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1 The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, so Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, the caves, and the strongholds. 3 So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them. 4 They encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they came up with their livestock and their tents. They came in as locusts for multitude. Both they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it. 6 Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to Yahweh.
7 When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh because of Midian, 8 Yahweh sent a prophet to the children of Israel; and he said to them, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage. 9 I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, “I am Yahweh your God. You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not listened to my voice.’ ”
11 HUAB TAIS tus Tshiab nqes los zaum hauv tsob qab ntoo nyob Os Fas uas yog Yuas As Npis Xes tsob. Yuas As Npis Xes tus tub Zes Des Oos tab tom zom txhuv kom cov Mas Dias tsis txhob nyiag tau. 12 HUAB TAIS tus Tshiab yees tawm los rau Zes Des Oos pom, nws hais tias : “Tub rog siab tawv ! HUAB TAIS nrog koj nyob !”
11 Yahweh’s angel came and sat under the oak which was in Ophrah, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Yahweh’s angel appeared to him, and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Zes Des Oos teb rau nws tias : “Thov txim, HUAB TAIS ! Yog HUAB TAIS nrog peb, tim li cas peb thiaj raug tas puas tsav yam zoo li no ? Tej hwj huam uas peb niam peb txiv lawv piav rau peb tias HUAB TAIS ua kom peb tau tawm ntawm Hais Nkws Tos teb los, tej hwj huam ntawd nyob qhov twg ? Nyem no HUAB TAIS tso peb pov tseg rau hauv cov Mas Dias txhais tes.”
13 Gideon said to him, “Oh, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wondrous works which our fathers told us of, saying, ‘Didn’t Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian.”
14 Ces HUAB TAIS tig los hais rau Zes Des Oos tias : “Koj muaj ib lub zog nres koj ! Koj mus, koj yuav cawm tau His Xas Lais ntawm cov Mas Dias tes. Tsis yog kuv xa koj mus lod ?”
14 Yahweh looked at him, and said, “Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven’t I sent you?”
15 Zes Des Oos teb tias : “Thov txim, HUAB TAIS ! Kuv yuav ua li cas cawm tau His Xas Lais ? Kuv lub xeem yog xeem me tshaj nyob Mas Nas Xes teb. Thiab kuv yog tus tub ntxawg nyob hauv kuv txiv tsev.”
15 He said to him, “O Lord,† how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 HUAB TAIS teb tias : “Kuv yuav nrog koj. Koj yuav ntaus yeej cov Mas Dias, yam li lawv muaj ib leeg xwb.”
16 Yahweh said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
17 Zes Des Oos hais tias : “Yog kuv tau ua neeg xis koj siab, mas thov koj ua ib lub cim qhia kuv kom kuv paub tias yog koj hais lus rau kuv tiag. 18 Thov koj tsis txhob txav mus deb ntawm no, koj tos kom kuv rov tuaj cuag koj tso. Kuv yuav tuaj txi koj, kuv yuav nqa txim tuaj tso ntawm koj xub ntiag.”
17 He said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talk with me. 18 Please don’t go away until I come to you, and bring out my present, and lay it before you.”
Ces HUAB TAIS teb tias : “Kuv yuav nyob tos koj rov tuaj txog tso.”
He said, “I will wait until you come back.”
19 Zes Des Oos mus lawm. Nws tua ib tug tshis thiab nws yeem ib ntim hmoov nplej ua ib co mov tsis xyaw poov xab. Nws muab co nqaij tso rau hauv ib lub tawb, hos cov kua nws muab rau hauv ib lub tais. Ces nws nqa tuaj rau HUAB TAIS nyob hauv ib tsob qab ntoo.
19 Gideon went in and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes of an ephah‡ of meal. He put the meat in a basket and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to him under the oak, and presented it.
20 Thaum nws tuaj yuav txog, HUAB TAIS tus Tshiab hais rau nws tias : “Koj muab nqaij thiab muab cov mov tsis xyaw poov xab tso rau saum lub pob zeb no, thiab koj hliv cov kua rau.”
20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.”
