1   And the children of Israel did euil in the sight of our Lord: who deliuered them into the hand of Madian seuen yeares,

2   & they were sore oppressed of them. And they made them selues dennes and caues in the mountaines, and very wel fensed places to resist.

3   And when Israel had sowen, Madian came vp and Amalec, and the rest of the East nations:

4   and pitching their tentes by them wasted al thinges as they were in the blade vnto the entring of Gaza: and they left nothing at al in Israel that perteyned to mans life, not sheepe, not oxen, not asses.

5   For they and al their flockes came with their tabernacles, and like vnto locustes filled al places, an inumerable multitude of men, and of camels, wasting whatsoeuer they touched.

6   And Israel Was sore humbled in the sight of Madian.

7   And he cried to our Lord desiring helpe against the Madianites.

8   Who sent vnto them ^note a man that was a prophet, and he spake: Thus sayeth our Lord the God of Israel: I made you to come vp out of Ægypt, and brought you out of the house of seruitude,

9   and deliuered you out of the handes of the Ægyptians, and of al the enemies, that afflicted you: and I cast them out at your entring, and deliuered you their Land.

10   And I said: I the Lord your God, feare not the goddes of the Amorrheires, in whose land you dwel. And you would not heare my voice.

11   And an Angel of our lord came, and sate vnder an oke, that was in Ephra, and perteyned to Ioas the father of the familie of Ezri. And when Gedeon his sonne did thresh and purge wheate in a winepresse, to flee Maidan,

12   the Angel of our Lord appeared to him, and said: Our Lord be with thee ô most valiant of men.

13   And Gedeon said to him: I besech thee my Lord, if our Lord be with vs, why haue these euils apprehended vs? where are his meruelous workes, which our fathers haue told vs, and said: Out of Ægypt did our Lord bring vs? but now our Lord hath forsaken vs, and deliuered vs into the hande of Madian.

14   And our Lord looked

Gedeon. toward him, and said: Goe in this thy strength, and thou shalt deliuer Israel out of the hand of Madian: know that I haue sent thee.

15   Who answering said: I besech thee, my Lord, wherein shal I deliuer Israel? behold my familie is the meanest in Manasses, and I the least in my fathers house.

16   And our Lord said to him: I wil be with thee: and thou shalt strike Madian as it were one man.

17   And he said: If I haue found, quoth he, grace before thee, geue me a signe that it is thou which speakest to me.

18   Neither depart thou hence, til I returne to thee, bringing a sacrifice, and offering ^note to thee. Who answered: I wil tarie thy coming.

19   Gedeon therfore went in, and boyled a kidde, and of a bushel of flowre baked vnleuened loaues: and putting the flesh in a basket, and the broth of the flesh into a potte, he caried al vnder the oke, and offered to him.

20   To whom the Angel of our Lord said: Take the flesh and the vnleuened loaues, and put them vpon that rocke, and powre out of the broth theron. And when he had done,

21   the Angel of our Lord stretched forth the tippe of the rodde, which he held in his hand, and touched the flesh and the vnleuened loaues: and there arose a fyre from the rocke, and consumed the flesh, and the leuened loaues: and the Angel of our Lord vanished from his eies.

22   And Gedeon seeing that it was the Angel of our Lord, said: Alas my Lord God: that I haue seene the Angel our Lord face to face.

23   And our Lord said to him: Peace be with thee: feare not, thou shalt not die.

24   And Gedeon built there ^note an altar to our Lord, and called it, our Lords peace, vntil this present day. And when he was yet in Ephra, which is of the familie of Ezri,

25   that night our Lord said to him: Take a bullocke of thy fathers, and an other bullocke of seuen yeares, and thou shalt destroy the altar of Baal, which is thy fathers: and cut downe the groue, that is about the altar:

26   and thou shalt build an altar to the Lord thy God in the toppe of this rocke, whereupon thou didst lay the sacrifice before: and thou shalt take the second bullocke, and shalt offer an holocauste vpon a pile of the wood, which thou shalt cut downe out of the groue.

27   Gedeon therfore taking to him ten men of his seruantes, did as our Lord had commanded him. But fearing his fathers house, and the men of that citie, he would not doe it by day, but accomplished al thinges by night.

28   And when the men of that towne were

Gedeon. risen in the morning, they saw the altar of Baal destroyed, and the groue cut downe, and the other bullocke laid vpon the altar, which then was built.

29   They said one to an other: Who hath done this? And when they inquired for the author of the fact, it was said: Gedeon the sonne of Ioas did al these thinges.

30   And they said to Ioas: Bring forth thy sonne hither, that he may die: because he hath destroyed the altar of Baal, and hath cut downe his groue.

31   To whom he answered: Why are you reuengers of Baal, that you fight for him? he that is his aduersarie, let him die before to morrow light appeare: if he be God, reuenge he him self, on him that hath raysed his altar.

32   From that day Gedeon was called ^note Ierobaal, because Ioas had said: Let Baal reuenge him self on him, that hath raysed his altar.

33   Therefore al Madian, and Amalec, and the east peoples were gathered together, and passing ouer Iordan, camped in the vaile Iezrael.

34   But the spirit of our Lord reuested Gedeon, who sounding with a trumpet called together the house of Abiezer, to folow him.

35   And he sent messengers into al Manasses, which it selfe also did folow him: and other messengers into Aser and Zabulon and Nepthali, which mette him.

36   And Gedeon said to God: If thou saue Israel by my hand, as thou hast spoken,

37   I wil putte this fleece of wool on the floore: if there shal be ^note dew in the fleece onlie, and on al the ground drienes, I shal know that by my hand, as thou hast spoken, thou wilt deliuer Israel.

38   And it came so to passe. And rysing in the night wringing the fleece, he filled a vessel with the dew.

39   And he said againe to God: Let not thy furie be angry against me if I tempt once againe, seeking a signe in the fleece. I desire that the fleece onlie may be drie, and al the ground wette with dew.

40   And God did that night as he had requested: and there was drienes in the fleece onlie, and dew on al the ground.

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