And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
Gideon asked God not to be angry with him, and he wanted to do this just once. He requested that God let him test the fleece - make it dry while the rest of the ground is wet with dew.