1 Then the men of Ephraimsaid to him, "1What is thisthing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?" And they contended with him vigorously.
2
But he said to them, "What have I donenow in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraimbetterthan the vintage of Abiezer?
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.
4
Then Gideon and the 300*menwho were with him came2to the Jordan and crossedover, weary yet pursuing.
5
He said to the men of 3Succoth, "Pleasegiveloaves of bread to the peoplewho are following me, for they are weary, and I am pursuingZebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."
6
The leaders of Succothsaid, "4Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunnaalready in your hands, that we should givebread to your army?"
7
Gideonsaid, "All right, 5when the LORD has givenZebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will thrash your bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers."
8
He went up from there to 6Penuel and spokesimilarly to them; and the men of Penuelanswered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.
9
So he spokealso to the men of Penuel, saying, "When I returnsafely, 7I will teardownthistower."
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; 8for the fallen were 120,000**swordsmen**.
11
Gideonwent up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the camp when the camp was unsuspecting.
12
When Zebah and Zalmunnafled, he pursued them and captured the twokings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the wholearmy.
13
Then Gideon the son of Joashreturned from the battle by the ascent of Heres.
14
And he captured a youth from Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrotedown for him the princes of Succoth and its elders, seventy-sevenmen.
15
He came to the men of Succoth and said, "BeholdZebah and Zalmunna, concerning whom you taunted me, saying, '9Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunnaalready in your hand, that we should givebread to your men who are weary?' "
16
He took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he disciplined the men of Succoth with them.
17
10He toredown the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
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."
19
He said, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORDlives, ifonly you had let them live, I would not kill you."
20
So he said to Jether his firstborn, "Rise, kill them." But the youth did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.
21
Then Zebah and Zalmunnasaid, "Rise up yourself, and fall on us; for as the man, so is his strength." 11So Gideonarose and killedZebah and Zalmunna, and 12took the crescentornamentswhich were on their camels'necks.
22
Then the men of Israelsaid to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you and your son, also your son'sson, for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian."
23
But Gideonsaid to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my sonrule over you; 13the LORD shall rule over you."
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 14Ishmaelites.)
25
They said, "We will surelygive them." So they spread out a garment, and everyone of them threw an earringthere from his spoil.
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 15an 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.
Forty Years of Peace
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.
29
Then 16Jerubbaal the son of Joashwent and lived in his own house.
30
Now Gideonhad17seventysons who were his directdescendants, for he hadmanywives.
31
His concubinewho was in Shechemalsobore him a son, and he named* him Abimelech.
32
And Gideon the son of Joashdied at a ripeoldage and was buried in the tomb of his fatherJoash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
33
Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, 18that the sons of Israelagainplayed the harlot with the Baals, and made19Baal-berith their god.
34
Thus the sons of Israel20did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on everyside;
35
21nor did they showkindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon ) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel.