Parallel Bible results for "judges 8"

Judges 8

New Revised Standard NRS

1 Then the Ephraimites said to him, "What have you done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against the Midianites?" And they upbraided him violently.

2 So he said to them, "What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?

3 God has given into your hands the captains of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; what have I been able to do in comparison with you?" When he said this, their anger against him subsided.

4 Then Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the three hundred who were with him, exhausted and famished.

5 So he said to the people of Succoth, "Please give some loaves of bread to my followers, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

6 But the officials of Succoth said, "Do you already have in your possession the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna, that we should give bread to your army?"

7 Gideon replied, "Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will trample your flesh on the thorns of the wilderness and on briers."

8 From there he went up to Penuel, and made the same request of them; and the people of Penuel answered him as the people of Succoth had answered.

9 So he said to the people of Penuel, "When I come back victorious, I will break down this tower."

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the east; for one hundred twenty thousand men bearing arms had fallen.

11 So Gideon went up by the caravan route east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attacked the army; for the army was off its guard.

12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled; and he pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and threw all the army into a panic.

13 When Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres,

14 he caught a young man, one of the people of Succoth, and questioned him; and he listed for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven people.

15 Then he came to the people of Succoth, and said, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, "Do you already have in your possession the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna, that we should give bread to your troops who are exhausted?' "

16 So he took the elders of the city and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them he trampled the people of Succoth.

17 He also broke down the tower of Penuel, and killed the men of the city.

18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, "What about the men whom you killed at Tabor?" They answered, "As you are, so were they, every one of them; they resembled the sons of a king."

19 And he replied, "They were my brothers, the sons of my mother; as the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you."

20 So he said to Jether his firstborn, "Go kill them!" But the boy did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a boy.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, "You come and kill us; for as the man is, so is his strength." So Gideon proceeded to kill Zebah and Zalmunna; and he took the crescents that were on the necks of their camels.

22 Then the Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also; for you have delivered us out of the hand of Midian."

23 Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you."

24 Then Gideon said to them, "Let me make a request of you; each of you give me an earring he has taken as booty." (For the enemy had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 "We will willingly give them," they answered. So they spread a garment, and each threw into it an earring he had taken as booty.

26 The weight of the golden earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold (apart from the crescents and the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian, and the collars that were on the necks of their camels).

27 Gideon made an ephod of it and put it in his town, in Ophrah; and all Israel prostituted themselves to it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.

28 So Midian was subdued before the Israelites, and they lifted up their heads no more. So the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 Jerubbaal son of Joash went to live in his own house.

30 Now Gideon had seventy sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives.

31 His concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech.

32 Then Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash at Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites relapsed and prostituted themselves with the Baals, making Baal-berith their god.

34 The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side;

35 and they did not exhibit loyalty to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in return for all the good that he had done to Israel.

The Message Bible MSG

1 Then the Ephraimites said to Gideon, "Why did you leave us out of this, not calling us when you went to fight Midian?" They were indignant and let him know it.

2 But Gideon replied, "What have I done compared to you? Why, even the gleanings of Ephraim are superior to the vintage of Abiezer.

3 God gave you Midian's commanders, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I done compared with you?" When they heard this, they calmed down and cooled off.

4 Gideon and his three hundred arrived at the Jordan and crossed over. They were bone-tired but still pressing the pursuit.

5 He asked the men of Succoth, "Please, give me some loaves of bread for my troops I have with me. They're worn out, and I'm hot on the trail of Zebah and Zalmunna, the Midianite kings."

6 But the leaders in Succoth said, "You're on a wild goose chase; why should we help you on a fool's errand?"

7 Gideon said, "If you say so. But when God gives me Zebah and Zalmunna, I'll give you a thrashing, whip your bare flesh with desert thorns and thistles!"

8 He went from there to Peniel and made the same request. The men of Peniel, like the men of Succoth, also refused.

9 Gideon told them, "When I return safe and sound, I'll demolish this tower."

10 Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with an army of about fifteen companies, all that was left of the fighting force of the easterners - they had lost 120 companies of soldiers.

11 Gideon went up the caravan trail east of Nobah and Jogbehah, found and attacked the undefended camp.

12 Zebah and Zalmunna fled, but he chased and captured the two kings of Midian. The whole camp had panicked.

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

14 He captured a young man from Succoth and asked some questions. The young man wrote down the names of the officials and leaders of Succoth, seventy-seven men.

15 Then Gideon went to the men of Succoth and said, "Here are the wild geese, Zebah and Zalmunna, you said I'd never catch. You wouldn't give so much as a scrap of bread to my worn-out men; you taunted us, saying that we were on a fool's errand."

16 Then he took the seventy-seven leaders of Succoth and thrashed them with desert thorns and thistles.

17 And he demolished the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the city.

18 He then addressed Zebah and Zalmunna: "Tell me about the men you killed at Tabor." "They were men much like you," they said, "each one like a king's son."

19 Gideon said, "They were my brothers, my mother's sons. As God lives, if you had let them live, I would let you live."

20 Then he spoke to Jether, his firstborn: "Get up and kill them." But he couldn't do it, couldn't draw his sword. He was afraid - he was still just a boy.

21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Do it yourself - if you're man enough!" And Gideon did it. He stepped up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. Then he took the crescents that hung on the necks of their camels.

22 The Israelites said, "Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson. You have saved us from Midian's tyranny."

23 Gideon said, "I most certainly will not rule over you, nor will my son. God will reign over you."

24 Then Gideon said, "But I do have one request. Give me, each of you, an earring that you took as plunder." Ishmaelites wore gold earrings, and the men all had their pockets full of them.

25 They said, "Of course. They're yours!"

26 The gold earrings that Gideon had asked for weighed about forty-three pounds - and that didn't include the crescents and pendants, the purple robes worn by the Midianite kings, and the ornaments hung around the necks of their camels.

27 Gideon made the gold into a sacred ephod and put it on display in his hometown, Ophrah. All Israel prostituted itself there. Gideon and his family, too, were seduced by it.

28 Midian's tyranny was broken by the Israelites; nothing more was heard from them. The land was quiet for forty years in Gideon's time.

29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash went home and lived in his house.

30 Gideon had seventy sons. He fathered them all - he had a lot of wives!

31 His concubine, the one at Shechem, also bore him a son. He named him Abimelech.

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

33 Gideon was hardly cool in the tomb when the People of Israel had gotten off track and were prostituting themselves to Baal - they made Baal-of-the-Covenant their god.

34 The People of Israel forgot all about God, their God, who had saved them from all their enemies who had hemmed them in.

35 And they didn't keep faith with the family of Jerub-Baal (Gideon), honoring all the good he had done for Israel.