Judges 8

1 And the men of Ephraim came and said to him, Why did you not send for us when you went to war against Midian? And they said sharp and angry words to him.

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 And he said to them, What have I done in comparison with you? Is not that which Ephraim took up after the grape-cutting better than all the grapes which Abiezer got in from the grape-cutting?

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 given into your hands the chiefs of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; what have I been able to do in comparison with you? And when he said this, their feeling about him became kinder.

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 came to Jordan and went over it with his three hundred, overcome with weariness and in need of food.

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

5 And he said to the men of Succoth, Give bread cakes to my people, for they are overcome with weariness, and I am going on after 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 chiefs of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna even now in your hand that we are to 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 Then Gideon said, Because of this, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hands, I will have you stretched on a bed of thorns of the waste land and on sharp stems, and have you crushed as grain is crushed on a grain-floor.

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 So he went up from there to Penuel and made the same request to the men of Penuel; but they gave him the same answer as the men of Succoth had given.

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 he said to the men of Penuel, When I come back in peace, I will have this tower broken down.

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 and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand men, those of all the army of the children of the east who were still living; for a hundred and twenty thousand of their swordsmen had been put to death.

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 the way used by the people living in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and made an attack on the army when they had no thought of danger.

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 And Zebah and Zalmunna went in flight; and he went after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and put all the army to the curse.

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 Then Gideon, the son of Joash, went back from the fight:

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

14 And taking prisoner a young man of the people of Succoth, he got from him, in answer to his questions, a list of the chiefs of Succoth and the responsible men, seventy-seven men.

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 So he came to the men of Succoth and said, Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, on account of whom you made sport of me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna even now in your hand, that we are to give bread to your army who are overcome with weariness?

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 responsible men of the town and had them crushed on a bed of thorns and sharp stems.

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 And he had the tower of Penuel broken down and the men of the town put to death.

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

18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, Where are the men whom you put to death at Tabor? And they gave answer, As you are, so were they; every one of them was like a king's son.

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 And he said, They were my brothers, my mother's sons: by the life of the Lord, if you had kept them safe, I would not put you to death.

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 Then he said to Jether, his oldest son, Up! Put them to death. But the boy did not take out his sword, fearing because he was still a boy.

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, Up! Put an end to us yourself: for you have a man's strength. Then Gideon got up and put Zebah and Zalmunna to death and took the ornaments which were on their camels' necks.

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 men of Israel said to Gideon, Be our ruler, you and your son and your son's son after him; for you have been our saviour from the hands 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 said to them, I will not be a ruler over you, and my son will not be a ruler over you: it is the Lord who will be ruler 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 Gideon said to them, I have a request to make to you; let every man give me the ear-rings he has taken. (For they had gold ear-rings, 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 And they gave answer, We will gladly give them. So they put down a robe, every man dropping into it the ear-rings he had taken.

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 ear-rings which he got from them was one thousand, seven hundred shekels of gold; in addition to the moon-ornaments and jewels and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and the chains on their camels' necks.

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 And Gideon made an ephod from them and put it up in his town Ophrah; and all Israel went after it there and were false to the Lord; and it became a cause of sin to Gideon and his house.

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 So Midian was broken before the children of Israel and the Midianites never got back their strength. And the land had peace 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 Jerubbaal, the son of Joash, went back to his house and was living there.

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

30 Gideon had seventy sons, the offspring of his body; for he had a number of wives.

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

31 And the servant-wife he had in Shechem had a son by him, to whom he gave the name Abimelech.

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

32 And Gideon, the son of Joash, came to his end when he was very old, and his body was put in the resting-place of Joash his father, 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 after the death of Gideon, the children of Israel again went after the gods of Canaan and were false to the Lord, and made Baal-berith 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 And the children of Israel did not keep in their minds the Lord their God, who had been their saviour from all their haters 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 And they were not kind to the house of Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, in reward for all the good he had done to 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.