Judges 6:1-21 ▼

1 And the children of Israel committed wickednesse in the syght of the Lorde: And the Lorde deliuered them into the handes of Madian seuen yeres.

2 And the hand of Madian preuayled against Israel: & because of the Madianites, ye children of Israel made them dennes in the mountaynes and caues, and strong holdes.

3 And when Israel had sowen, then came vp the Madianites, the Amalechites, and they of the east, and came vp agaynst them,

4 And pitched their tentes against them, and destroyed the encrease of the earth, euen tyll thou come vnto Azah, & left no sustenaunce for Israel, neither sheepe, oxe, nor asse:

5 For they went vp, they and their cattel, and came with their tentes as a multitude of grasshopers, so that both they and also their camels were without number: And they entred into the land to destroy it.

6 And so was Israel exceedingly impoueryshed in the sight of the Madianites, and cried vnto the Lorde.

7 And when the children of Israel cried vnto the Lord, because of the Madianites,

8 The Lorde sent vnto them a prophet, which sayd vnto them, Thus sayth the Lorde God of Israel: I fet you from Egypt, & brought you out of the house of bondage.

9 And I ryd you out of the hande of the Egyptians, & out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and cast them out before you, and gaue you their land:

10 And I sayd vnto you: I am the Lord your God, feare not the goddes of the Amorites in whose lande you dwell: But you haue not obeyed my voyce.

11 And the angel of the Lorde came and sate vnder an Oke which was in Ephrah, that parteyned vnto Ioas the father of the Esrites: And his sonne Gedeon threshed wheat by the wyne presse, to hyde it from the Madianites.

12 And the angel of the Lorde appeared vnto him, and said vnto him: The Lord is with thee, thou mightie man.

13 And Gedeon aunswered him: Oh my Lord, if the Lorde be with vs, why is all this come vpon vs? Yea, & where be all his miracles which our fathers tolde vs of, and sayd: Dyd not the Lord bryng vs out of Egypt? But nowe the Lord hath forsaken vs, and deliuered vs into the handes of the Madianites.

14 And the Lord loked vpon him, and sayde: Go hence in this thy might, and thou shalt deliuer Israel out of the handes of the Madianites: Haue not I sent thee?

15 And he aunswered him: Oh Lorde, wherwith shall I saue Israel? Behold my kinred is poore in Manasses, and I am litle in my fathers house.

16 The Lord sayd vnto him: I will be with thee, & thou shalt smyte the Madianites, as they were but one man.

17 And he aunswered him: Oh, yf I haue founde grace in thy syght, than shew me a a signe, that it is thou that talkest with me:

18 Departe not hence I pray thee vntyll I come vnto thee, & tyll I bryng myne offring, and haue set it before thee. And he sayd: I will tary vntyll thou come againe.

19 And Gedeon went in, and made redy a kyd, and sweete cakes of an Epha of floure, and put it with the fleshe in a basket, and put the broth in a pot, and brought it out vnto him vnder the Oke, and presented it.

20 And the angel of God sayd vnto him: Take the flesh and the sweete cakes, & lay them vpon this rocke, and powre out the broth. And he dyd so.

21 Then the angel of the Lord put foorth the end of the staffe that he helde in his hande, and touched the fleshe and the sweete cakes, and there arose vp fire out of the rocke, and consumed the flesh and the sweete cakes: But the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.