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8 The men of Ephraim's tribe asked Gideon, ‘Why have you insulted us? You should have called us to join with you to fight against the Midianites.’ They were very angry and they argued with Gideon. 2 Gideon said to them, ‘What you did in the fight was more important than what I was able to do. My family started the battle, but your tribe finished the job! 3 God chose you to take power over the leaders of Midian's army. You killed Oreb and Zeeb! Nothing that I did was as great as that!’

When Gideon said that, the men of Ephraim stopped being angry.

Zebah and Zalmunna

4 Gideon and his 300 men were weak and tired. But they went across the Jordan and they continued to chase the Midianites. 5 Gideon said to the men of Succoth, ‘Please give my soldiers some food to eat. They are very tired. We are chasing the kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, to catch them.’ 6 The city leaders of Succoth said, ‘You have not yet caught Zebah and Zalmunna. We will not give you any food until you have done that.’ 7 Gideon replied, ‘Because you say that, I will return here. When the Lord has put Zebah and Zalmunna under my power, I will come back to punish you. I will beat you with thorn branches that will tear your skin to pieces!’

8 Gideon continued his journey to Peniel. He asked their people for food too. But they gave him the same answer as the men of Succoth. 9 Gideon also warned the men of Peniel, ‘When I have won the fight against my enemies, I will return. Then I will destroy your strong tower.’

10 Zebah and Zalmunna had 15,000 men with them in Karkor. They were the only men left of their great army from the east. 120,000 of their soldiers had died in the battle. 11 Gideon went along a road near the desert. It was east of Nobah and Jogbehah. He attacked the enemy's army by surprise. 12 The two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, ran away. Gideon chased after them and he caught them. The whole Midianite army ran away in fear.

13 Then Gideon left the place of the battle to return home. He went along the road across Heres hills. 14 He caught a young man who came from Succoth. He asked him about the leaders of Succoth. The young man wrote down the names of 77 leaders and officers of the city. 15 Gideon went to Succoth with Zebah and Zalmunna. He said to the leaders, ‘Now I have brought these kings to you! You insulted me! You said, “We will not give your tired men any food until you have caught Zebah and Zalmunna.” ’

16 Then Gideon took hold of Succoth's leaders. He beat them with thorn branches to punish them. 17 He also went to Peniel and he destroyed their tower. He killed the men of that city.

18 Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, ‘Tell me about the men that you killed at Tabor. What kind of men were they?’ The kings answered, ‘They were like you. They looked like the sons of kings.’ 19 Gideon said, ‘Those were my brothers, my own mother's sons. If you had not killed my brothers, I would not kill you. I promise you that, as surely as the Lord lives.’

20 Gideon said to his oldest son, Jether, ‘Kill them now!’ But Jether was only a boy. He was too afraid to do anything. 21 Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, ‘Kill us yourself! Let us see if you are brave enough to do that!’

So Gideon did kill them. He took away the silver images from the necks of their camels.

Gideon makes a gold ephod

22 After that, the Israelites said to Gideon, ‘Rule over us as our king! You, your son and your grandson should rule us. You have rescued us from Midian's power.’

23 But Gideon said to them, ‘I will not agree to rule over you. Nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.’

24 Gideon also said, ‘I will ask you only to do one thing for me. Each of you should give me one ear-ring from the things that you took from our enemies.’ (The Midianites wore gold ear-rings because they were descendants of Ishmael.)

25 The people replied, ‘We are happy to give them to you.’

So they put a coat on the ground. Each man threw a ring onto it. 26 The weight of all the rings was 20 kilograms. They also had valuable silver images and jewels. They had valuable clothes that the kings of Midian wore and necklaces from the camels. 27 Gideon used the gold to make an image of an ephod. He put it in Ophrah, where he lived. All the Israelites came there and they worshipped the image. [ a ] It caused them to turn away from the true God. It became like a trap that caught Gideon and his family.

Gideon dies

28 The Israelites now had complete power over the Midianites. The Midianites were too ashamed to fight against them. While Gideon was alive, the land of Israel had peace for 40 years.

29 Then Gideon went back home to live. 30 He had many wives. They gave birth to 70 sons for him. 31 Gideon also had a slave wife who lived in Shechem. She gave birth to a son for him. Gideon called him Abimelech.

32 Joash's son Gideon died when he was very old. People buried him in the grave of his father, Joash. That was in Ophrah, on the land of Abiezer's clan.

