25On that same night the Lord said to him, “Take a bull from your father's herd of cattle, the second bull, the one that is seven years old.[] Tear down your father's altar to Baal. Then cut down the Asherah pole that is next to it. 26In its place, build an altar to the Lord your God in the proper way, on top of this stronghold.[] Then take the second bull and send up a burnt offering using the wood from the Asherah pole that you cut down.” 27So Gideon took ten of his servants and carried out the word of the Lord. Yet because he was too afraid of the household of his father and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
28When the men of the city got up early in the morning, they were surprised to see that the altar of Baal had been thrown down, and the Asherah pole next to it had been cut down, and the second bull was being offered up as a sacrifice upon the altar that had been built there.
29The people were asking each other, “Who did this?” They searched and investigated until they concluded, “Gideon son of Joash did this.”
30So the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he broke down the altar of Baal and because he cut down the Asherah pole next to it.”
31But Joash said to all those who opposed him, “Will you contend for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever contends for him will be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself if someone broke down his altar.” 32From that day on they called Gideon “Jerubbaal,”[] saying, “Let Baal contend with him, if he broke down his altar.” 33Then all the Midianites and Amalekites and the people of the East gathered together. They crossed over to Israelite territory and set up camp in the Valley of Jezre'el. 34The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon. He blew the ram's horn, and the clan of Abiezer was called out to follow him. 35Gideon also sent messengers into all Manasseh, so Manasseh assembled behind Gideon. He also sent messengers into Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet the others.
36Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have said, 37look here, I am placing a woolen fleece on the threshing floor. If dew is found only on the fleece, but all the ground around it is dry, then I will know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said.”
38And that is exactly what happened! Gideon got up early in the morning and squeezed the fleece and wrung out dew from it—a bowlful of water!
39But again Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more. Please let me conduct just one more test with the fleece: This time let the fleece be dry, but let there be dew on the ground all around.” 40That night God did that very thing! Only the fleece was dry, and there was dew on the ground all around.
