The Call of Gideon
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Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash l the Abiezrite, while his son m Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
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And the n Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is o with you, you mighty man of valor!"
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Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And p where are all His miracles q which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has r forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."
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Then the LORD turned to him and said, s "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. t Have I not sent you?"
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So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed u my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."
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And the LORD said to him, v "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."
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Then he said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then w show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.
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x "Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You." And He said, "I will wait until you come back."
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y So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.
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The Angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and z lay them on this rock, and a pour out the broth." And he did so.
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Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and b fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
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Now Gideon c perceived that He was the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! d For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face."
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Then the LORD said to him, e "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."
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So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still f in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and g tear down the altar of h Baal that your father has, and i cut down the wooden image that is beside it;
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"and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down."
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So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
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Cross References
Joshua 17:2
And there was a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh according to their families: for the children of Abiezer, the children of Helek, the children of Asriel, the children of Shechem, the children of Hepher, and the children of Shemida; these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph according to their families.
Judges 6:15
So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
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Cross References
Judges 7:1
Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
Hebrews 11:32
And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets:
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Cross References
Judges 13:3
And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son.
Luke 1:11
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Luke 1:28
And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!
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Cross References
Joshua 1:5
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
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Cross References
Isaiah 59:1
Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.
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Cross References
Joshua 4:6
"that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?'
Joshua 4:21
Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?
Psalms 44:1
We have heard with our ears, O God, Our fathers have told us, The deeds You did in their days, In days of old:
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Cross References
Deuteronomy 31:17
"Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?'
2 Chronicles 15:2
And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
Psalms 44:9 - 16
But You have cast us off and put us to shame, And You do not go out with our armies.
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Cross References
1 Samuel 12:11
And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.
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Cross References
Joshua 1:9
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
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Cross References
1 Samuel 9:21
And Saul answered and said, " Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?
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Cross References
Exodus 3:12
So He said, "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.
Joshua 1:5
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
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Cross References
Judges 6:36
So Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel...
Judges 6:37
"look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the thre...
2 Kings 20:8
And Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "What is the sign ...
Psalms 86:17
Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me...
Isaiah 7:11
"Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God...
Isaiah 38:7
And this is the sign to you from the LORD, that...
Isaiah 38:8
Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial,...
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Cross References
Genesis 18:3
And said, "My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.
Genesis 18:5
"And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts. After that you may pass by, inasmuch as you have come to your servant." They said, "Do as you have said."
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Cross References
Genesis 18:6 - 8
So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah and said, "Quickly, make ready three measures of fine meal; knead it and make cakes.
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Cross References
Judges 13:19
So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the LORD. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on -
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Cross References
1 Kings 18:33
And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.
1 Kings 18:34
Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time.
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Cross References
Leviticus 9:24
And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
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Cross References
Genesis 32:30
So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
Exodus 33:20
But He said, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.
Judges 13:21
When the Angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the LORD.
Judges 13:22
And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!
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Cross References
Genesis 16:13
Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?
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Cross References
Daniel 10:19
And he said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!" So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, "Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.
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Cross References
Judges 8:32
Now Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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Cross References
Judges 2:2
And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?
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Cross References
Judges 3:7
So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs.
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Cross References
Exodus 34:13
But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images
Deuteronomy 7:5
But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images, and burn their carved images with fire.
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.