| 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. |
