Parallel Bible results for "judges 8"

Judges 8

New Century Version NCV

1 The men of Ephraim asked Gideon, "Why did you treat us this way? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight against Midian?" They argued angrily with Gideon.

2 But he answered them, "I have not done as well as you! The small part you did was better than all that my people of Abiezer did.

3 God let you capture Oreb and Zeeb, the princes of Midian. How can I compare what I did with what you did?" When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon's answer, they were not as angry anymore.

4 When Gideon and his three hundred men came to the Jordan River, they were tired, but they chased the enemy across to the other side.

5 Gideon said to the men of Succoth, "Please give my soldiers some bread because they are very tired. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

6 But the leaders of Succoth said, "Why should we give your soldiers bread? You haven't caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet."

7 Then Gideon said, "The Lord will surrender Zebah and Zalmunna to me. After that, I will whip your skin with thorns and briers from the desert."

8 Gideon left Succoth and went to the city of Peniel and asked them for food. But the people of Peniel gave him the same answer as the people of Succoth.

9 So Gideon said to the men of Peniel, "After I win the victory, I will return and pull down this tower."

10 Zebah and Zalmunna and their army were in the city of Karkor. About fifteen thousand men were left of the armies of the peoples of the east. Already one hundred twenty thousand soldiers had been killed.

11 Gideon went up the road of those who live in tents east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he attacked the enemy army when they did not expect it.

12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian, ran away, but Gideon chased and captured them and frightened away their army.

13 Then Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres.

14 Gideon captured a young man from Succoth and asked him some questions. So the young man wrote down for Gideon the names of seventy-seven officers and older leaders of Succoth.

15 When Gideon came to Succoth, he said to the people of that city, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You made fun of me by saying, 'Why should we give bread to your tired men? You have not caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet.'"

16 So Gideon took the older leaders of the city and punished them with thorns and briers from the desert.

17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the people in that city.

18 Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What were the men like that you killed on Mount Tabor?" They answered, "They were like you. Each one of them looked like a prince."

19 Gideon said, "Those were my brothers, my mother's sons. As surely as the Lord lives, I would not kill you if you had spared them."

20 Then Gideon said to Jether, his oldest son, "Kill them." But Jether was only a boy and was afraid, so he did not take out his sword.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, "Come on. Kill us yourself. As the saying goes, 'It takes a man to do a man's job.'" So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna and took the decorations off their camels' necks.

22 The people of Israel said to Gideon, "You saved us from the Midianites. Now, we want you and your son and your grandson to rule over us."

23 But Gideon told them, "The Lord will be your ruler. I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you."

24 He said, "I want you to do this one thing for me. I want each of you to give me a gold earring from the things you took in the fighting." (The Ishmaelitesn wore gold earrings.)

25 They said, "We will gladly give you what you want." So they spread out a coat, and everyone threw down an earring from what he had taken.

26 The gold earrings weighed about forty-three pounds. This did not count the decorations, necklaces, and purple robes worn by the kings of Midian, nor the chains from the camels' necks.

27 Gideon used the gold to make a holy vest, which he put in his hometown of Ophrah. But all the Israelites were unfaithful to God and worshiped it, so it became a trap for Gideon and his family.

28 So Midian was under the rule of Israel; they did not cause trouble anymore. And the land had peace for forty years, as long as Gideon was alive.

29 Gideonn son of Joash went to his home to live.

30 He had seventy sons of his own, because he had many wives.

31 He had a slave woman who lived in Shechem, and he had a son by her, whom he named Abimelech.

32 So Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age. He was buried in the tomb of Joash, his father, in Ophrah, where the Abiezrites live.

33 As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel were again unfaithful to God and followed the Baals. They made Baal-Berith their god.

34 The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies living all around them.

35 And they were not kind to the family of Jerub-Baal, also called Gideon, for all the good he had done for Israel.

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 But the men of Efrayim complained to Gid'on, "Why didn't you call on us when you went to fight Midyan? Why did you treat us this way?" They were sharp in their criticism.

2 He answered by saying to them, "How can what I have done be compared with what you have done? Aren't the grapes Efrayim leaves on the vines better than the ones Avi'ezer harvests?

