3. And whenever Israel sowed seed, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the east would come up against them.
4. They would camp against them and destroy the produce of the land as far as Gaza; they left no produce in Israel, or sheep, ox, or donkey.
5. For they, their livestock, and their tents would come up like a great number of locusts; they and their camels could not be counted; they came into the land and devoured it.
6. Israel was very poor because of the presence of the Midianites, and the Israelites cried out to Yahweh.
7. When the Israelites cried out to Yahweh on account of the Midianites,
8. Yahweh sent a prophet to the Israelites, and he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt; I brought you from the house of slavery.
9. I delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors, and drove them out from before you; and I gave you their land.
10. And I said to you, ‘I am Yahweh your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.’ But you have not listened to my voice.”
11. The angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak that was at Ophrah that belonged to Jehoash the Abiezrite; and Gideon his son was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
12. The angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you mighty warrior.”
13. Gideon said to him, “Excuse me, my lord. If Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has forsaken us; he has given us into the palm of Midian.”
14. And Yahweh turned to him and said, “Go in this your strength, and you will deliver Israel from the palm of Midian. Did I not send you?”
15. He said to him, “Excuse me, my lord. How will I deliver Israel? Look, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”
16. And Yahweh said to him, “But I will be with you, and you will defeat Midian as if they are one man.”
17. And he said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, show me a sign that you are speaking with me.
18. Please, do not depart from here until I come back to you and bring out my gift and set it out before you.” And he said, “I will stay until you return.”