The people for their sins, are oppressed by the Madianites. Gedeon is called to deliver them.

 1 And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord: and he delivered them into the hand of Madian seven years.
Fecerunt autem filii Israel malum in conspectu Domini : qui tradidit illos in manu Madian septem annis,

 2 And they were grievously oppressed by them. And they made themselves dens and eaves in the mountains, and strong holds to resist.
et oppressi sunt valde ab eis. Feceruntque sibi antra et speluncas in montibus, et munitissima ad repugnandum loca.

 3 And when Israel had sown, Madian and Amalec, and the rest of the eastern nations came up:
Cumque sevisset Israel, ascendebat Madian et Amalec, ceterique orientalium nationum :

 4 And pitching their tents among them, wasted all things as they were in the blade even to the entrance of Gaza: and they left nothing at all in Israel for sustenance of life, nor sheep, nor oxen, nor asses.
et apud eos figentes tentoria, sicut erant in herbis cuncta vastabant usque ad introitum Gazae : nihilque omnino ad vitam pertinens relinquebant in Israel, non oves, non boves, non asinos.

 5 For they and all their flocks came with their tents, and like locusts filled all places, an innumerable multitude of men, and of camels, wasting whatsoever they touched.
Ipsi enim et universi greges eorum veniebant cum tabernaculis suis, et instar locustarum universa complebant, innumera multitudo hominum, et camelorum, quidquid tetigerant devastantes.

 6 And Israel was humbled exceedingly in the sight of Madian.
Humiliatusque est Israel valde in conspectu Madian.

 7 And he cried to the Lord desiring help against the Madianites.
Et clamavit ad Dominum postulans auxilium contra Madianitas.

 8 And he sent unto them a prophet, and he spoke: Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I made you to come up out of Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage,
Qui misit ad eos virum prophetam, et locutus est : Haec dicit Dominus Deus Israel : Ego vos feci conscendere de Aegypto, et eduxi vos de domo servitutis,

 9 And delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians, and of all the enemies that afflicted you: and I cast them out at your coming in, and gave you their land.
et liberavi de manu Aegyptiorum, et omnium inimicorum, qui affligebant vos : ejecique eos ad introitum vestrum, et tradidi vobis terram eorum.

 10 And I said: I am the Lord your God, fear not the gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell. And you would not hear my voice.
Et dixi : Ego Dominus Deus vester : ne timeatis deos Amorrhaeorum, in quorum terra habitatis. Et noluistis audire vocem meam.

 11 And an angel of the Lord came, and sat under an oak, that was in Ephra, and belonged to Joas the father of the family of Ezri. And when Gedeon his son was threshing and cleansing wheat by the winepress, to flee from Madian,
Venit autem angelus Domini, et sedit sub quercu, quae erat in Ephra, et pertinebat ad Joas patrem familiae Ezri. Cumque Gedeon filius ejus excuteret atque purgaret frumenta in torculari, ut fugeret Madian,

 12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: The Lord is with thee, O most valiant of men.
apparuit ei angelus Domini, et ait : Dominus tecum, virorum fortissime.

 13 And Gedeon said to him: I beseech thee, my lord, if the Lord be with us, why have these evils fallen upon us? Where are his miracles, which our fathers have told us of, saying: The Lord brought us Out of Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the bands of Madian.
Dixitque ei Gedeon : Obsecro, mi domine, si Dominus nobiscum est, cur apprehenderunt nos haec omnia? ubi sunt mirabilia ejus, quae narraverunt patres nostri, atque dixerunt : De Aegypto eduxit nos Dominus? nunc autem dereliquit nos Dominus, et tradidit in manu Madian.

 14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said: Go in this thy strength, and thou shalt deliver Israel out of the hand of Madian: know that I have sent thee.
Respexitque ad eum Dominus, et ait : Vade in hac fortitudine tua, et liberabis Israel de manu Madian : scito quod miserim te.