33 Soon after Gideon died, the Israelites stopped being faithful to the Lord . They started to worship the idols of Baal again. They chose Baal-Berith to be their new god. 34 They no longer served the Lord their God. They forgot that he had saved them from all the enemies who lived around them. 35 The Israelites did not remain faithful to Gideon's family either. They did not remember all the good things that he had done to help Israel.

Footnotes

  1. 8:27 An ephod was something that the priests wore. See Exodus 28:4-6 . Gideon used gold to make an image. It was an idol that people worshipped. So it was not a real ephod.

8 The men of Ephraim were angry with Gideon. When they found him, they asked, “Why did you treat us this way? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight against the Midianites?”

2 But Gideon answered the men of Ephraim, “I have not done as well as you. You people of Ephraim have a much better harvest than my family, the Abiezers. At harvest time you leave more grapes in the vineyard than my family gathers! Isn’t that true? 3 In the same way you have a better harvest now. God allowed you to capture Oreb and Zeeb, the leaders of Midian. How can I compare my success with what you did?” When the men of Ephraim heard Gideon’s answer, they were not as angry as they had been.

Gideon Captures Two Kings of Midian

4 Then Gideon and his 300 men came to the Jordan River and went across to the other side, but they were tired and hungry. [ a ] 5 Gideon said to the men of the city of Succoth, “Give my soldiers something to eat. They are very tired. We are still chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.”

6 But the leaders of the city of Succoth said to Gideon, “Why should we give your soldiers something to eat? You haven’t caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet.”

7 Then Gideon said, “The Lord will help me capture Zebah and Zalmunna. And since you would not give us any food, I will come back and beat you with thorns and briers from the desert.”

8 Gideon left the city of Succoth and went to the city of Penuel. He asked the men of Penuel for food, just as he had asked the men of Succoth. But the men of Penuel gave Gideon the same answer that the men of Succoth had given. 9 So Gideon said to the men of Penuel, “After I win the victory, I will come back here and pull this tower down.”

10 Zebah and Zalmunna and their army were in the city of Karkor. Their army had 15,000 soldiers in it. These soldiers were all who were left of the army of the people of the east. 120,000 strong soldiers of that army had already been killed. 11 Gideon and his men used Tent Dwellers’ Road, which is east of the cities of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the enemy at Karkor. The enemy army did not expect the attack. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of the Midianites, ran away. But Gideon chased and caught them. Gideon and his men defeated the enemy army.

13 Then Gideon son of Joash returned from the battle. He and his men returned by going through a mountain pass called the Pass of Heres. 14 Gideon captured a young man from the city of Succoth. He asked the young man some questions. The young man wrote down some names for Gideon. The young man wrote down the names of the leaders and elders of the city of Succoth. He gave Gideon the names of 77 men.

15 When Gideon came to the city of Succoth, he said to the men of that city, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna. You made fun of me by saying, ‘Why should we give food to your tired soldiers? You have not caught Zebah and Zalmunna yet.’” 16 Gideon took the elders of the city of Succoth and beat them with thorns and briers from the desert. 17 Gideon also pulled down the tower in the city of Penuel and killed the men living in that city.

18 Then Gideon said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “You killed some men on Mount Tabor. What were the men like?”

Zebah and Zalmunna answered, “They were like you. Each one of them seemed like a prince.”

19 Gideon said, “Those men were my brothers, my mother’s sons! As the Lord lives, if you had not killed them, I would not kill you now.”

20 Then Gideon turned to Jether, his oldest son, and said, “Kill these kings.” But Jether was only a boy and was afraid, so he would not take out his sword.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said to Gideon, “Come on, kill us yourself. You are a man and strong enough to do the job.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna. Then Gideon took the decorations shaped like the moon off their camels’ necks.

Gideon Makes an Ephod

22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “You saved us from the Midianites. So now rule over us. We want you, your son, and your grandson to rule over us.”

23 But Gideon told the Israelites, “The Lord will be your ruler. I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you.”

24 Some of the people who the men of Israel defeated were Ishmaelites. And the Ishmaelite men wore gold earrings. So Gideon said to the Israelites, “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 battle.”

25 The Israelites said to Gideon, “We will gladly give you what you want.” So they put a coat down on the ground, and each man threw an earring onto the coat. 26 When the earrings were gathered up, they weighed about 43 pounds. [ b ] This did not include the other gifts the Israelites gave to Gideon. They also gave him jewelry shaped like the moon and jewelry shaped like teardrops. And they gave him purple robes. The kings of the Midianites had worn these things. They also gave him the chains from the camels of the Midianite kings.

