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 unto him—What is this thing thou hast done to us, in not calling us, when thou wentest to fight with Midian? And they did chide 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 unto them, What have I done, now, in comparison with you? Is not the grape-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.

Into your hand, hath God delivered the princes of Midian—Oreb and Zeeb, what then had I been able to do in comparison with you? Then, was their spirit softened toward him, when he had spoken this word.

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

And Gideon came towards the Jordan, being about to pass over—he, and the three hundred men who were with him, faint 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.”

So he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread to the people that are following me; for, faint, they are, and, I, am in pursuit of Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

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 Succoth said, Are the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy power, —that we should give to thine army bread?

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 Gideon said, Therefore, when Yahweh hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my power, then will I tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with the nettles.

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.

So he went up from thence, to Penuel, and spake unto them in like manner, —and the men of Penuel answered him, as had answered the men of Succoth.

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

So he spake to the men of Penuel also, saying, —When I return with success, 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.

Now, Zebah and Zalmunna, were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand, all that were left out of all the host of the sons of the east, —and, the fallen, were a hundred and twenty thousand men, who had drawn 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.

So Gideon went up by the way of the tent-dwellers, on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host, when, the host, had become secure.

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

And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, then he pursued them, and captured the two kings of Midian—Zebah and Zalmunna, and, all the host, put he in terror.

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

And Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle, —from the ascent of Heres;

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 caught a young man, of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him, —so he wrote down for him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, 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?’”

Then came he in unto the men of Succoth, and said, Lo! Zebah and Zalmunna, —concerning whom ye did taunt me, saying—Are the palms of the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thy power, that we should give to thy weary men bread?

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

So he took the elders of the city, and the thorns of the wilderness and the nettles, and taught therewith the men of Succoth:

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

the tower of Penuel also, brake he down, —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.”

Then said he unto Zebah and unto Zalmunna, What manner of men were they, whom ye slew at Tabor? And they said, As thou art, so were they, each one, as handsome as the sons 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 he said: My brethren, sons of my mother, they were! As Yahweh liveth, if ye had saved 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.

So he said to Jether his firstborn, Up! slay them. But the youth drew not his sword, for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

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.

Then said Zebah and Zalmunna—Up! thou, and fall upon us, for, like the man, is his might. So Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescents 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.”

Then said the men of Israel, unto Gideon, Rule over us—even thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, —for thou hast saved us out of the power of Midian.

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

And Gideon said unto them, I, will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you, —Yahweh, 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 Gideon said unto them—I would make to you a request, Give me, then, every man the nose-ring of his spoil. For they had, nose-rings of gold, for, Ishmaelites, they were.

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, freely give. So they spread out a mantle, and cast therein, every man the nose-ring of his spoil.

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 so it was, that the weight of the nose-rings of gold which he requested, was a thousand and seven hundred [shekels] of gold, —besides the crescents, and the pendants, and the raiment of purple that were upon the kings of Midian, and besides the ornaments 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 Gideon made thereof an Ephod, and set it up in his own city, in Ophrah, and all Israel went unchastely astray after it there, —so it became, to Gideon and to his house, a snare.

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,

Thus was Midian subdued, before the sons of Israel, neither did they again lift up their head, —and the land had rest forty years, in the days of Gideon.

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

So then Jerubbaal, son of Joash, went and dwelt in his own house.

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

And, Gideon, had seventy sons, sprung from his own loins, —for, many wives, had he.

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

And, his concubine who was in Shechem, she also, bare him a son, —and he gave him the name of 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 Gideon, son of Joash, died in a good old age, —and was buried in the grave of Joash his father, in Ophrah, of the Abiezrites.

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 that, as soon as Gideon was dead, the sons of Israel turned back, and went unchastely astray after the Baals, —and appointed them Baal-berith, to be 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.

so the sons of Israel remembered not Yahweh, their own God, —who had rescued them out of the hand of all their enemies, on every side;

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

neither dealt they in lovingkindness with the house of Jerubbaal [namely] Gideon, —according to all the goodness wherewith he had dealt with Israel.