 15 He answered and said: I beseech thee, my lord, wherewith shall I deliver Israel? Behold my family is the meanest in Manasses, and I am the least in my father's house.
Qui respondens ait : Obsecro, mi domine, in quo liberabo Israel? ecce familia mea infima est in Manasse, et ego minimus in domo patris mei.

 16 And the Lord said to him: I will be with thee: and thou shalt cut off Madian as one man.
Dixitque ei Dominus : Ego ero tecum : et percuties Madian quasi unum virum.

 17 And he said: If I have found grace before thee, give me a sign that it is thou that speakest to me,
Et ille : Si inveni, inquit, gratiam coram te, da mihi signum quod tu sis qui loqueris ad me.

 18 And depart not hence, till I return to thee, and bring a sacrifice, and offer it to thee. And he answered: I will wait thy coming.
nec recedas hinc, donec revertar ad te, portans sacrificium, et offerens tibi. Qui respondit : Ego praestolabor adventum tuum.

 19 So Gedeon went in, and boiled a kid, and made unleavened loaves of a measure of flour: and putting the flesh in a basket, and the broth of the flesh into a pot, he carried all under the oak, and presented to him.
Ingressus est itaque Gedeon, et coxit haedum, et de farinae modio azymos panes : carnesque ponens in canistro, et jus carnium mittens in ollam, tulit omnia sub quercu, et obtulit ei.

 20 And the angel of the Lord said to him: Take the flesh and the unleavened loaves, and lay them upon that rock, and pour out the broth thereon. And when he had done so,
Cui dixit angelus Domini : Tolle carnes et azymos panes, et pone supra petram illam, et jus desuper funde. Cumque fecisset ita,

 21 The angel of the Lord put forth the tip of the rod, which he held in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened loaves: and there arose a fire from the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened loaves: and the angel of the Lord vanished out of his sight.
extendit angelus Domini summitatem virgae, quam tenebat in manu, et tetigit carnes et panes azymos : ascenditque ignis de petra, et carnes azymosque panes consumpsit : angelus autem Domini evanuit ex oculis ejus.

 22 And Gedeon seeing that it was the angel of the Lord, said: Alas, my Lord God: for I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.
Vidensque Gedeon quod esset angelus Domini, ait : Heu mi Domine Deus : quia vidi angelum Domini facie ad faciem.

 23 And the Lord said to him: Peace be with thee: fear not, thou shalt not die.
Dixitque ei Dominus : Pax tecum : ne timeas, non morieris.

 24 And Gedeon built there an altar to the Lord, and called it the Lord's peace, until this present day. And when he was yet in Ephra, which is of the family of Ezri,
Aedificavit ergo ibi Gedeon altare Domino, vocavitque illud, Domini pax, usque in praesentem diem. Cumque adhuc esset in Ephra, quae est familiae Ezri,

 25 That night the Lord said to him: Take a bullock of thy father's, and another bullock of seven years, and thou shalt destroy the altar of Baal, which is thy father's: and cut down the grove that is about the altar:
nocte illa dixit Dominus ad eum : Tolle taurum patris tui, et alterum taurum annorum septem, destruesque aram Baal, quae est patris tui : et nemus, quod circa aram est, succide :

 26 And thou shalt build an altar to the Lord thy God in the top of this rock, whereupon thou didst lay the sacrifice before: and thou shalt take the second bullock, and shalt offer a holocaust upon a pile of the wood, which thou shalt cut down out of the grove.
et aedificabis ibi altare Domino Deo tuo in summitate petrae hujus, super quam ante sacrificium posuisti : tollesque taurum secundum, et offeres holocaustum super struem lignorum, quae de nemore succideris.

 27 Then Gedeon taking ten men of his servants, did as the Lord had commanded him. But fearing his father's house, and the men of that city, he would not do it by day, but did all by night.
Assumptis ergo Gedeon decem viris de servis suis, fecit sicut praeceperat ei Dominus. Timens autem domum patris sui, et homines illius civitatis, per diem noluit id facere, sed omnia nocte complevit.