27 Gideon used the gold to make an ephod, [ c ] which he put in his hometown, the town called Ophrah. All the Israelites worshiped the ephod. In this way the Israelites were not faithful to God—they worshiped the ephod. [ d ] The ephod became a trap that caused Gideon and his family to sin.

The Death of Gideon

28 The Midianites were forced to be under the rule of the Israelites. The Midianites did not cause trouble anymore. And the land was at peace for 40 years, as long as Gideon was alive.

29 Gideon [ e ] son of Joash went home. 30 Gideon had 70 sons of his own. He had so many sons because he had many wives. 31 He had a slave woman who lived in the city of Shechem. He had a son by her. He named that son Abimelech.

32 So Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age. He was buried in the tomb that Joash, his father, owned. That tomb is in the city of Ophrah, where the family of Abiezer lives. 33 As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites again were not faithful to God—they followed Baal. [ f ] They made Baal Berith [ g ] their god. 34 The Israelites did not remember the Lord their God, who had saved them from all their enemies living around them. 35 The Israelites were not loyal to the family of Jerub-Baal (Gideon), even though he had done many good things for them.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 8:4 hungry This is from the ancient Greek version. The standard Hebrew text has “chasing.”
  2. Judges 8:26 43 pounds Literally, “1700 shekels ” (19.55 kg).
  3. Judges 8:27 ephod This may have been a special vest or coat like that worn by the high priest (see Ex. 28:2-14), or it may have been a kind of idol.
  4. Judges 8:27 were not faithful … ephod Literally, “acted like a prostitute to it.”
  5. Judges 8:29 Gideon Literally, “Jerub-Baal,” a nickname given to Gideon earlier (see 6:32). Also throughout chapter 9.”
  6. Judges 8:33 were not faithful … Baal Literally, “they acted like a prostitute to Baal.”
  7. Judges 8:33 Baal Berith A name that means “Lord of the Agreement.” It shows that the people were confusing the worship of the true God with the worship of local idols. Also in 9:4.

8 And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.

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

3 God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.

4 And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.

5 And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.

6 And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?

7 And Gideon said, Therefore when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.

8 And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.

9 And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

11 And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host; for the host was secure.

12 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.

13 And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

14 And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.

15 And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?

16 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.

17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.

18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

19 And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.

20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.

21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.

24 And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25 And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.

26 And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

27 And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

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

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

33 And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.

34 And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

35 Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.

Zebah and Zalmunna Routed

8 Then the men of Ephraim said to [ a ] Gideon, “ ( A ) What is this thing that you have done to us, not calling upon us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they quarreled with him vehemently. 2 But he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim not better than the vintage of Abiezer? 3 God has handed over to you the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their [ b ] anger toward him subsided when he said [ c ] that.

4 Then Gideon and the three hundred men who were with him came ( B ) to the Jordan and crossed over, exhausted yet still pursuing. 5 And he said to the men of ( C ) Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who are [ d ] following me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” 6 But the leaders of Succoth said, “ [ e ] ( D ) Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” 7 So Gideon said, “For this answer , ( E ) when the Lord has handed over to me Zebah and Zalmunna, I will [ f ] thrash your [ g ] bodies with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.” 8 Then he went up from there to [ h ] ( F ) Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered. 9 So he said also to the men of [ i ] Penuel, “When I return safely, ( G ) I will tear down this tower.”

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their [ j ] armies with them, about fifteen thousand men, all who were left of the entire [ k ] army of the [ l ] people of the east; ( H ) for the fallen were 120,000 [ m ] swordsmen. 11 Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents to the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and he [ n ] attacked the camp when the camp was unsuspecting. 12 When Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and routed the entire [ o ] army.

13 Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle [ p ] by the ascent of Heres. 14 And he captured a youth from [ q ] Succoth and questioned him. Then the youth wrote down for him the leaders of Succoth and its elders, seventy-seven men. 15 And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘ [ r ] ( I ) Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are weary?’” 16 Then he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and he [ s ] disciplined the men of Succoth with them. 17 ( J ) And he tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.

18 Then he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “Where were the men whom you killed at Tabor?” But they said, “You and they were alike, each one [ t ] resembling the son of a king.” 19 And he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if only 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 Zalmunna said, “Rise up yourself, and attack us; for as the man, so is his strength.” ( K ) So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and ( L ) took the crescent amulets which were on their camels’ necks.

