10. I am your God, and I told you not to worship Amorite gods, even though you are living in the land of the Amorites. But you refused to listen.
11. One day an angel from the Lord went to the town of Ophrah and sat down under the big tree that belonged to Joash, a member of the Abiezer clan. Joash's son Gideon was nearby, threshing grain in a shallow pit, where he could not be seen by the Midianites.
12. The angel appeared and spoke to Gideon, “The Lord is helping you, and you are a strong warrior.”
13. Gideon answered, “Please don't take this wrong, but if the Lord is helping us, then why have all these awful things happened? We've heard how the Lord performed miracles and rescued our ancestors from Egypt. But those things happened long ago. Now the Lord has abandoned us to the Midianites.”
14. Then the Lord himself said, “Gideon, you will be strong, because I am giving you the power to rescue Israel from the Midianites.”
15. Gideon replied, “But how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest one in Manasseh, and everyone else in my family is more important than I am.”
16. “Gideon,” the Lord answered, “you can rescue Israel because I am going to help you! Defeating the Midianites will be as easy as beating up one man.”
17. Gideon said, “It's hard to believe that I'm actually talking to the Lord. Please do something so I'll know that you really are the Lord.
18. And wait here until I bring you an offering.”“All right, I'll wait,” the Lord answered.