Judges 8

1 Then the men of Ephraim sayde vnto him, Why hast thou serued vs thus that thou calledst vs not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? and they chode with him sharply.

2 To whom he said, What haue I now done in comparison of you? is not the gleaning of grapes of Ephraim better, then the vintage of Abiezer?

3 God hath deliuered into your handes the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? and when he had thus spoken, then their spirits abated toward him.

4 And Gideon came to Iorden to passe ouer, hee, and the three hundreth men that were with him, weary, yet pursuing them.

5 And he said vnto the men of Succoth, Giue, I pray you, morsels of bread vnto the people that follow me (for they be wearie) that I may follow after Zebah, and Zalmunna Kings of Midian.

6 And the princes of Succoth sayde, Are the handes of Zebah and Zalmunna nowe in thine hads, that we should giue bread vnto thine army?

7 Gideon then sayde, Therefore when the Lord hath deliuered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, I will teare your flesh with thornes of the wildernes and with breers.

8 And he went vp thence to Penuel, and spake vnto them likewise, and the men of Penuel answered him, as the men of Succoth answered.

9 And he sayd also vnto the men of Penuel, When I come againe in peace, I will breake downe this towre.

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hostes with them, about fifteene thousande, all that were left of all the hostes of them of the East: for there was slaine an hundreth and twentie thousand men, that drew swordes.

11 And Gideon went through them that dwelt in Tabernacles on the East side of Nobah and Iogbehah, and smote the hoste: for the hoste was carelesse.

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, hee followed after them, and tooke the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the hoste.

13 So Gideon the sonne of Ioash returned from battel, the sunne being yet hie,

14 And tooke a seruant of the me of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he wrote to him the princes of Succoth and the Elders thereof, euen seuentie and seuen men.

15 And he came vnto the men of Succoth, and sayd, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, by whome ye vpbrayded me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in thine hands, that we should giue bread vnto thy weary men?

16 Then he tooke the Elders of the citie, and thornes of the wildernes and breers, and did teare the men of Succoth with them.

17 Also he brake downe the towre of Penuel, and slew the men of the citie.

18 Then saide he vnto Zebah and Zalmunna, What maner of men were they, whom ye slew at Tabor? and they answered, As thou art, so were they: euery one was like the children of a King.

19 And he said, They were my brethren, euen my mothers children: as the Lord liueth, if ye had saued their liues, I would not slay you.

20 Then he sayde vnto Iether his first borne sonne, Vp, and slay them: but the boy drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet yong.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna sayd, Rise thou, and fall vpon vs: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and tooke away the ornamentes, that were on their camels neckes.

22 Then the men of Israel sayd vnto Gideon, Reigne thou ouer vs, both thou, and thy sonne, and thy sonnes sonne: for thou hast deliuered vs out of the hand of Midian.

23 And Gideon sayde vnto them, I will not reigne ouer you, neither shall my childe reigne ouer you, but the Lord shall reigne ouer you.

24 Againe Gideon sayd vnto them, I would desire a request of you, that you would giue mee euery man the earings of his pray (for they had golden earings because they were Ismaelites)

25 And they answered, Wee will giue them. And they spred a garment, and did cast therein euery man the earings of his pray.

26 And the weight of the golden earings that he required, was a thousande and seuen hundreth shekels of golde, beside collers and iewels, and purple rayment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the cheynes that were about their camels neckes.

27 And Gideon made an Ephod thereof, and put it in Ophrah his citie: and all Israel went a whoring there after it, which was the destruction of Gideon and his house.

28 Thus was Midian brought lowe before the children of Israel, so that they lift vp their heads no more: and the countrey was in quietnes fourtie yeeres in the dayes of Gideon.

29 Then Ierubbaal the sonne of Ioash went, and dwelt in his owne house.

30 And Gideon had seuentie sonnes begotten of his body: for he had many wiues.

31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, bare him a sonne also, whose name he called Abimelech.

32 So Gideon the sonne of Ioash dyed in a good age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Ioash his father in Ophrah, of the father of ye Ezrites.

33 But when Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned away and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their God.

34 And the children of Israel remembred not the Lord their God, which had deliuered the out of the hands of all their enemies on euery side.

35 Neither shewed they mercy on the house of Ierubbaal, or Gideon, according to al the goodnesse which he had shewed vnto Israel.