22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, your son’s son as well, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian!” 23 But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; ( M ) the Lord shall rule over you.” 24 Yet Gideon said to them, “I would [ u ] request of you, that each of you give me [ v ] an earring from his plunder.” (For they had gold earrings, because they were ( N ) Ishmaelites.) 25 And they said, “We will certainly give them to you .” So they spread out a garment, and every one of them tossed an earring there from his plunder. 26 The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was 1,700 shekels of gold, apart from the crescent amulets, the ear pendants, and the purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and apart from the neck chains that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made it into ( O ) an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah; but all Israel [ w ] committed infidelity with it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

Forty Years of Peace

28 So Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, and they did not lift up their heads anymore. And the land was undisturbed for forty years in the days of Gideon.

29 Then ( P ) Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and lived in his own house. 30 Now Gideon had ( Q ) seventy sons who [ x ] were his direct descendants, for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he [ y ] named him Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, ( R ) that the sons of Israel again [ z ] committed infidelity with the Baals, and made ( S ) Baal-berith their god. 34 So the sons of Israel ( T ) did not remember the Lord their God, who had saved them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; 35 ( U ) nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal ( that is , Gideon) in accordance with all the good that he had done for Israel.

Footnotes

  1. Judges 8:1 Lit him
  2. Judges 8:3 Lit spirit
  3. Judges 8:3 Lit this thing
  4. Judges 8:5 Lit at my feet
  5. Judges 8:6 Lit Is the palm of ...; i.e., are you so sure of victory that
  6. Judges 8:7 Or trample
  7. Judges 8:7 Lit flesh
  8. Judges 8:8 In Gen 32:30, Peniel
  9. Judges 8:9 Lit Penuel, saying,
  10. Judges 8:10 Or camps
  11. Judges 8:10 Or camp
  12. Judges 8:10 Lit sons
  13. Judges 8:10 Lit men who drew the sword
  14. Judges 8:11 Lit struck
  15. Judges 8:12 Or camp
  16. Judges 8:13 Or from
  17. Judges 8:14 Lit the men of
  18. Judges 8:15 Lit Is the palm of ...; i.e., are you so sure of victory
  19. Judges 8:16 Lit taught
  20. Judges 8:18 Lit like the form of the sons
  21. Judges 8:24 Lit request a request
  22. Judges 8:24 Or a nose ring
  23. Judges 8:27 I.e., against God
  24. Judges 8:30 Lit came from his loins
  25. Judges 8:31 Lit appointed his name
  26. Judges 8:33 I.e., against God

Zebah and Zalmunna

8 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, ( A ) “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian? ( B ) ” ( C ) And they challenged him vigorously. ( D )

2 But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? ( E ) 3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb, ( F ) the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.

4 Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan ( G ) and crossed it. 5 He said to the men of Sukkoth, ( H ) “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, ( I ) and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, ( J ) the kings of Midian.”

6 But the officials of Sukkoth ( K ) said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread ( L ) to your troops?” ( M )

7 Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna ( N ) into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.”

8 From there he went up to Peniel [ a ] ( O ) and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. 9 So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.” ( P )

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. ( Q ) 11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah ( R ) and Jogbehah ( S ) and attacked the unsuspecting army. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

13 Gideon son of Joash ( T ) then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. ( U ) 14 He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, ( V ) the elders ( W ) of the town. 15 Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men? ( X ) ’” 16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson ( Y ) by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel ( Z ) and killed the men of the town. ( AA )

18 Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor? ( AB ) ”

“Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.”

19 Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, ( AC ) if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” 20 Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments ( AD ) off their camels’ necks.

Gideon’s Ephod

22 The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”

23 But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule ( AE ) over you.” 24 And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring ( AF ) from your share of the plunder. ( AG ) ” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites ( AH ) to wear gold earrings.)

25 They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, [ b ] not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains ( AI ) that were on their camels’ necks. 27 Gideon made the gold into an ephod, ( AJ ) which he placed in Ophrah, ( AK ) his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare ( AL ) to Gideon and his family. ( AM )

Gideon’s Death

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head ( AN ) again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace ( AO ) forty years.

29 Jerub-Baal ( AP ) son of Joash ( AQ ) went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons ( AR ) of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, ( AS ) who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. ( AT ) 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age ( AU ) and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. ( AV ) They set up Baal-Berith ( AW ) as their god ( AX ) 34 and did not remember ( AY ) the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal ( AZ ) (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them. ( BA )

Footnotes

  1. Judges 8:8 Hebrew Penuel, a variant of Peniel ; also in verses 9 and 17
  2. Judges 8:26 That is, about 43 pounds or about 20 kilograms
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