Zes Des Oos ua li ntawd tas. 21 Ces HUAB TAIS tus Tshiab cev tus ntsis pas uas tuav ntawm nws tes mus chwv cov nqaij thiab cov ncuav mov. Hluav taws cia li cig hauv lub pob zeb tuaj kub cov nqaij thiab cov mov tas tib si, ces HUAB TAIS tus Tshiab ploj ntais ntawm Zes Des Oos xub ntiag lawm.
He did so. 21 Then Yahweh’s angel stretched out the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire went up out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. Then Yahweh’s angel departed out of his sight.
22 Zes Des Oos paub tias yog HUAB TAIS tus Tshiab tiag. Nws txawm hais tias : “Kuv tus HUAB TAIS Tswv Ntuj, aib ! Kuv txawm tau pom koj tus Tshiab lub ntsej muag tiag !”
22 Gideon saw that he was Yahweh’s angel; and Gideon said, “Alas, Lord Yahweh! Because I have seen Yahweh’s angel face to face!”
23 HUAB TAIS teb tias : “Koj nyob kaj siab lug mog ! Tsis txhob ntshai ! Koj yuav tsis tuag.”
23 Yahweh said to him, “Peace be to you! Don’t be afraid. You shall not die.”
24 Zes Des Oos ua ib lub thaj txi HUAB TAIS nyob ntawd, thiab nws hu qhov chaw ntawd ua “HUAB TAIS Kev Thaj Yeeb.”
24 Then Gideon built an altar there to Yahweh, and called it “Yahweh is Peace.”§ To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
25 That same night, Yahweh said to him, “Take your father’s bull, even the second bull seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is by it. 26 Then build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold, in an orderly way, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.”
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Yahweh had spoken to him. Because he feared his father’s household and the men of the city, he could not do it by day, but he did it by night.
28 When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah was cut down that was by it, and the second bull was offered on the altar that was built. 29 They said to one another, “Who has done this thing?”
When they inquired and asked, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the Asherah that was by it.” 31 Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? He who will contend for him, let him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has broken down his altar!” 32 Therefore on that day he named him Jerub-Baal,† saying, “Let Baal contend against him, because he has broken down his altar.”
33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east assembled themselves together; and they passed over, and encamped in the valley of Jezreel. 34 But Yahweh’s Spirit came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered together to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they also were gathered together to follow him. He sent messengers to Asher, to Zebulun, and to Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
36 Zes Des Oos hais rau Tswv Ntuj tias : “Yog koj xav vam txog kuv txhais tes pab cawm His Xas Lais tiag raws li koj hais, mas kuv yuav muab ib daig tawv yaj los pua rau saum lub tshav no. 37 Yog muaj lwg ntsu nyob saum cov plaub yaj xwb, thaj av nyob hauv qhuav qhawv tib si, mas kuv thiaj yuav paub tseeb tias koj yuav vam txog kuv txhais tes los cawm His Xas Lais raws li koj hais tiag.”
36 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken, 37 behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I’ll know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have spoken.”
38 Ces txawm muaj tuaj raws li hais ntawd. Tag kis kaj ntug Zes Des Oos sawv ntxov ntxov los muab daim tawv yaj tso kua, nws tso tau ib khob dej puv puv.
38 It was so; for he rose up early on the next day, and pressed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39 Zes Des Oos tseem hais rau Tswv Ntuj tias : “Thov koj txhob npau taws ! Kuv tseem yuav thov koj ib zaug ntxiv. Thov koj rov qab pub kuv sim daim tawv yaj no ib zaug ntxiv. Nyem no kuv xav kom tsuas qhuav nyob saum cov plaub yaj xwb hos ib ncig tom tej av xav kom ntub lwg tas huv tib si !”
39 Gideon said to God, “Don’t let your anger be kindled against me, and I will speak but this once. Please let me make a trial just this once with the fleece. Let it now be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
40 Hmo ntawd, Tswv Ntuj ua raws li ntawd. Tsuas tshuav daim tawv yaj xwb thiaj qhuav, tej av nyob ib ncig mas ntsu lwg tas huv tib si.
40 God did so that night; for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.