Judges
8
1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
9 10 11
12 13
14 15
16 17
18 19
20 21
1 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.
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