Judges 6:1-15

¹And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Madiam seven years.

²And the hand of Madiam prevailed against Israel: and the children of Israel made for themselves because of Madiam the caves in the mountains, and the dens, and the holes in the rocks.

³And it came to pass when the children of Israel sowed, that Madiam and Amalec went up, and the children of the east went up together with them.

⁴And they encamped against them, and destroyed their fruits until they came to Gaza; and they left not the support of life in the land of Israel, not even ox or ass amongst the herds.

⁵For they and their stock came up, and their tents were with them, as the locust in multitude, and there was no number to them and their camels; and they came to the land of Israel, and laid it waste.

⁶And Israel was greatly impoverished because of Madiam.

⁷And the children of Israel cried to the Lord because of Madiam.

⁸And the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel; and he said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I am he that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, and I brought you up out of the house of your bondage.

⁹And I delivered you out of the hand of Egypt, and out of the hand of all that afflicted you, and I cast them out before you; and I gave you their land.

¹⁰And I said to you, I am the Lord your God: you° shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you° dwell; but you° listened not to my voice.

¹¹And an angel of the Lord came, and sat down under the fir tree, which was in Ephratha in the land of Joas father of Esdri; and Gedeon his son was threshing wheat in a wine-press in order to escape from the face of Madiam.

¹²And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty in strength.

¹³And Gedeon said to him, Be gracious with me, my Lord: but if the Lord is with us, why have these evils found us? and where are all his miracles, which our fathers have related to us, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? and now he has cast us out, and given us into the hand of Madiam.

¹⁴And the angel of the Lord turned to him, and said, Go in this your strength, and you shall save Israel out of the hand of Madiam: behold, I have sent you.

¹⁵And Gedeon said to him, Be gracious with me, my Lord: whereby shall I save Israel? behold, my thousand is weakened in Manasse, and I am the least in my father's house.