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.
9 I saved you from the people of Egypt. And I saved you from all the people of Canaan. I forced them out of their land. And I gave it to you.
10 Then I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God. You will live in the land of the Amorites, but you must not worship their gods.’ But you did not obey me.”