JUDGES, VI.

B. C. 1256.

Baal's altar destroyed.

The Israelites oppressed.
CHAPTER VI.

1 The Israelites for their sin are op-
pressed by Midian. 31 Joash de-
fendeth his son, and calleth him
Jerubbaal.

(CHAP. 6.)

a ch.2.19.

my Lord, if the LORD be with us,
why then is all this befallen us?
and where m be all his miracles
which our fathers told us of, say-
ing, 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.
14 And the LORD looked upon

ND a the children of Israel did b Hab.3.7.
1 was strong.
c 1Sa.13.6.

and the LORD delivered them into
the hand ofb Midian seven years.

De.28.30.

2 And the hand of Midian 1 pre-d Lev.26.16. him, and said, Go in this thy vailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens c which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

might, n and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, 5 my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least o in my father's house.

g Ps.44.2,3.

3 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: 4 And they encamped against h 2Ki. 17.35them, and destroyedd the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza; and left no sustenance for Israel, neither 2 sheep, nor ox, nor

16 And the LORD said unto him, p Surely I will be with thee, and g thou shalt smite the Midianites as

39.

7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midian

2 or, goat.
e ch.7.12.
Jer.46.23.

f Ho.5.15.

3 a man, a
prophet.

i Heb.11.32.
Gedeon.

ass.

5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grashopperse for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to de-m Ps.77.7-9. stroy it.

Ge.25.22.

89.49.

6 And Israel was greatly impo-n Heb. 11.32. verished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried f unto the LORD.

12 And the angelk of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh

4 cause it to
flee.

k ch.13.3.

5 my thou-
sand is the

ites.

8 That the LORD sent 3 a prophetq unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;

9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave g them out from before you, and gave you their land;

10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fearh not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell but ye have not obeyed my voice.

11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertamed unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideoni threshed wheat by the wine-press, to 4 hide it from the Midianites.

meanest,
Mi.5.2.

1Sa.9.21. p Ex.3.12.

Is.41.15,16.

rver.36.40.

2Ki.20.8.
Ps.86.17.
Is.7.11.

s Ge.18.3,5.

6 or, meat
offering.
a kid of the
goats.

t Lev.9.24.

IKI.18.38.
2Ch.7.1.

u ch.13.22,
23.
Is.6.5-8.

v Ge.32.30.

8 i. e. The
LORD
send peace,
Ge.22.14.
Ex.17.15.
Jer.33.16.
Eze.48.35.

9 or,
and.

one man.

17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shewr me a sign that thou talkest with me.

18 Departs not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my 6 present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

19 And Gideon went in, and made ready 7 a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put into a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.

20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

21 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 t there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because u 1 have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

Joash defends his son.

JUDGES, VII.

of seven years old, and throw down B. C. 1256.
the altar of Baal that thy father
hath, and cut down w the grove
that is by it:

4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; d bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

b Deut.8. 17.
Is. 10.13.
Ro.11.18.

5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by 1Cor.1.29. himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

2Cor.4.7.

1

Gideon's stratagem.

JUDGES, VIII. By the three hundred men that B. C. 1249. lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go f Ge.46.2,3. every man unto his place.

8 So the people took victuals in g Jos.1.5,9. their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men. And i ver. 13-15. the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

9 And it came to pass the same f night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for g I have delivered it into thine hand.

10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down

h Ge.24. 14.
1Sa. 14.9,10.

1 or, ranks

by five,
Ex. 13. 18.

to the host:

11 And h thou shalt hear i what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the 1 armed men that were in the host.

12 And the Midianites, and the Amalekites, and all the children of the east, lay along in the valley like grashoppers k for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea-side for m 1Th.5.3. multitude.

16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put 3 a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers and 4 lamps within the pitchers. 17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be, that as I do, so shall ve do.

ch.6.5,33.

8.10.
Ps. 118. 10-12,

1Cor. 1.27.

18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side

2 breaking.

3 trumpets
in the hand
of all of
them.

