Judges 6

¹ People of Israel con sin against God again. Naso God allow Midianites rule them for seven years.

² Midianites strong pass Israel, na hin make people of Israel hide from them for inside caves and other place wey dey safe inside hills.

³ Anytime Israel plant their crops, Midianites go come with Amalekites and people wey dey live for desert and attack Israel,

⁴ Dem go camp on top land and destroy crops far reach Gaza area. Dem go take all the sheep, cattle, and donkeys, and dem no go leave anything for Israelites to chop.

⁵ Dem dey come with their livestock and tents, wey plenty like locusts; dem arrive on top flocks of camel wey plenty so tey people no fit count them. Dem come destroy the land

⁶ and Israel no get help against them.

⁷ Naso the people of Israel cry out to God because of Midian,

⁸ God con send a prophet to the Israelites. He talk say, “Na wetin the LORD, God of Israel, talk be this: I bring una out of slavery for Egypt.

⁹ I rescue una from the Egyptians and from everybody wey fight against una. I drive out una enemies and I give their land to una.

¹⁰ I tell una say, ‘I be the LORD una God, and say make una no worship the gods of the Amorites, wey una dey live for their land now.’ But una no gree listen to me.”

¹¹ Naso angel of God come Ophrah Village and siddon under the oak tree wey belong to Joash, a man wey be part of Abiezer clan. Him son, Gideon dey separate wheat for bottom of winepress so that he fit hide the grain from the Midianites.

¹² The angel of God appear to him and talk say, “Brave and mighty man, God dey with you!”

¹³ Gideon tell him say, “Sir, If God dey with us, why all these don happen to us? What about all the miracles wey our ancestors tell us say God dey do – like how he bring them out of Egypt? But now God don abandon us and he don allow Midianites dey rule us.”

¹⁴ Then God con turn to him and talk say, “Go with all the strength wey you get, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I dey send you myself!”

¹⁵ Gideon reply say, “But Lord, how I fit rescue Israel? Na my clan weak pass for tribe of Manasseh, and na my level low pass out of all member of my family.”

¹⁶ God tell him say, “You fit do am because I go help you. You go destroy the Midianites like say na only one man you dey fight.”

¹⁷ Gideon reply say, “If na true say you go help me, make you show me sign to prove say e dey real say na God dey follow me talk.

¹⁸ Abeg no commot until I bring offering of food for you.” He answer say, “Na here I go stay till you come back.”

¹⁹ Naso Gideon enter him house. He cook young goat, and he bake some bread with 10 kilogrammes of flour wey no get yeast. He carry the meat put for basket and soup for inside pot, he bring them out and present them to the angel, wey dey for under oak tree.

²⁰ The angel of God tell him say, “Put the meat and the bread on top this rock, and put the soup on top am.” and Gideon do wetin the angel don tell him.

²¹ Then the angel of God con touch the meat and the bread with the tip of the stick wey dey him hand, and fire come up from the rock and catch everything wey he don bring. Naso the angel of God disappear.

²² When Gideon don see say na the angel of God, he cry out say, “Almighty God, I don enter trouble! I don see your angel face to face!”

²³ But God tell him say, “No trouble. No fear. You no go die.”

²⁴ Gideon con build altar to the LORD for there and name am Yahweh-Shalom, wey mean “the LORD na peace.” (E still dey stand for Ophrah, wey belong to clan of Abiezer.)

²⁵ That night God tell Gideon say, “Take your papa bull and another bull wey be seven years old., tear down your papa altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole wey dey beside am.

²⁶ Build a good altar to the LORD your God for here on top this hill. Sacrifice the bull as burnt offering on top the altar, and use the pole wey you cut down for Asherah burn am.”

²⁷ Naso Gideon take ten of him servant and go do as God don command. But he do am for night because fear of the other members of him papa household and the people of the town fit catch him.

²⁸ For early the next morning, as people of the town start to dey look, someone con find out say altar of Baal don break down and say dem don cut down the Asherah pole wey dey beside am. Dem don build new altar to replace them, and the remaining of the bull wey dem don sacrifice dey on top am.

²⁹ The people dey ask each other say, “Who do this?” After dem don ask around and make search, dem find out say na Gideon, son of Joash.

³⁰ The men of the town tell Joash say, “Bring your son come out, so that we fit kill him! He destroy the altar of Baal and cut down the pole of Asherah.”

³¹ But Joash shout to the crowd wey confront him say, “Why una dey defend Baal? Shey una go argue him case? Anyone wey defend him go die before morning! If na true say Baal na god, make he defend himself and destroy the person wey break him altar down!”

³² Na from that time dem dey call Gideon Jerub-baal, wey mean say, “Make Baal defend himself” because Gideon don break down the altar of Baal.

³³ Naso all Midianites, Amalekites, and desert people gather together against Israel, dem cross the Jordan, and camp for Valley of Jezreel.

³⁴ The spirit of God con take control of Gideon with power. He blow trumpet to call men of Abiezer clan make dem follow him.

³⁵ He send messenger all through the territory of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and dem also come to join him.

³⁶ Gideon con tell God say, “If na true say you go use me rescue Israel as you don promise,

³⁷ prove am to me this way. I go put sheep wool for threshing floor tonight. If na only the wool dew wet for morning but the ground dry, I go con know say you go help me rescue Israel as you don promise.”

³⁸ And na exactly wetin just happen be that. When Gideon get up early next morning, he con squeeze the wool and he squeeze out plenty water wey full a bowl.

³⁹ Then Gideon tell God say, “Abeg make you no vex for me, but make I ask for just one more. Abeg make I use the wool for one more test. Make the wool dey dry this time, but make dew wet the ground wey dey around am.”

⁴⁰ Naso God do as Gideon don ask that night. Next morning the wool dey dry, but dew don wet the ground.