1
Then the men of Ephraimsaid to him, "What is thisthing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?" And they contended with him vigorously.
3
"God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb into your hands; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?" Then their angertoward* him subsided when he said that.
5
He said to the men of Succoth, "Pleasegiveloaves of bread to the peoplewho are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuingZebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."
7
Gideonsaid, "All right, when the LORD has givenZebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers."
10
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about 15,000** men, all who were left of the entirearmy of the sons of the east; for the fallen were 120,000**swordsmen**.
15
He came to the men of Succoth and said, "BeholdZebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, 'Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunnaalready in your hand, that we should givebread to your men who are weary?' "
18
Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "Whatkind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?" And they said, "They were like you, each oneresembling the son of a king."
21
Then Zebah and Zalmunnasaid, "Rise up yourself, and fall on us; for as the man, so is his strength." So Gideonarose and killedZebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescentornamentswhich were on their camels'necks.
24
Yet Gideonsaid to them, "I would request* of you, that each of you give me an earring from his spoil." (For they had goldearrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)
26
The weight of the goldearrings that he requested was 1,700** shekels of gold, besides* the crescentornaments and the pendants and the purplerobeswhich were on the kings of Midian, and besides* the neckbands that were on their camels'necks.
27
Gideonmade it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and allIsraelplayed the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.
28
So Midian was subduedbefore the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their headsanymore. And the land was undisturbed for fortyyears in the days of Gideon.