Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal

Judges 6

²⁸ When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. ²⁹ And they said to one another, "Who has done this thing?" And after they had searched and inquired, they said, "Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing." ³⁰ Then the men of the town said to Joash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it." ³¹ But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down." ³² Therefore on that day Gideon ₁ was called _s Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he broke down his altar.

³³ Now _t all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in _u the Valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ But _v the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, _w and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. ³⁵ _x And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. _x And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.

1. Cross References
   Judges 7:1
   Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
   1 Samuel 12:11
   And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety.
   2 Samuel 11:21
   Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'
   
2. Cross References
   Judges 6:3
   For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
   
3. Cross References
   Joshua 17:16
   The people of Joseph said, "The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel.
   
4. Cross References
   Judges 3:10
   The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.
   
5. Cross References
   Judges 3:27
   When he arrived, he sounded the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim. Then the people of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was their leader.
   
6. Cross References
   Judges 7:24
   Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.
   
7. Cross References
   Judges 7:24
   Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.
   

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.