Study Desk

The angel of God said to him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth. He did so.

Gid`on saw that he was the angel of the LORD; and Gid`on said, Alas, Lord GOD! because I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.

and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of this stronghold, in the orderly manner, and take the second bull, and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah which you shall cut down.

Yo'ash said to all who stood against him, Will you contend for Ba`al? Or will you save him? he who will contend for him, let him be put to death while [it is yet] morning: if he be a god, let him contend for himself, because one has broken down his altar.

Gid`on said to God, If you will save Yisra'el by my hand, as you have spoken,

Gid`on 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.

God did so that night: for it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

His fellow answered, This is nothing else save the sword of Gid`on the son of Yo'ash, a man of Yisra'el: into his hand God has delivered Midyan, and all the host.

God has delivered into your hand the princes of Midyan, `Orev and Ze'ev: and what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

It happened, as soon as Gid`on was dead, that the children of Yisra'el turned again, and played the prostitute after the Ba`alim, and made Ba`al-Berit their god.

The children of Yisra'el didn't remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side;

When they told it to Yotam, he went and stood on the top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said to them, Listen to me, you men of Shekhem, that God may listen to you.

But the olive tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness, with which by me they honor God and man, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?

The vine said to them, Should I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave back and forth over the trees?

God sent an evil spirit between Avimelekh and the men of Shekhem; and the men of Shekhem dealt treacherously with Avimelekh:

They went out into the field, and gathered their vineyards, and trod [the grapes], and held festival, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Avimelekh.

Thus God requited the wickedness of Avimelekh, which he did to his father, in killing his seventy brothers;

and all the wickedness of the men of Shekhem did God requite on their heads: and on them came the curse of Yotam the son of Yerubba`al.

The children of Yisra'el cried to the LORD, saying, We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Ba`alim.

The LORD, the God of Yisra'el, delivered Sichon and all his people into the hand of Yisra'el, and they struck them: so Yisra'el possessed all the land of the Amori, the inhabitants of that country.