 28 And when the men of that town were risen in the morning, they saw the altar of Baal destroyed, and the grove cut down, and the second bullock laid upon the altar, which then was built.
Cumque surrexissent viri oppidi ejus mane, viderunt destructam aram Baal, lucumque succisum, et taurum alterum impositum super altare, quod tunc aedificatum erat.

 29 And they said one to another: Who hath done this? And when they inquired for the author of the fact, it was said: Gedeon the son of Joas did all this.
Dixeruntque ad invicem : Quis hoc fecit? Cumque perquirerent auctorem facti, dictum est : Gedeon filius Joas fecit haec omnia.

 30 And they said to Joas: Bring out thy son hither, that he may die: because he hath destroyed the altar of Baal, and hath cut down his grove.
Et dixerunt ad Joas : Produc filium tuum huc, ut moriatur : quia destruxit aram Baal, et succidit nemus.

 31 He answered them: Are you the avengers of Baal, that you fight for him? he that is his adversary, let him die before tomorrow light appear: if he be a god, let him revenge himself on him that hath cast down his altar.
Quibus ille respondit : Numquid ultores estis Baal, ut pugnetis pro eo? qui adversarius est ejus, moriatur antequam lux crastina veniat : si Deus est, vindicet se de eo, qui suffodit aram ejus.

 32 From that day Gedeon was called Jerobaal, because Joas had said: Let Baal revenge himself on him that hath cast down his altar.
Ex illo die vocatus est Gedeon Jerobaal, eo quod dixisset Joas : Ulciscatur se de eo Baal, qui suffodit aram ejus.

 33 Now all Madian, and Amalec, and the eastern people were gathered together, and passing over the Jordan, camped in the valley of Jezrael.
Igitur omnis Madian, et Amalec, et orientales populi, congregati sunt simul : et transeuntes Jordanem, castrametati sunt in valle Jezrael.

 34 But the spirit of the Lord came upon Gedeon, and he sounded the trumpet and called together the house of Abiezer, to follow him.
Spiritus autem Domini induit Gedeon, qui clangens buccina convocavit domum Abiezer, ut sequeretur se.

 35 And he sent messengers into all Manasses, and they also followed him: and other messengers into Aser and Zabulon and Nephtali, and they came to meet him.
Misitque nuntios in universum Manassen, qui et ipse secutus est eum : et alios nuntios in Aser et Zabulon et Nephthali, qui occurrerunt ei.

 36 And Gedeon said to God: If thou wilt save Israel by my hand, as thou hast said,
Dixitque Gedeon ad Deum : Si salvum facis per manum meam Israel, sicut locutus es,

 37 I will put this fleece of wool on the floor: if there be dew on the fleece only, and it be dry on all the ground beside, I, shall know that by my hand, as thou hast said, thou wilt deliver Israel.
ponam hoc vellus lanae in area : si ros in solo vellere fuerit, et in omni terra siccitas, sciam quod per manum meam, sicut locutus es, liberabis Israel.

 38 And it was so. And rising before day wringing the fleece, he filled a vessel with the dew.
Factumque est ita. Et de nocte consurgens expresso vellere, concham rore implevit.

 39 And he said again to God: let not thy wrath be kindled against me if I try once more, seeking a sign in the fleece. I pray that the fleece only may be dry, and all the ground wet with dew.
Dixitque rursus ad Deum : Ne irascatur furor tuus contra me si adhuc semel tentavero, signum quaerens in vellere. Oro ut solum vellus siccum sit, et omnis terra rore madens.

 40 And God did that night as he had requested: and it was dry on the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.
Fecitque Deus nocte illa ut postulaverat : et fuit siccitas in solo vellere, et ros in omni terra.