11. The LORD'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. The LORD's angel appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"

13. Gideon said to him, "Oh, my lord, if the LORD 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 the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has cast us off, and delivered us into the hand of Midian."

14. The LORD looked at him, and said, "Go in this your might, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Haven't I sent you?"

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. The LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man."

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."He said, "I will wait until you come back."

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. 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."He did so.

21. Then The LORD'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 The LORD's angel departed out of his sight.

22. Gideon saw that he was The LORD's angel; and Gideon said, "Alas, Lord God! Because I have seen The LORD's angel face to face!"

23. The LORD said to him, "Peace be to you! Don't be afraid. You shall not die."

24. Then Gideon built an altar there to The LORD, and called it "The LORD is Peace." To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25. That same night, the LORD 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 the LORD 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 the LORD 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!"

His fellow answered, "This is nothing other than the sword of Gideon the son of JOASH, a man of Israel. God has delivered Midian into his hand, with all the army."

13. Gideon the son of JOASH returned from the battle from the ascent of Heres.

14. He caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described for him the princes of Succoth, and its elders, seventy-seven men.

15. He came to the men of Succoth, and said, "See Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?'"

16. He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

17. He broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.

18. Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?"They answered, "They were like you. Each one resembled the children of a king."

19. He said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you."

20. He said to Jether his firstborn, "Get up, and kill them!" But the youth didn't draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was yet a youth.

21. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Rise and fall on us; for as the man is, so is his strength." Gideon arose, and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents that were on their camels' necks.

22. Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you, and your son, and your son's son also; for you have saved us out of the hand of Midian."

23. Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you. the LORD shall rule over you."

24. Gideon said to them, "I do have a request, that you would each give me the earrings of his plunder." (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25. They answered, "We will willingly give them." They spread a garment, and every man threw the earrings of his plunder into it.

26. The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was one thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the purple clothing that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were about their camels' necks.

27. Gideon made an ephod out of it, and put it in Ophrah, his city. Then all Israel played the prostitute with it there; and it became a snare to Gideon, and to his house.

28. So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. The land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

29. Jerubbaal the son of JOASH went and lived in his own house.

30. Gideon had seventy sons conceived from his body, for he had many wives.

31. His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

32. Gideon the son of JOASH died in a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of JOASH his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.