1. Again the people of Israel did what the Lord said was wrong. So for seven years the Lord let the people of Midian rule Israel.
2. The Midianites were very powerful and were cruel to the Israelites. So the Israelites made hiding places in the mountains. They also hid in caves and safe places.
3. Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other peoples from the east would come and attack them.
4. These people camped in the land. And they destroyed the crops that the Israelites had planted. They did this as far as the land near Gaza. The people left nothing for Israel to eat. They left them no sheep, cattle or donkeys.
5. The Midianites came up and camped in the land. They brought their tents and their animals with them. They were like swarms of locusts! There were so many people and camels they could not be counted. These people came into the land to ruin it.
6. Israel became very poor because of the Midianites. So the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help.
7. The Israelites cried out to the Lord for help against the Midianites.
8. So the Lord sent a prophet to them. The prophet said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you out of Egypt, the land of slavery.