8:1 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they criticized him sharply.
8:2 But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?
8:3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.
8:4 Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it.
8:5 He said to the men of Succoth, “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”
8:6 But the officials of Succoth said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?”
8:7 Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”
8:8 From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had.
8:9 So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”
8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen.
8:11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell upon the unsuspecting army.
8:12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.
8:13 Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.
8:14 He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Succoth, the elders of the town.
8:15 Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’”
8:16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers.
8:17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.
8:18 Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.”
8:19 Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.”
8:20 Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.
8:21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks.
8:22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us–you, your son and your grandson–because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.”
8:23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.”
8:24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)
8:25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it.
8:26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks.
8:27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family.
8:28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years.
8:29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live.
8:30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives.
8:31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech.
8:32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
8:33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and
8:34 did not remember the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.
8:35 They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for them.
8:1 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, Why have you done this thing to us, that you did not call us when you went to battle against Midian? And they contended with him sharply.
8:2 And he said to them, What have I done now to compare with you? Are not the gleanings of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
8:3 It was into your hand that God gave the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison with you? Then their hostile spirit toward him subsided when he said this word.
8:4 Then Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the three hundred men with him, weary yet pursuing.
8:5 And he said to the men of Succoth, Please give us loaves of bread for the people behind me, for they are weary and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.
8:6 But the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand now, that we should give bread to your army?
8:7 And Gideon said, Because of this, when Jehovah does deliver Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will trample your flesh on the thorns of the wilderness and the briers.
8:8 Then he went up from there to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way; and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered.
8:9 And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I return in peace, I will break down this tower.
8:10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their camps were with them, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of the entire camp of the children of the east; for there had fallen one hundred and twenty thousand men who drew the sword.
8:11 And Gideon went up by way of the tent dwellers, east of Nobah and Jogbehah; and he struck the camp when the camp was off guard.
8:12 And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued after them. And he captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and threw all the camp into confusion.
8:13 And when Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle from the ascent of Heres,
8:14 He captured a young man from among the men of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the princes of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men.
8:15 Then he came to the men of Succoth and said, Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hand now, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?
8:16 And he took the elders of the city and the thorns of the wilderness and the briers, and with them he trampled the men of Succoth.
8:17 And he broke down the tower of Penuel and slew the men of the city.
8:18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, What were the men whom you slew in Tabor like? And they said, As you are, so were they. Each one was like the children of a king in form.
8:19 And he said, They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Jehovah lives, if you had kept them alive, I would not slay you.
8:20 And he said to Jether his firstborn, Rise up; slay them. But the youth would not draw his sword, because he was fearful; for he was still a youth.
8:21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, You rise up, and fall on us; for there is as much strength as there is man. And Gideon rose up and slew Zebah and Zalmunna. And he took the crescents that were on their camels necks.
8:22 And the men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson as well; for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.
8:23 But Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. Jehovah will rule over you.
8:24 And Gideon said to them, Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil. (The Midianites had golden earrings, for they were Ishmaelites.)
8:25 And they said, We will willingly give it. And they spread out a garment, and each of them threw an earring from his spoil there.
8:26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold. This was besides the crescents and the pendants and the purple garments that were upon the kings of Midian and besides the chains that were on their camels necks.
8:27 And Gideon made an ephod with it and placed it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel went as harlots to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his house.
8:28 So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.
8:29 Then Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his house.
8:30 And Gideon had seventy sons, the issue of his loins, for he had many wives.
8:31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.
8:32 And Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age, and he was buried in the tomb of Joash his father in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
8:33 And as soon as Gideon died, the children of Israel turned again and went as harlots after the Baals. And they made Baal-berith their god.
8:34 And the children of Israel did not remember Jehovah their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies all around;
8:35 Nor did they show mercy to the house of Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, for all the good he had done to Israel.