The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the lord, and the lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed over Israel, and because of Midian, the people of Israel made for themselves the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves and the strongholds.

Whenever the Israelites put in a seed the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east would come up and attack them. They would encamp against them and destroy the procedure of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or ass.

They would come up with their cattle and their tents, coming like locusts for number, both they and their camels could not be counted, so they wasted the land as they came in.

Israel was brought very low because of the median, and the people of Israel cried for help from the lord.

When the people of Israel cried to the lord on account of the Midianites, the lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel, and he said to them, this says the lord, the God of Israel, I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage, and I deliver you from the hand of the Egyptians, and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you, and gave you their land.

I said to you, I am the Lord your God, you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not given heed to my voice.

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at ophtah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites.

The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, the lord is with you, you mighty man of valor. Gideon said to him, pray, sir, if the lord is with us, why then has all this befallen us?

Where are all his wonderful deeds which our fathers recounted to us, saying, did not the lord bring us up from Egypt?

But now the lord has cast us off and given us into the hand of the Median. The Lord turn to him and said, go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hands of the median, do not I send you?

He said to him, pray, Lord, how can I deliver Israel?
Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.

The Lord said to him if now I have found favor, then show me a sign that it is thou who speakest with me.

Do not depart from here, I pray you, until I come to you, and bring out my present, and set it before you. He said I will stay till you return. Beloved, please let keep on visiting for more updates. Thanks for being with us.