| Chapter 8 |
| 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 inquired 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 showed they kindness
to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which
he had showed unto Israel. |
