5. They would invade with their herds and tents, coming like a swarm of locusts, so that no one could count them or their camels. They came into the land to destroy it.
6. So Israel became very weak on account of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.
7. This time when the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian,
8. the Lord sent them a prophet, who said to them, "The Lord, Israel’s God, proclaims: I myself brought you up from Egypt, and I led you out of the house of slavery.
9. I delivered you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all your oppressors. I drove them out before you and gave you their land.
10. I told you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you must not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.’ But you have not obeyed me."
11. Then the Lord’s messenger came and sat under the oak at Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12. The Lord’s messenger appeared to him and said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!"
13. But Gideon replied to him, "With all due respect, my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his amazing works that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Didn’t the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and allowed Midian to overpower us."
14. Then the Lord turned to him and said, "You have strength, so go and rescue Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not personally sending you?"
15. But again Gideon said to him, "With all due respect, my Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the youngest in my household."
16. The Lord replied, "Because I’m with you, you’ll defeat the Midianites as if they were just one person."
17. Then Gideon said to him, "If I’ve gained your approval, please show me a sign that it’s really you speaking with me.
18. Don’t leave here until I return, bring out my offering, and set it in front of you."The Lord replied, "I’ll stay until you return."
19. So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and used an ephah of flour for unleavened bread. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them.