13 And when Gideon was come, n ver.8. behold, there was a man that told a o ver. 16. dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and p Ex. 14.13, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled mto the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it that the tent lay along.

14.

2Ch.20.17.

q 2Ki.7.6,7.

r Jos.6.16,20.

14 And his fellow answered, and said. This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

4 or, fire-
brands, or,
torches.

Ps.83.9.
Is.9.4.

15 And it was so, when Gideon 5 or, toward. heard the telling of the dream, and 6 lip. the 2 interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

u ch.3.27,28.

v Jno.1.28.

t 1Sa. 14.20.
2Ch.20.23.

w ch.8.3.
Ps.83.11,12.
(CHAP. 8.)
a ch.12.1.
2Sa.19.41.

1 what thing
is this thou
hast done
unto us?

2 strongly.

Oreb and Zeeb taken.

Jof all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

19 So Gideon and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp, in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set m the watch: and they blew the trumpets, n and brake the pitchers o that were in their hands.

20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

21 And they stood p every man in his place round about the camp; and g all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

Zebah and Zalmunna taken.

JUDGES, VIII.

Midian subdued. do in comparison of you? Then B. C. 1249. [and briers, and with them he their 3 anger was abated toward b him, when he had said that.

8 taught the men of Succoth.

4

3 spirit. And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three b Pr.15.1. hundred men that were with him, 25.15. faint, yet pursuing them.

5 And he said unto the men of cc Ge.33.17.
Ps.60.6.
Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves
of bread unto the people that fol-
low me; for they be faint, and I
am pursuing after Zebah and Zal-
munna, kings of Midian.

d 1Sa.25.11.
1Ki.20.11.
e ver. 16,

4 thresh.

6 And the princes of Succoth said, d Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

f Ge.32.30.
IKI.12.25.

h ver. 17.

7 And Gideon said, Therefore g 1Ki.22.27.
when the LORD hath delivered
Zebah and Zalmunna into mine
hand, then e I will 4 tear your flesh
with the thorns of the wilderness
and with briers.

5 or, 120.000
every one
drawing a
sword.

8 And he went up thence to Penuel, f and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

iNu.32.35,42.
k ch.18.27.
1Th.5,3.

1 Ps.83.11.

9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come g again in peace, Ih will break down 6 terrified.

this tower.

writ.

10

Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand m ver.6,7. men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell 5 an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian,I Zebah and Zalmunna, and 6 discomited all the host.

8 made to
know.

n ver.9.

11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents, o ch.4.6. on the east of Nobahi and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.k

Ps.89.12.

9 according
to the form.

10 or, orna-
ments like
the moon.
Is.3.18.

13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the P 1Sam.8.7.

10.19. 12.12. Is.33.22. 63.19.

sun was up,

14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him and he 7 described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the q Ge.25.13. elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

37.25,28. 11 or, sweet 15 And he came unto the men of jewels. Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalinunna, with whom m ye r ch.17.5. did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now 8 ch.6.24. in thine hand, that we should give t Ps. 106.39. bread unto thy men that are weary?

u Deut.7.16.

16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness,

17 And he beat down the n tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city. 18

Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Taboro And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one

resembled the children of a king. 19 And he said, They were iny brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the 10 ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD p shall rule over you.

24 T And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that you would give me every man the ear-rings of his prey. (For they had golden ear-rings, because they were Ishmaelites. )g

25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the ear-rings of his prey.

26 And the weight of the golden ear-rings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and 11 collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

27 And Gideon mader an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: s and all Israel went thither at whoring after it, which thing became a u share unto Gideon, and to his house.

28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon. 29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

10 And the trees said to the figtree, Come thou, and reign over us. (CHAP. 9.) 11 But the fig-tree said unto them, a ch.8.31. Should I forsake my sweetness, and 1 what is my good fruit, and go to be progood? whe-moted over the trees? ther, &c.

12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. 13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which k cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 14 Then said all the trees unto the 5 bramble, Come thou, and reign