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Deuteronomy 31

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¹ Early the next morning when the men of the city got up, they discovered that the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built.

² So they said to one another, "Who has done this thing?" When they searched about and inquired, they were told, "Gideon the son of Joash did it."

³ Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, so that he may be executed, because he has torn down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah which was beside it."

⁴ But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you[4] plead for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever pleads for Baal shall be put to death while it is still morning. If Baal is a god, let him defend himself, because someone has torn down his altar."

⁵ Therefore on that day he named Gideon Jerubbaal,[5] meaning, "Let Baal plead," because he had torn down his altar.

⁶ Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east assembled together; and they crossed over [the Jordan] and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.

⁷ So the Spirit of the LORD[6] clothed Gideon [and empowered him]; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together [as a militia] to follow him.

⁸ He sent messengers throughout [the tribe of] Manasseh, and the fighting men were also called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to [the tribes of] Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.

⁹ Then Gideon said to God, "If You are going to rescue Israel through me, as You have spoken,

¹⁰ behold, I will put a fleece of [freshly sheared] wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and it is dry on all the ground [around it], then I will know that You will rescue Israel through me, as You have said."

¹¹ And it was so. When he got up early the next morning and squeezed the dew out of the fleece, he wrung from it a bowl full of water.

¹² Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let your anger burn against me, so that I may speak once more. Please let me make a test once more with the fleece; now let only the fleece be dry, and let there be dew on all the ground."

¹³ God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and there was dew on all the ground [around it].

¹⁴ Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was north of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

¹⁵ Then the LORD said to Gideon, "There are too many people with you for Me to hand over Midian to them, otherwise Israel will boast [about themselves] against Me, saying, 'My own[1] power has rescued me.'

¹⁶ So now, proclaim in the hearing of the people, 'Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men returned [home], but ten thousand remained.

¹⁷ Then the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many people; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."

¹⁸ So he brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to Gideon, "You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels down to drink."

¹⁹ Now the number of those who lapped [the water], putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men, but all the rest of the people kneeled down to drink water.

²⁰ And the LORD told Gideon, "With the three hundred men who lapped I will rescue you, and will hand over the Midianites to you. Let all the other people go, each man to his home."

²¹ So the three hundred men took people's provisions [for the journey] and their trumpets [made of rams' horns] in their hands. And Gideon sent [away] all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but kept the three hundred men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

²² Now on that same night the LORD said to Gideon, "Arise, go down against their camp, for I have given it into your hand.

²³ But if you are afraid to go down [by yourself], go with Purah your servant down to the camp,

²⁴ and you will hear what they say; and afterward[2] you will have the courage to go down against the camp." Then he went down with Purah his servant to the[3] outposts of the army that was in the camp.

²⁵ Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying [camped] in the valley, as countless as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

²⁶ When Gideon arrived,[4] there was a man telling a dream to his friend. And he said, "Listen carefully, I had a dream: there was a loaf of[5] barley bread tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat."

²⁷ And his friend replied, "This [dream] is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has given Midian and the entire camp into his hand."

²⁸ When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, "Arise, for the LORD has given the camp of Midian into your hand."

²⁹ He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers.

³⁰ And he said to them, "Look at me, then do likewise. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do.

#	AMP
1	Early the next morning when the men of the city got up, they discovered that the altar of Baal was torn down, and the Asherah which was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar which had been built.
2	So they said to one another, "Who has done this thing?" When they searched about and inquired, they were told, "Gideon the son of Joash did it."
3	Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, so that he may be executed, because he has torn down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah which was beside it."
4	But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you[4] plead for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever pleads for Baal shall be put to death while it is still morning. If Baal is a god, let him defend himself, because someone has torn down his altar."
5	Therefore on that day he named Gideon Jerubbaal,[5] meaning, "Let Baal plead," because he had torn down his altar.
6	Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east assembled together; and they crossed over [the Jordan] and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.
7	So the Spirit of the LORD[6] clothed Gideon [and empowered him]; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together [as a militia] to follow him.
8	He sent messengers throughout [the tribe of] Manasseh, and the fighting men were also called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to [the tribes of] Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them.
9	Then Gideon said to God, "If You are going to rescue Israel through me, as You have spoken,
10	behold, I will put a fleece of [freshly sheared] wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and it is dry on all the ground [around it], then I will know that You will rescue Israel through me, as You have said."
11	And it was so. When he got up early the next morning and squeezed the dew out of the fleece, he wrung from it a bowl full of water.
12	Then Gideon said to God, "Do not let your anger burn against me, so that I may speak once more. Please let me make a test once more with the fleece; now let only the fleece be dry, and let there be dew on all the ground."
13	God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and there was dew on all the ground [around it].
14	Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was north of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
15	Then the LORD said to Gideon, "There are too many people with you for Me to hand over Midian to them, otherwise Israel will boast [about themselves] against Me, saying, 'My own[1] power has rescued me.'
16	So now, proclaim in the hearing of the people, 'Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men returned [home], but ten thousand remained.
17	Then the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many people; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."
18	So he brought the people down to the water, and the LORD said to Gideon, "You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels down to drink."
19	Now the number of those who lapped [the water], putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men, but all the rest of the people kneeled down to drink water.
20	And the LORD told Gideon, "With the three hundred men who lapped I will rescue you, and will hand over the Midianites to you. Let all the other people go, each man to his home."
21	So the three hundred men took people's provisions [for the journey] and their trumpets [made of rams' horns] in their hands. And Gideon sent [away] all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but kept the three hundred men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
22	Now on that same night the LORD said to Gideon, "Arise, go down against their camp, for I have given it into your hand.
23	But if you are afraid to go down [by yourself], go with Purah your servant down to the camp,
24	and you will hear what they say; and afterward[2] you will have the courage to go down against the camp." Then he went down with Purah his servant to the[3] outposts of the army that was in the camp.
25	Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying [camped] in the valley, as countless as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
26	When Gideon arrived,[4] there was a man telling a dream to his friend. And he said, "Listen carefully, I had a dream: there was a loaf of[5] barley bread tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat."
27	And his friend replied, "This [dream] is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has given Midian and the entire camp into his hand."
28	When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, "Arise, for the LORD has given the camp of Midian into your hand."
29	He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers.
30	And he said to them, "Look at me, then do likewise. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do.

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Deuteronomy 31

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