Judges 8

1 Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently.

And the men of Ephraim said to Gedeon, What [is] this [that] thou hast done to us, in that thou didst not call us when thou wentest to fight with Madiam? and they chode with him sharply.

2 But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?

And he said to them, What have I now done in comparison of you? [is] not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

3 God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.

The Lord has delivered into your hand the princes of Madiam, Oreb and Zeb; and what could I do in comparison of you? Then was their spirit calmed toward him, when he spoke this word.

4 Then Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan and crossed it, exhausted yet still in pursuit.

And Gedeon came to Jordan, and went over, himself and the three hundred with him, hungry, yet pursuing.

5 So Gideon said to the men of Succoth, “Please give my troops some bread, for they are exhausted, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.”

And he said to the men of Socchoth, Give, I pray you, bread to feed this people that follow me; because they are faint, and behold, I am following after Zebee and Salmana, kings of Madiam.

6 But the leaders of Succoth asked, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your army?”

And the princes of Socchoth said, [Are] the hands of Zebee and Salmana now in thy hand, that we should give bread to thy host?

7 “Very well,” Gideon replied, “when the LORD has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with the thorns and briers of the wilderness!”

And Gedeon said, Therefore when the Lord gives Zebee and Salmana into my hand, then will I tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and the Barkenim.

8 From there he went up to Penuel and asked the same from them, but the men of Penuel gave the same response as the men of Succoth.

And he went up thence to Phanuel, and spoke to them likewise: and the men of Phanuel answered him as the men of Socchoth [had] answered him.

9 So Gideon told the men of Penuel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower!”

And Gedeon said to the men of Phanuel, When I return in peace, I will break down this tower.

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army of about fifteen thousand men—all that were left of the armies of the people of the east. A hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had already fallen.

And Zebee and Salmana [were] in Carcar, and their host [was] with them, about fifteen thousand, all that were left of all the host of the aliens; and they that fell [were] a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew the sword.

11 And Gideon went up by way of the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked their army, taking them by surprise.

And Gedeon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents, eastward of Nabai and Jegebal; and he smote the host, and the host was secure.

12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, Gideon pursued and captured these two kings of Midian, routing their entire army.

And Zebee and Salmana fled; and he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Madiam, Zebee and Salmana, and discomfited all the army.

13 After this, Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle along the Ascent of Heres.

And Gedeon the son of Joas returned from the battle, down from the battle of Ares.

14 There he captured a young man of Succoth and interrogated him. The young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven leaders and elders of Succoth.

And he took prisoner a young lad of the men of Socchoth, and questioned him; and he wrote to him the names of the princes of Socchoth and of their elders, seventy-seven men.

15 And Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your possession, that we should give bread to your weary men?’”

And Gedeon came to the princes of Socchoth, and said, Behold Zebee and Salmana, about whom ye reproached me, saying, [Are] the hands of Zebee and Salmana now in thy hand, that we should give bread to thy men that are faint?

16 Then he took the elders of the city, and using the thorns and briers of the wilderness, he disciplined the men of Succoth.

And he took the elders of the city with the thorns of the wilderness and the Barkenim, and with them he tore the men of the city.

17 He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

And he overthrew the tower of Phanuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”

And he said to Zebee and Salmana, Where [are] the men whom ye slew in Thabor? and they said, As thou, so [were] they, according to the likeness of the son of a king.

19 “They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”

And Gedeon said, They were my brethren and the sons of my mother: [as] the Lord lives, if ye had preserved them alive, I would not have slain you.

20 So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.

And he said to Jether his first-born, Rise and slay them; but the lad drew not his sword, for he was afraid, for he was yet very young.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.

And Zebee and Salmana said, Rise thou and fall upon us, for thy power [is] as that of a man; and Gedeon arose, and slew Zebee and Salmana: and he took the round ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you and your son and grandson—for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

And the men of Israel said to Gedeon, Rule, [my] lord, over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son; for thou hast saved us out of the hand of Madiam.

23 But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.”

And Gedeon said to them, I will not rule, and my son shall not rule among you; the Lord shall rule over you.

24 Then he added, “Let me make a request of you, that each of you give me an earring from his plunder.” (For the enemies had gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.)

And Gedeon said to them, I will make a request of you, and do ye give me every man an earring out of his spoils: for they had golden earrings, for they were Ismaelites.

25 “We will give them gladly,” they replied. So they spread out a garment, and each man threw an earring from his plunder onto it.

And they said, We will certainly give them: and he opened his garment, and each man cast therein an earring of his spoils.

26 The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.

And the weight of the golden earrings which he asked, was a thousand and seven hundred pieces of gold, besides the crescents, and the chains, and the garments, and the purple cloths that were on the kings of Madiam, and besides the chains that were on the necks of their camels.

27 From all this Gideon made an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

And Gedeon made an ephod of it, an set it in his city in Ephratha; and all Israel went thither a whoring after it, and it became a stumbling-block to Gedeon and his house.

28 In this way Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. So the land had rest for forty years in the days of Gideon,

And Madiam, was straitened before the children of Israel, and they did not lift up their head any more; and the land had rest forty years in the days of Gedeon.

29 and he—Jerubbaal son of Joash—returned home and settled down.

And Jerobaal the son of Joas went and sat in his house.

30 Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.

And Gedeon had seventy sons begotten of his body, for he had many wives.

31 His concubine, who dwelt in Shechem, also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

And his concubine was in Sychem, and she also bore him a son, and gave him the name Abimelech.

32 Later, Gideon son of Joash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

And Gedeon son of Joas died in his city, and he was buried in the sepulchre of Joas his father in Ephratha of Abi-Esdri.

33 And as soon as Gideon was dead, the Israelites turned and prostituted themselves with the Baals, and they set up Baal-berith as their god.

And it came to pass when Gedeon was dead, that the children of Israel turned, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made for themselves a covenant with Baal that he should be their god.

34 The Israelites failed to remember the LORD their God who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side.

And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God who had delivered them out of the hand of all that afflicted them round about.

35 They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for Israel.

And they did not deal mercifully with the house of Jerobaal, (the same is Gedeon) according to all the good which he did to Israel.