕḇ, and Ze’ĕḇ they slew at the winepress of Ze’ĕḇ while they pursued Miḏyan. And they brought the heads of Orĕḇ and Ze’ĕḇ to Giḏ‛on beyond the Yardĕn.