26. build an altar to Adonai your God on the top of this stronghold in an orderly manner, and take the second bull and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole that you will cut down.”
27. So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as Adonai had spoken to him. But since he was too afraid of his father’s household and the townspeople to do it by day, he did it at night.
28. Now when the townspeople arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, the Asherah pole that was beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered up on the altar that was built.
29. So they said one to another, “Who did this thing?” And when they inquired and asked around, they said: “Gideon son of Joash did this thing.”
30. Then the townspeople said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has broken down the altar of Baal, and even cut down the Asherah pole that was beside it.”
31. But Joash said to all who stood against him, “So you’re going to defend Baal? You’re going to rescue him? Whoever defends him will be put to death in the morning! If he is a god, let him defend himself—since someone has broken down his altar.”
32. So on that day he was called Jerubbaal saying, “Let Baal contend with him, since he broke down his altar.”
33. Now all the Midianites, the Amalekites and the people of the east gathered together, crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel.
34. But the Ruach Adonai clothed Gideon, and he blew the shofar, and Abiezer rallied behind him.
35. Then he sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also rallied behind him.Then he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, and they came up to join them.
36. Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to deliver Israel by my hand, as You have spoken,
37. see, I am putting a fleece of wool on the threshing-floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.”
38. And it was so. When he rose up early next day, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water.
39. Then Gideon said to God, “Let not Your anger burn against me if I speak once more. Let me please test once more with the fleece—let it now be dry only on the fleece, but let there be dew over all the ground.”
40. God did so that night, since it was dry only on the fleece, and there was dew over all the ground.