Judges 6:25–32

GIDEON TEARS DOWN A BAAL ALTAR

²⁵On that very night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal^d that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. ²⁶Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this mound.^e Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” ²⁷So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night.

²⁸When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built. ²⁹They said to each other, “Who did this?” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”

³⁰Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”

³¹But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.” ³²That day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he tore down his altar.