Judges 6

1 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.

5 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

6 And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD.

7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,

8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage;

9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land;

10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.

18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.

20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

21 Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.

22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.

23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

25 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:

26 And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.

31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.

32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar.

33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

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

Judges 7

1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:

11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.

18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.

25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.

Judges 8

1 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.

2 And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.

8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?

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

17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.

24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.

26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

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

33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

34 And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

35 Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.

Verse-By-Verse Breakdown

The story of Gideon in Judges Chapters 6 to 8 is one of the most compelling narratives in the Bible. It chronicles a nation's cycle of rebellion and oppression, the reluctant and fearful call of an unlikely hero, a miraculous military victory achieved with only 300 men, and the complex aftermath of success.

Chapter 6: The Oppression, the Call, and Preparation

Verses 1–6 (The Midianite Oppression): Because Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, God delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years. The Midianites, Amalekites, and children of the east devastated the land, destroying crops and livestock, forcing the Israelites to hide in dens, caves, and mountains.

Verses 7–10 (The Prophetic Rebuke): When Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites, God sent a prophet to remind them of His grace—how He brought them out of Egypt and commanded them not to fear the gods of the Amorites—yet they had not obeyed His voice.

Verses 11–16 (The Angel of the Lord Appears): The Angel of the Lord came and sat under an oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son, Gideon, was threshing wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. The Angel declared, "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." Gideon questioned this, pointing to Israel's poverty and his own low status in his father's house. The Lord assured him, saying, "Surely I will be with thee."

Verses 17–24 (The Sign of Acceptance): Gideon asked for a sign to prove it was truly God speaking, preparing meat and unleavened cakes. When the Angel touched the offering with the tip of his staff, fire rose out of the rock and consumed it, and the Angel vanished. Realizing who it was, Gideon feared for his life, but the Lord told him, "Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die." Gideon built an altar there named Jehovah-shalom (The Lord Is Peace).

Verses 25–32 (Destruction of the Altar of Baal): That same night, God told Gideon to take his father’s second bull and pull down his father’s altar to Baal, cutting down the wooden grove (Asherah) beside it. Gideon did this by night with ten servants out of fear of his family and the city men. When discovered the next morning, the townspeople demanded his death, but Joash defended him, saying, "Will ye plead for Baal?... let him plead for his own cause." Because of this, Gideon was named Jerubbaal ("Let Baal plead against him").

Verses 33–35 (The Spirit of God Empowers Gideon): The Midianites and Amalekites gathered together and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. "The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon" (literally clothed him), and he blew a trumpet, gathering the clans of Abiezer, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to follow him.

Verses 36–40 (The Sign of the Fleece): Still seeking reassurance, Gideon asked God for a sign using a fleece of wool. First, he asked for dew only on the fleece while the ground remained dry; God granted it. Next, he asked for the fleece to be dry while the ground had dew; God did that as well.

Chapter 7: The Thinned Army and the Victory over Midian

Verses 1–3 (Trimming the Army): Jerubbaal (Gideon) and his army camped near the well of Harod, while the Midianites were to the north. God told Gideon that the people were too many, lest Israel claim glory for themselves over God. God instructed Gideon to announce that anyone fearful could leave. 22,000 men left, leaving 10,000 behind.

Verses 4–8 (The Test of the Water): God said there were still too many. He told Gideon to bring them down to the water, where He would separate them. Those who lapped the water with their tongues like a dog (300 men) were set apart. Those who knelt down to drink were sent home. With only 300 men, God promised to deliver Midian into Gideon's hands.

Verses 9–15 (The Midianite Dream): That night, God told Gideon to go down to the enemy camp because He had delivered it into his hand. Accompanied by his servant Phurah, Gideon overheard a Midianite soldier telling his companion a dream about a cake of barley bread tumbling into the host of Midian, striking a tent so that it collapsed. The other soldier interpreted it: "This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon... for into his hand hath God delivered Midian." Worshiping God, Gideon returned to his men with confidence.

Verses 16–22 (The Strategy of Lamps and Pitchers): Gideon divided the 300 men into three companies. He gave every man a trumpet, an empty pitcher, and a torch (lamp) inside the pitcher. Surrounding the camp at night, they blew the trumpets, broke the pitchers, held the torches in their left hands and trumpets in their right, and shouted, "The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." Panic seized the Midianite camp, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow throughout the host.

Verses 23–25 (The Pursuit): Men of Israel from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh pursued the fleeing Midianites. Gideon sent messengers across Mount Ephraim to capture the waters ahead of them at Beth-barah and Jordan, capturing and executing two Midianite princes, Oreb and Zeeb, whose heads they brought back to Gideon.

Chapter 8: The Pursuit, the Conflicts, and the Aftermath

Verses 1–3 (A Diplomatic Resolution with Ephraim): The men of Ephraim bitterly complained that they weren't called earlier to fight. Gideon responded with humility and tact: "What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?" His soft answer turned away their wrath.

Verses 4–9 (Refusal at Succoth and Penuel): Gideon and his exhausted 300 men crossed the Jordan river in hot pursuit of the remaining Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. They asked the elders of Succoth and Penuel for bread to feed the tired troops, but the leaders mocked Gideon and refused, saying they hadn't yet captured the kings. Gideon warned them he would return to punish them with thorns and briers.

Verses 10–17 (Punishment and Capture): Gideon surprised the remaining Midianite host and captured kings Zebah and Zalmunna. On his return, he disciplined the elders of Succoth using desert thorns and briers, and he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

Verses 18–21 (The Fate of the Kings): Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna what manner of men they killed at Tabor, discovering they were his own brothers. He commanded his eldest son, Jether, to slay them, but the boy was afraid because he was still youth. The two kings then asked Gideon to strike them himself, and Gideon killed them, taking the crescent ornaments from their camels' necks.

Verses 22–27 (The Golden Ephod and Israel's Lapse): Israel tried to make Gideon and his lineage hereditary rulers, but Gideon firmly refused, declaring, "The Lord shall rule over you." However, Gideon made a request: that each man give him an earring from their plunder. He collected 1,755 shekels of gold and made an ephod, placing it in his city Ophrah. Tragically, all Israel went whoring after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his house.

Verses 28–35 (Gideon's Death and Israel's Forgetfulness): Midian was subdued, and the land had rest for 40 years during Gideon's lifetime. Gideon died at a good old age and was buried in the sepulchre of his father Joash. Immediately after his death, the Israelites returned to spiritual adultery, worshiping Baal-berith and failing to show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) for all the good he had done.

Key Lessons from the Story of Gideon

God Uses the Unlikely and the Weak: Gideon started out hiding in fear and viewed his clan as the weakest in Manasseh. God deliberately reduced his army from 32,000 to 300 to prove that victory comes from divine power, not human might.

Patience with Human Doubt: God met Gideon's deep insecurities and requests for signs (the fire and the fleece) with incredible patience and grace, gently building his faith step-by-step.

True Leadership Involves Humility: Gideon successfully managed fragile tribal politics (pacifying the Ephraimites) and flatly refused kingly power, acknowledging that God alone should rule over Israel.

The Danger of Compromise in Success: Despite his incredible victories, Gideon's creation of the golden ephod became a spiritual trap (idolatry) for his family and nation, proving that spiritual vigilance is needed even—and especially—after a great triumph.