28 When the townspeople got up early in the morning, there was the altar to Baal broken down, with the asherah image that had been beside it cut down, and the second bull offered on the newly built altar!
29 They asked each other, "Who did this?" They searched and investigated, and finally they concluded, "Gideon, Joash’s son, did this!"
30 The townspeople said to Joash, "Bring out your son for execution because he tore down the altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah that was beside it."
31 But Joash replied to all who were lined up against him, "Will you make Baal’s complaint for him? Will you come to his rescue? Anyone who argues for him will be killed before morning. If he is a god, let him argue for himself, because it was his altar that was torn down."
32 So on that day Gideon became known as Jerubbaal, meaning, "Let Baal argue with him," because he tore down his altar.
33 Some time later, all the Midianites, Amalekites, and other easterners joined together, came over, and set up camp in the Jezreel Valley.
34 Then the Lord’s spirit came over Gideon, and he sounded the horn and summoned the Abiezrites to follow him.