CHAPTER XX.

JUDGES, vi.-viii.

THE AGE OF ANARCHY-III.

THE STORY OF GIDEON, OR JERUBBAAL.

The Invasion of Midian-An Angel of Jehovah-The Fleece and the Dew-Gideon's Army-The Test of Lapping-The Chosen Three Hundred-Gideon in the Camp of Midian-Stratagem-A Night Attack-The Throne Refused-Gideon's Idol.

THE children of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. For fear of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. For it came to pass, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east; they came up against them, and encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the land, as far as unto Gaza, and left no sustenance in Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle, their tents they brought, like locusts for multitude; and they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah.

Now Gideon, the son of Joash the Abiezrite, of Ophrah, was beating out wheat in the wine-press, to hide it

AN ANGEL OF JEHOVAH.

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from the Midianites. And an angel of Jehovah appeared unto him, and said to him: Jehovah is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. And Gideon said to him: O my lord, if Jehovah be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where are all his wondrous works of which our fathers told us, saying, Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt? But now Jehovah hath cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian. Then Jehovah looked upon him, and said: Go in thy might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian; have not I sent thee? But Gideon said to him: O Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my thousand is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And Jehovah said to him: Because I am with thee, thou shalt smite Midian as one man. And Gideon said to him: If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence until I come to thee, and bring my offering, and lay it before thee. And He said: I will tarry until thou come again. So Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of meal (the flesh he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot), and brought them out unto him under the oak, and presented them. And the angel of God said to him: Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there went up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of Jehovah vanished out of his sight. And Gideon saw that it was the angel of Jehovah; and Gideon said: Alas, Lord Jehovah ! forasmuch as I have seen an angel

of Jehovah face to face. But Jehovah said to him: Peace be unto thee; fear not thou shalt not die. So Gideon built an altar there to Jehovah, and called it Jehovah is Peace. Unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the

Abiezrites.

Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east gathered together, and passed over, and pitched in the plain of Jezreel. And the spirit of Jehovah came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered together after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; and they also were gathered together after him. And he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. And Gideon said to God: If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the ground, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast spoken. And so it came to pass. And he rose up early on the morrow, and pressed the fleece, and wrung the dew from the fleece, a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God: Let not thine anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Let me make trial with the fleece but once more. Let it be dry upon the fleece only, but on all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night, and it was dry upon the fleece only, but on all the ground there was dew.

Then Jerubbaal, that is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the plain. And Jehovah said to Gideon: The people that are

IN THE CAMP OF MIDIAN.

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with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn back. And there turned back of the people twenty-two thousand; and ten thousand remained.

And Jehovah said to Gideon: The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there. Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped with the hand to the mouth was three hundred men; and all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And Jehovah said to Gideon By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand. Let the rest go every man unto his place. So the three hundred took victuals in their hand; and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three hundred men.

Now the host of Midian was beneath him in the plain. And it came to pass the same night, that Jehovah said to him: Up, get thee down against this host, for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Purah thy servant down to the camp, and hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down against them. he went down with Purah his servant unto the edge of the armed men that were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude;

and their camels were without number, like the sand which is upon the sea-shore for multitude. And as Gideon came, behold, a man telling a dream to his fellow; and he said: Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread rolling through the camp of Midian; and it came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that it lay along the ground. And his fellow answered and said: This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God hath delivered Midian, and all the host.

And it came to pass, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and its interpretation, that he worshipped. Then he returned into the camp of Israel, and said: Up, for Jehovah hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put a trumpet in every man's hand, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers. And he said to them: Watch me, and do as I do. Behold, when I come to the edge of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow the trumpet,

I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and cry: Sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon.

So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the edge of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly changed the watch; and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, holding the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal; and they cried: Sword of Jehovah, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host of