3 God handed over to you Midyan's chiefs, 'Orev and Ze'ev. What could I do that matches what you did?" By saying that, he appeased their anger at him.

4 By now Gid'on and his three hundred men had come to the Yarden and crossed over. They were exhausted but were still pursuing the enemy.

5 In Sukkot he asked the people there, "Please give some loaves of bread to the men following me, because they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zevach and Tzalmuna the kings of Midyan."

6 But the chiefs of Sukkot said, "You haven't captured Zevach and Tzalmuna yet, so why should we give bread to your army?"

7 Gid'on said: "If that's your answer, then after ADONAI has put Zevach and Tzalmuna in my hands, I will tear your flesh apart with desert thorns and thistles!"

8 From there he went up to P'nu'el and made the same request, and the people of P'nu'el gave the same answer as those of Sukkot.

9 So he answered the people of P'nu'el similarly, "When I return safe and sound, I will break down this tower!"

10 Now Zevach and Tzalmuna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all that remained of the entire army of the people from the east; since 120,000 arms-bearing soldiers had fallen.

11 Gid'on went up, using the route of the nomads east of Novach and Yogbehah, and struck down the army when they thought they were safe.

12 Zevach and Tzalmuna fled, but Gid'on pursued them. Thus he captured the two kings of Midyan, Zevach and Tzalmuna, and routed their whole army in panic.

13 When Gid'on the son of Yo'ash returned from the battle by way of the Heres Pass,

14 he captured a young man from Sukkot and asked him about the chiefs and leaders of Sukkot; he wrote down for him the names of seventy-seven of them.

15 Then he came to the people of Sukkot and said: "You insulted me when you said, 'You haven't captured Zevach and Tzalmuna yet, so why should we give bread to your exhausted men?' Well, here are Zevach and Tzalmuna!"

16 And he took the leaders of the city and desert thorns and thistles, and used them to teach the people of Sukkot a lesson!

17 He also broke down the tower of P'nu'el and put the men of the city to death.

18 Then he said to Zevach and Tzalmuna, "Tell me about the men you killed at Tavor." They answered, "They looked like you, like a king's sons."

19 Gid'on replied, "They were my brothers, my mother's sons. As surely as ADONAI is alive, I swear that if you had spared them, I would not kill you."

20 Then he ordered his oldest son, Yeter, "Get up, and kill them!" But the boy didn't draw his sword; being still a boy, he was afraid.

21 Then Zevach and Tzalmuna said, "You, do it. You, kill us. Let a grown man do what takes a grown man's strength." So Gid'on got up and killed Zevach and Tzalmuna; then he took the ornamental crescents from around their camels' necks.

22 The men of Isra'el said to Gid'on: "Rule over us, you, your son and your grandson, because you saved us from the power of Midyan.

23 Gid'on replied, "Neither I nor my son will rule over you; ADONAI will rule over you."

24 Then he added, "But I have this request to make of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from the booty you have taken." For the enemy soldiers had worn gold earrings, like all the other tribes descended from Yishma'el.

25 They replied, "We're glad to give them to you." They spread out a robe, and each man threw in the earrings from his booty.

26 The gold earrings he requested weighed more than forty-two pounds; and this doesn't include the crescents, pendants and purple cloth worn by the kings of Midyan and the chains around their camels' necks.

27 Out of these things Gid'on made a ritual vest, which he located in his city, 'Ofrah. But all Isra'el turned it into an idol there, and it thus became a snare to Gid'on and his family.

28 This is how Midyan was defeated by Isra'el, so that they ceased to be a threat. The land had rest forty years during the lifetime of Gid'on;

29 Yeruba'al the son of Yo'ash returned to his home and stayed there.

30 Gid'on became the father of seventy sons, because he had many wives.

31 He also had a concubine in Sh'khem, and she too bore him a son, whom he called Avimelekh.

32 Gid'on the son of Yo'ash died at a ripe old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Yo'ash, in 'Ofrah of the Avi'ezri.

33 But as soon as Gid'on was dead, the people of Isra'el again went astray after the ba'alim and made Ba'al-B'rit their god.

34 They forgot ADONAI their God, who had saved them from the power of all their enemies on every side;

35 and they showed no kindness toward the family of Yeruba'al, that is, Gid'on, to repay them for all the good he had done for Isra'el.