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And the children of Israeldidevil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORDdelivered them into the hand of Midiansevenyears.
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And the hand of Midianprevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israelmade them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.
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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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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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For they cameup with their cattle and their tents, and they cameasgrasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.
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And Israel was greatlyimpoverishedbecause of the Midianites; and the children of Israelcried unto the LORD.
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And it came to pass, when the children of Israelcried unto the LORDbecause of the Midianites,
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That the LORDsent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORDGod of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;
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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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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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And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his sonGideonthreshedwheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
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And the angel of the LORDappeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
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And Gideonsaid 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 fatherstold 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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And the LORDlooked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt saveIsrael from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
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And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I saveIsrael? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
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And the LORDsaid unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as oneman.
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And he said unto him, If now I have foundgrace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
18Depart 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 comeagain.
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And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he putin a basket, and he put the brothin a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
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And the angel of Godsaid unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon thisrock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
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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 upfire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORDdeparted out of his sight.
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And when Gideonperceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideonsaid, Alas, O LordGOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORDface to face.
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And the LORDsaid unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
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Then Gideonbuilt an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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And it came to pass the same night, that the LORDsaid unto him, Take thy father's youngbullock, even the secondbullock 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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And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the secondbullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.
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Then Gideontooktenmen 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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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 secondbullock was offered upon the altar that was built.
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And they saidone to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.
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Then the men of the citysaid 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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And Joashsaid 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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Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baalplead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.
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Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gatheredtogether, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
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But the Spirit of the LORDcame upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gatheredafter him.
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And he sentmessengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gatheredafter him: and he sentmessengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
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And Gideonsaid unto God, If thou wiltsaveIsrael by mine hand, as thou hast said,
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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 saveIsrael by mine hand, as thou hast said.
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And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleecetogether, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowlfull of water.
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And Gideonsaid 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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And Goddid so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.